New LeBron James Rumors on Warriors' Pursuit in NBA Free Agency Before 76ers Contract

The Golden State Warriors reportedly made a strong push for LeBron James before he decided to sign with the Philadelphia 76ers in free agency last week.

According to ESPN's Anthony Slater, the Warriors made their pitch to James in early July. It included Stephen Curry reaching out to James to express his interest in teaming together, as well as Warriors governor Joe Lacob sending a voice note to James' agent, Rich Paul, in which he made his case for Golden State.

The Warriors reportedly also "lobbied him on the Hall of Fame spectacle of linking up with Curry, their veteran-friendly environment, an ability to hike his salary up toward the $15.1 million nontaxpayer mid-level exception and the proximity to family."

On top of that, James reportedly did some "back-channel exploration" into the viability of being able to travel between the Bay Area and Southern California at various points during the season given that his family is currently still located in the L.A. area after he spent the past eight seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Despite the conversations between the Warriors and James, the organization reportedly did not believe it was truly in the mix for LeBron during the final couple of weeks leading up to his decision.

James reportedly didn't speak with Warriors head coach Steve Kerr at any point during the recruitment process, and a Warriors front office source suggested the writing was on the wall, telling Slater, "We've been given no signs or hints it's happening."

LeBron ultimately chose the Sixers as the destination for his record 24th NBA season.

The 41-year-old may have been swayed by the 76ers' offseason acquisition of five-time All-Star Jaylen Brown from the Boston Celtics this offseason, giving them a core of Brown, Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid and VJ Edgecombe.

Given James' stated goal of chasing a fifth championship, the Sixers perhaps provided him with a better opportunity than an aging Warriors squad that missed the playoffs last season.

With no James, the Warriors are largely running it back with the same roster they had last season, led by Curry, Jimmy Butler, Draymond Green, Kristaps Porziņģis, Brandin Podziemski and Moses Moody.

The one major addition is that of Yaxel Lendeborg, who was the No. 11 overall pick in the 2026 NBA draft.

While the Warriors are still talented, age and injuries figure to be an issue just like they have been in recent years, and it is fair to wonder if there is anything LeBron could have done to change that.