LeBron James has won championships with three different teams and holds countless NBA records, but he's never played for the Golden State Warriors. That could change this summer.
James informed the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday that he will find a new team in free agency, per ESPN's Shams Charania. The 41-year-old played eight seasons with the franchise and led it to the 2020 NBA title.
James is still productive despite his age, as he averaged 20.9 points on 51.5% shooting (31.7% 3-point) with 6.1 rebounds, 7.2 assists and 1.2 steals over 33.2 minutes (60 games) in 2025-26. The future Hall of Famer also led the Lakers to the second round of the playoffs with star guard Luka Doncic out and fellow guard Austin Reaves missing the first round.
The Warriors want to pair James with fellow legend Steph Curry, per ESPN's Brian Windhorst.
"The Warriors told Jimmy Butler they’re not trading him. I think the focus right now is can they get LeBron James away from the Lakers," he reported just before Charania's post on Tuesday. "That’s something they’re going to try and get done, today."
Signing With Warriors Would Give LeBron James New Challenge
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If James signs a one-year contract with Golden State to end his career, he would join forces with his former rival in Curry. The two have played together in All-Star Games and won Olympic gold together in 2024, but haven't been on the same NBA team.
Curry is also on an expiring contract and turns 39 in March, so neither player has much time left to make this happen. However, the NBA's all-time three-point shooting leader has hardly lost a step, as he averaged 26.6 points on 46.8% shooting (39.3% 3-point) with 3.6 rebounds and 4.7 assists over 30.9 minutes (43 games) last season.
The Warriors are frontrunners to land James, per The Stein Line's Marc Stein. That's despite their failure to pry star big man Anthony Davis off of the Washington Wizards so far, who they wanted to combine with James, Curry and forward Draymond Green. Davis won the title with James on the Lakers in 2020.
Green opted out of his $27.7 million player option on Monday to give Golden State flexibility as it pursues James, per Charania. The organization also handed big man Kristaps Porzingis a two-year, $40 million extension later that day, per Charania.
