Warriors reportedly interested in reunion with $33M NBA champion to potentially lure LeBron James

The Golden State Warriors continue to be aggressive in their pursuit of LeBron James, as the franchise understands the urgency of landing the four-time NBA champion this summer. The possibility of pairing Stephen Curry and James together now appears to be a realistic scenario.

Golden State has pulled out all the stops in its effort to recruit James. The latest move reportedly involved Draymond Green spending time with James to discuss the possibility of joining forces.

“LeBron James and Draymond Green are meeting up as the NBA's all-time leading scorer looks to join a new team for the 2026-27 season, according to ESPN's Shams Charania. Charania reported that James and Green are spending some time here together this week at an undisclosed location during a Tuesday appearance on The Stephen A. Smith Show,” Bleacher Report’s Zach Bachar wrote.

James’ agent, Rich Paul, has been vocal throughout the process surrounding the future Hall of Famer. Paul believes that if James were to join the Warriors, they would immediately become one of the toughest teams in the league.

“If we’re talking strictly basketball, you don’t want to play them. You definitely don’t want to play them in a playoff series. You don’t want to get to the trade deadline and have little surface edges type of moves made. You talk about just basketball brilliance of mind and experience, production. It’s pretty tough, Max,” Paul stated.

James appears to be waiting to see what moves potential contenders make before deciding where he wants to play next season. The Warriors have been linked to a blockbuster pursuit of Anthony Davis, but they have also shown interest in improving their roster around the edges.

One reported move involves a potential reunion with Gary Payton II.

“Bassey fills the 11th slot on the Warriors' roster. It's anticipated that Green will eventually fill the 12th spot, and there is mutual interest, league sources said, in bringing Gary Payton II back,” ESPN’s Anthony Slater wrote.

While bringing back Payton II would not be the same type of franchise-altering move that acquiring Davis would be, it would show James that Golden State is committed to building a complete roster. Adding another experienced veteran would also strengthen the team's second unit.

Payton II has earned more than $33 million throughout his NBA career and won his only championship with the Warriors. A reunion would improve Golden State's depth and could help keep James interested as he continues to evaluate his options.

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