New NBA Rumors on LeBron, Anthony Davis Pursuit from Warriors as Lakers, Wizards Enter Free Agency

As the Golden State Warriors pursue the long-dreamed about pairing of LeBron James and Stephen Curry, they are not necessarily feeling pressure to acquire Anthony Davis is an attempt to entice the four-time NBA MVP.

Per NBA insiders Marc Stein and Jake Fischer, the Warriors are considered "far and away the most interested external suitor" for James if he decides to leave the Los Angeles Lakers as a free agent.

ESPN's Brian Windhorst later reported on Get Up that the Warriors would try to ink James to a contract today:

There are conflicting reports about the idea of the Warriors needing to acquire Davis from the Washington Wizards to have any shot at signing James.

ESPN's Shams Charania said on SportsCenter that Davis and James "would have to be a package deal" for Golden State.

However, Stein and Fischer noted the Warriors "haven't been operating under the premise" they can't get James without Davis and they will attempt to convince the future Hall of Famer for around the non-taxpayer midlevel exception of $15 million.

Windhorst downplayed the idea of a Davis trade to the Warriors, saying it was "unlikely" to happen, but noted the situation could change.

All of this comes in the wake of Draymond Green's decision on Monday to decline his $27.7 million player option with the Warriors for next season. The move potentially clears the way for Golden State to add a major piece to the roster, then bringing Green back on a deal that would likely bring down his average salary.

In the report from Stein and Fischer, Green is "going nowhere" and expected to get a new multiyear deal from Golden State after the front office figures out other roster decisions.

It's unclear how much interest James has in remaining with the Lakers right now. He reportedly hasn't engaged them in substantial talks, though the team did indicate to his agent, Rich Paul, they would like to bring him back.

Acquiring Davis would presumably make it easier for the Warriors to sell James on joining them. The two have maintained a strong relationship even after the Lakers dealt Davis to the Dallas Mavericks as part of the Luka Dončić trade in February 2025.

James and Davis were teammates for six seasons with the Lakers from 2019 to '25. They led the team to a championship in their first season together.

The Warriors are looking to build a roster capable of competing with the top teams in the Western Conference while Curry is still playing at a high level. They have missed the playoffs in two of the last three seasons, including a 37-45 record in 2025-26.