NBA Reports: LeBron James open to having Free Agency meeting with the Golden State WarriorsÂ
What's the story?
NBA superstar LeBron James is apparently open to playing for the reigning champions, the Golden State Warriors.
In case you didn't know
James' 2018 free agency is the talk of the league, especially in Los Angeles given his ties with the city. Having said all of that, re-signing with the Cleveland Cavaliers is not out of question.
Heart of the matter
ESPN's Chris Haynes reports that the Warriors can secure a meeting with the 4-time league MVP if they can ensure a max deal. Haynes further adds that there is no indication whether the Bay Area franchise is making moves to have that meeting and eventually signing the 3-time Champion.
With his move to the Miami Heat back in 2010, James has shown an affinity for front office structure and clearly, the Warriors have that.
James, in this season, earns $33.2 million and is slated to pocket $35.6 million next year, which he is reported to decline via a player option clause in the contract. If a max deal is all he wants, Golden State is going to have to do a lot of work to make that cap space.
They will need Kevin Durant to decline his player option of $26.2 million for next year and take a huge pay cut on his new deal. They will also need to ship off Shaun Livingston's 2-year $10 million dollars guaranteed deal.
What's next?
Irrespective of what James does with his possible free agency this coming summer, he and the Cavaliers have a ton of on-court and off-court issues to deal with and figure even to get out of the Eastern Conference in the 2018 Playoffs. They've had a disastrous January, with a record of 6-8. Not to mention, they have among the toughest schedules remaining the league.
Author's take
James might be in the twilight of his prime but it's still worth a shot. His prime has gone for almost all of his NBA career. Whether or not this [signing with the Warriors] will happen is unknown. Right now, even the possibility of a meeting isn't confirmed.