The Golden State Warriors‘ offseason has narrowed to one question, and the newest reporting suggests the answer may be drifting east. Marc Stein and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line reported Saturday that there is a growing belief around the league that the Cleveland Cavaliers are the scenario to beat for LeBron James, who informed the Los Angeles Lakers on June 30 that he will not return for a ninth season.
Golden State is still squarely in the field. Shams Charania of ESPN has consistently grouped the Cavaliers, Warriors and Miami Heat as the teams that make the most sense for James, and ESPN’s Anthony Slater reported the Warriors have been given indications they remain on his short list — with the internal caveat that the front office does not assume it sits atop it. Charania described James and agent Rich Paul as being in fact-finding mode and said the choice will not be a financially driven one.
The Warriors have organized their entire summer around that possibility. Draymond Green declined his $27.7MM player option to give the team flexibility, and De’Anthony Melton‘s two-year, $11MM return, reported by Charania, was structured to fit into the bi-annual exception — a sequence that, per cap analyst Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron, preserves the full $15MM non-taxpayer mid-level exception in case James says yes. Waiting has carried a cost. Anfernee Simons signed in Philadelphia after Golden State would offer only a minimum deal while it holds its cap room, according to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints, and Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reports that the Warriors’ trade interest in New Orleans wing Trey Murphy III is on hold for the same reason.
For a franchise that spent a decade as the league’s default destination, this is the unfamiliar part: recruiting, and waiting. Stephen Curry and Green are expected to be involved in the pitch, per Siegel. Until James decides, every other Warriors move stays on hold — and the reporting out of Cleveland says the wait may not end the way the Bay wants.
