Warriors predicted to outbid Lakers, Spurs for $101M former MVP, four-time NBA champion

The LeBron James sweepstakes are heating up as free agency approaches following the conclusion of the NBA Finals. In many ways, James remains the biggest commodity in the early stages of free agency.

His next destination is being closely watched, as retirement no longer appears to be imminent. Even Stephen Curry is reportedly attempting to recruit James to Golden State.

“Pairing him with Stephen Curry is going to be something that the Warriors are going to pursue over the next few weeks… It seemed very doubtful, it seemed low percentage, now it’s kind of questionable. Now there’s going to be some legs to this… That same source told us that Steph is planning on meeting and talking with LeBron about potentially joining the Warriors over the course of the next few weeks leading up to free agency,” NBA insider Brett Siegel said.

Even with Curry’s interest in recruiting James, the four-time NBA champion has recently been in contract talks with the Lakers.

“I think LeBron's intention is to play and I think the focus right now is making a deal with the Lakers," ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said. "Right now, he's allowed to negotiate with the Lakers and I believe they are negotiating, I believe they're going back and forth."

Still, CBS Sports’ Sam Quinn believes a move to the Warriors makes the most sense for James.

“The Warriors are just better-positioned to prioritize the window that matters to James, and he has spoken openly about his interest in playing with Curry before it's all said and done. With the Lakers emphasizing their long-term plans, I'm betting on Golden State to finally unite the two best players of their generation for one last shot at shared glory,” Quinn wrote.

James and Curry have both been vocal about wanting to play together at some point in their careers. Additionally, Draymond Green and James share a close friendship off the court, which could play a role in recruitment efforts.

James finished his $101 million deal with the Lakers last season and is not expected to command anything close to that figure this offseason. With the Warriors hoping to make one final championship push, acquiring James at a reduced cost would represent an obvious opportunity.

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