LeBron James’ future in the NBA has become a topic of discussion in recent months, especially given his age. The 41-year-old seems to be slowing down as the numbers indicate, but still steps up for his team when needed.
The Los Angeles Lakers suffered a massive blow when both Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves were forced to the sidelines with injuries. In the next game against the Golden State Warriors, James stepped up with a 26-point performance.
Now, these performances certainly make a case for him joining another team. And that’s a big question mark at this point. He will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, and several teams have been in the mix to land him.
Will LeBron James Join the Warriors?
As per The Athletic’s Dan Woike, the Warriors are still serious about signing James. Woike recently wrote, “Around the league, rumors also persist that one last run in Cleveland, or a superstar Steph Curry-James duo in Golden State, are plausible possibilities as well. Per team sources, the Warriors’ interest in James this summer remains serious.”
James and Curry combined made up a deadly duo during the last Olympics, bringing home the gold medal. And given they are the two biggest players of this generation, they’ve been constantly linked with a union in the NBA.
The pair’s public admiration for each other has also led many to believe that they’d make up a rock-solid combo on the court even at this age.
Woike also weighed in on the possibility of James’ move to Cleveland again. “The Cavs, and the prospect of a goodbye tour where James’ journey began, are also still widely seen by rival executives as a legitimate possibility. But in both cases, the luxury tax poses obstacles that likely mean James would have to make major financial concessions to come their way,” he wrote.
James has recently mentioned that his most special title win was with the Cavs, since that was where he’s from, and he had helped bring their first and only title so far. It sure looks like the Warriors and Cavaliers are the only two teams heavily linked with James.
But one major problem is that he would have to take a significant pay cut if he wants to join any of them, or if he wants to stay in Los Angeles as well. None of these teams has salary cap space right now, and they certainly do not have the financial freedom to take on James’ current salary.
With that said, it will be interesting to see what decision James makes on his future. It’s clear now that he hasn’t decided on it yet, but we could expect an announcement at the end of the Lakers’ current season, depending on how it goes.
