LeBron James is going to have plenty of options in free agency. The four-time MVP has informed the Miami Heat that he will opt out of the final two years of his contract and test the open market as a free agent. That means while the Heat stand a chance at re-signing him, plenty of other teams are prepping their sales pitch for the forward. One team that likely will not be in the running for James is the Golden State Warriors.
According to multiple NBA sources, the Warriors are looking to be buyers in the offseason. They have been linked to multiple players, but according to Tim Kawakami of the Mercury News. James will not be one of them. The Warriors are looking for a big-time free agent. They attempted to acquire Dwight Howard a summer ago, but missed out on him to the Houston Rockets. While they might be able to secure a meeting with James, there is a very slim chance that he signs to the team.
The report of James comes after ESPN.com reported the Warriors attempted deal to acquire Kevin Love was essentially dead in the water. The Warriors and the Minnesota Timberwolves reportedly engaged in negotiations for the forward over the weekend. Golden State was offering a package that would include draft picks, David Lee and potentially Klay Thompson. However, the Warriors opted to take Thompson out of the intended deal and the Timberwolves withdrew their interest. Thompson is considered one of the league's rising stars and new head coach Steve Kerr preferred to hold on to him instead.
The Warriors certainly have the pieces that could entice James to sign with them. If they were able to acquire Love, certainly James would be interested in joining the lineup that also had Stephen Curry. Kerr is a quality coach. Would that be better that re-joining Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh?
Outside of the Warriors, the Chicago Bulls are considered a favorite to land James. The team is using the lineup of Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah to lure in James or potentially Carmelo Anthony. The Bulls likely will not have enough cap space to add both James and Anthony, something Miami is thinking about with the right roster moves.
The Los Angeles Daily News is also reporting that Kobe Bryant might consider recruitting James and Anthony to the Los Angeles Lakers. The team could attempt to get both stars if they are able to trade Steve Nash. Pairing both players with Bryant could be a positive outcome for the Lakers. However, Bryant has previously stated he was not interested in getting active in the free agency frenzy after his failed attempts to retain Howard a year ago.
