Stephen A. Smith Says LeBron James Would Tarnish Legacy If He Joined Warriors

ESPN's Stephen A. Smith believes LeBron James would ruin his legacy if he were to sign with the Golden State Warriors. 

During Thursday's episode of First Take, Smith said James' NBA legacy is "tarnished forever" if he even thinks about joining the reigning NBA champions:

ESPN.com's Chris Haynes reported James would listen to a proposal from the Warriors this offseason if they were able to carve out enough cap space to offer him a max contract.

Smith said the story is coming "strictly" from the Warriors—not from James or anyone in his camp—because they are "an ultra-aggressive franchise."

Dan Feldman of NBC Sports noted even if the Warriors cut their roster down to just Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Kevin Durant—who can opt out of his deal at the end of this season—and Klay Thompson, they still wouldn't have enough money available to offer James a max deal. 

Per Spotrac, the Warriors are projected to be $27.3 million over the projected salary cap for the 2018-19 season.

Using the current salaries for Golden State's Big Four next season, they account for $100.1 million in cap space. The NBA's projected salary cap is $101 million for 2018-19, per Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports. 

James can opt out of his contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers and become a free agent after this season.