Warriors Notes: LeBron, Draft, Lendeborg, Burries
While the idea of LeBron James leaving Los Angeles to play for the Warriors still seems like a long shot, it’s a rumor that won’t die until James commits to another team or someone goes on the record to kill it, Monte Poole writes for NBC Sports Bay Area. Reporting from ESPN and The Stein Line earlier this week suggested that Golden State may be the best outside threat to lure James away from the Lakers.
“I know it seems crazy,” a well-connected league source told Poole. “But there is at least curiosity on both sides. This wouldn’t even be a conversation five or six years ago, and it might not happen now, but there’s enough there that we shouldn’t ignore the possibility. It’s mostly up to LeBron.”
The Warriors would have to make significant roster changes or convince the Lakers to accommodate a sign-and-trade in order to offer more than the non-taxpayer mid-level exception, which is projected to be worth about $15MM.
Here’s more out of Golden State:
- In a separate story for NBC Sports Bay Area, Poole argues that it would be in the Warriors’ best long-term interests to find a way to turn this year’s No. 11 overall pick into multiple first-rounders by trading down.
- Following up on the news that Yaxel Lendeborg is among the players visiting the Warriors on Thursday, Anthony Slater of ESPN suggests the Michigan star will have an individual workout and in-person meeting with the front office rather than being part of a group workout. Slater adds, citing sources that Lendeborg has “several fans” in Golden State’s front office.
- Lendeborg certainly won’t be the only potential lottery target who works out for the Warriors. According to Slater, Arizona’s Brayden Burries is expected to be among the prospects who visits the team next week.
Latest On LeBron James’ Upcoming Free Agency
TIME Magazine’s newly minted “Athlete of the Century” and cover star LeBron James is headed for unrestricted free agency in a matter of weeks, and while it remains difficult to project his next move, there’s a widespread belief around the NBA that sticking with the Lakers would be his first choice, according to Jake Fischer and Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Substack link).
As Fischer and Stein lay out, James and his family have become “entrenched” in Los Angeles over the course of his last eight years as a Laker, and L.A. – which holds LeBron’s Bird rights – is in a better position than any other team to pay him a favorable salary, even if that number comes in below the $52.6MM he earned this past season.
Appearing on The Pat McAfee Show earlier this week (Twitter video link), ESPN’s Brian Windhorst agreed that re-signing with the Lakers appears to be the most likely outcome for James. However, both he and The Stein Line duo pointed to the Warriors as the primary threat to watch if things don’t work out in L.A.
Golden State remains “legitimately interested” in adding LeBron to its roster, according to Fischer and Stein, who suggest that the Warriors’ pitch to James may involve a plan for him to commute back and forth to some degree between Los Angeles and the Bay Area so he doesn’t have to move – or be away from – his family.
As Windhorst observes, James is close with Draymond Green and enjoyed collaborating with Stephen Curry and head coach Steve Kerr as part of Team USA at the 2024 Olympics. Still, barring a sign-and-trade agreement or a major roster overhaul, the Warriors would be limited to offering LeBron the mid-level exception, which is projected to start around $15MM.
While a reunion between James and the Cavaliers has been a popular subject of speculation, the geographical considerations of a cross-country move, along with Cleveland’s own financial limitations, make that idea look like a longer shot, per Fischer and Stein. Windhorst agrees with that assessment.
“I know that everybody loves the idea of LeBron in Cleveland, (but) Cleveland needs perimeter defense,” Windhorst said. “It would be a great story. He would definitely help them, (but) Cleveland needs interior toughness and perimeter defense. LeBron can do some of that, but I don’t know.
“Also, that would require LeBron to play for three million bucks. And I don’t want to spend his money — if he wants to play for three million, he can do it. But until I hear from (agent) Rich Paul that LeBron is ready to play for three million, I’m not going to believe it.”
Based on their current payroll situation, the Cavaliers would be limited to offering James a minimum-salary contract, which would technically be worth closer to $4MM, but that doesn’t materially change Windhorst’s point. Cleveland would have to significantly reshape its roster to be in position to make LeBron a competitive offer.
And-Ones: Goodwin, Ibaka, Pachulia, NBA Free Agents
Barcelona has shown interest in former NBA guard Brandon Goodwin, who starred in China this past season, Alessandro Maggi of Sportando relays.
According to an Encestando report, the European club has been in contact with Goodwin, who led the Shanghai Sharks to a Chinese league title. Goodwin, 30, averaged 17.6 points and 7.0 assists during the season and was named CBA Finals MVP after posting 29 points and 9.0 assists per game in the series. Goodwin played in 133 NBA games, most recently with Cleveland in 2021/22 when he made 36 appearances.
Here’s more from around the international basketball world:
- If it were up to Serge Ibaka, Montreal would have an NBA team. With NBA expansion a hot topic, the former big man declared that Montreal “deserves” a franchise, according to Eurohoops.net. “The way things are here, it’s a beautiful city. I feel people love sport in general here,” he said during a promotional event.
- Another former NBA big man, Zaza Pachulia, is investing in a different sport. He and his wife, Tika, recently joined the ownership group of Major League Volleyball’s newest team that will be based out of Northern California, according to Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area. The team will begin play in 2027.
- The Pistons re-sign Jalen Duren for $200MM over five years, starting at $34.5 million. The Hawks re-sign CJ McCollum at $40MM over two years with a team option, starting at $20MM. And how about this? The Warriors sign LeBron James at $30.8MM over two years with a player option, starting at the $15MM non-taxpayer mid-level exception. Those are just some of the predictions made by Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus regarding prominent free agents entering this summer’s market.
Pacific Notes: Lakers, Warriors, Curry, Kings
The Lakers enter the offseason with Luka Doncic under contract, as well as a whole lot of questions outside of the Slovenian star.
One of the key inflection points is what comes next for LeBron James. He could re-sign with the team, leave in free agency, or retire. If he does re-sign with the Lakers, how much does he command on his next contract?
Whether there is a right price to be found between the team and the 41-year-old star, who projects to be the third option offensively, is a topic of debate in the recent Los Angeles Times roundtable, with columnist Bill Plaschke believing that the two sides will be at odds in terms of what they’d want in a potential deal, though others disagree.
The panel found consensus in the desire to bring back free agent Austin Reaves and in the need to upgrade the center spot, regardless of whether or not Deandre Ayton picks up his $8.1MM player option for next season.
We have more news and notes from the Pacific Division:
- The Warriors hosted six players in pre-draft workouts on Tuesday, the team announced (via Twitter): Donovan Atwell (Texas Tech), Quadir Copeland (NC State), Josh Dix (Creighton), RJ Godfrey (Clemson), Ugonna Onyenso (Virginia), and Oziyah Sellers (St. John’s). Golden State has the 11th and 54th overall picks in the 2026 draft. Onyenso is the highest-rated player on this list, coming in at 43 on Jeremy Woo’s big board for ESPN due to his impressive shot-blocking ability.
- Stephen Curry‘s new deal with the Chinese shoe company Li-Ning is worth over $400MM over 10 years, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania (via Twitter), who notes that the Warriors‘ star had other companies making competitive offers. Charania previously reported that the deal would allow Curry to sign other athletes to his brand and expand beyond sneakers (Twitter link).
- While the Spurs and Knicks prepare to face off in the Finals, the Kings are stuck with reminders of where they’ve been and where they’re going. The year after Tyrese Haliburton led the Pacers to the Finals, the Kings now prepare to watch the coach they fired, Mike Brown, face off against the other point guard they traded, De’Aaron Fox, while they’re stuck trying to navigate the same type of dysfunction that defined the franchise for 20 years, writes Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee (subscriber link).
Cavaliers Notes: Mobley, Allen, Harden, Mitchell, LeBron
The Cavaliers figure to be active on the trade market this summer, whether it’s to remake a roster that got overwhelmed by New York in the Eastern Conference finals or just to escape the second apron. The problem for president of basketball operations Koby Altman is that he doesn’t have many assets to offer unless he’s willing to part with a big name, Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com writes in a subscriber-only story.
Fedor states that teams calling Altman typically express interest in Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen, Jaylon Tyson or Max Strus. Mobley and Allen are linchpins of a team that has become one of the best in the conference, while Tyson at 23 is one of the Cavs’ top young talents and Strus is a reliable shooter who’ll have a $16.7MM expiring contract next season. Cleveland also owns the 29th pick in this year’s draft and can offer its first-rounder in either 2031 or 2032.
Mobley would be the most valuable asset if the Cavaliers decide to pursue Giannis Antetokounmpo or another huge name, but Fedor states that the front office still views the former No. 3 overall pick as a future star and appears to be committed to keeping him as part of the future.
“All I can tell you is, since Evan’s been here, we’ve had the third best record in the league,” Altman said Friday at his end-of-season press conference. “Now we don’t have a championship to show for that yet, right? Boston and Denver, the other two ahead of us, they have a championship to show for that. But all Evan has done is impacted winning. He’s been remarkable for us in terms of our ascent the last five years. He’s a huge part of what we do.”
Altman also expressed support for Allen, saying he’s a good fit alongside Mobley and they provide a “cheat code” on defense.
There’s more from Cleveland:
- The Cavaliers considered a few other options before deciding to trade for James Harden at the deadline, according to Fedor. One was Celtics guard Derrick White, which became unrealistic with Jayson Tatum‘s fast return from his Achilles injury. Another was Trail Blazers guard Jrue Holiday, a former Celtic, but they decided he doesn’t he doesn’t provide enough offense. There were also “internal discussions” about Antetokounmpo. Altman said they understood what they were getting with Harden, who holds a $42.3MM player option for next season and is expected to sign a multi-year contract this summer. “I think people need to take a step back and realize we didn’t trade for MVP James Harden,” Altman said. “We traded for James Harden at the end of his career that has transformed himself to becoming one of the best point guards in the league. He helped stabilize us. He helped re-galvanize the group. We were kind of shaky there, in terms of our belief. We’re not in the conference finals without James.”
- Altman called Donovan Mitchell “uniquely ours” during his end-of-season press conference, but the team could face a difficult decision if he doesn’t agree to an extension this summer, Fedor adds. Mitchell will become eligible in July for a four-year deal worth up to an estimated $272MM, but that will increase to five years at around $350MM if he waits until next offseason. That would mean taking him into potential free agency, which the Cavs may be hesitant to do.
- Speculation about another LeBron James homecoming will hang over the franchise until his situation is resolved, Fedor notes. James would solve the team’s most pressing positional need and would bring a wealth of playoff experience, but the Cavs can’t offer more than the $3.9MM veteran’s minimum without making major changes to the roster. Another option is a sign-and-trade, which means giving James a three-year contract with at least one fully guaranteed season. Fedor points out that the Lakers would likely ask for a significant return in that scenario, and the Cavs would need to shed salary in order to operate under the first tax apron for the rest of 2026/27.
Pacific Notes: Brooks, LeBron, Suns, Acuff, Kings, Clippers
Suns owner Mat Ishbia has spoken publicly about his fondness for Dillon Brooks, who will be eligible this summer for an extension worth up to a projected $125.4MM over four years, writes Gerald Bourguet of Sports360AZ. While Bourguet doesn’t expect Brooks to command that much money, he does think it’ll be a priority for Phoenix to sign the Canadian forward to a long-term deal.
Bourguet weighs the pros and cons of Brooks’ first season with the Suns, observing that the 30-year-old was a consistently valuable tone-setter and leader in the locker room even though his on-court contributions were a little uneven. Brooks has never been an efficient offensive player even though he’s certainly not shy about getting shots up, but he also brought toughness and an excellent work ethic to Phoenix.
Ultimately, Bourguet thinks Brooks could land a three-year extension in the range of $70-75MM or a four-year deal worth $90-100MM. As Bourguet observes, that potential contract might not look great on the back end as Brooks moves into his mid-30s, but the team values the ninth-year wing beyond what he brings on the court.
“Leadership and toughness doesn’t age,” one source told Bourguet.
Here’s more from around the Pacific:
- He acknowledges the odds of it happening are probably “very slim to none,” but Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic (subscriber link) lists five reasons the Suns would be an intriguing landing spot for LeBron James. The 41-year-old could be a primary play-maker in Phoenix rather than the secondary or tertiary ball-handler he was asked to be with the Lakers this season, Rankin writes, and James is familiar with Devin Booker (teammates at the 2024 Olympics), head coach Jordan Ott, a former Lakers assistant, and Jordan Goodwin, who finished 2024/25 with the Lakers. It only takes an hour to fly from Los Angeles to Phoenix, Rankin notes, and Tuscon — where James’ younger son Bryce attends the University of Arizona — is about a two-hour drive from Phoenix.
- The Kings are said to be “enamored” with Arkansas guard Darius Acuff, but should they actually draft the standout freshman if he’s still on the board at No. 7? Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee considers that question, writing that while Acuff showed star potential on offense, his college tape on the other end left a lot to be desired. Still, Anderson hears there are “high-ranking” executives in Sacramento who aren’t worried about Acuff’s defense. If the Kings are confident Acuff can hold up defensively, they should select him if he’s available, Anderson concludes.
- The Aspiration investigation continues to cast a cloud over the Clippers‘ offseason, according to Yossi Gozlan of Third Apron (Substack link), who previews what moves the Clips might make this summer. L.A. could operate with room or over the cap, Gozlan writes, with the latter scenario seeming more likely. Either way, the Clippers will have a good deal of financial flexibility to pursue roster upgrades. In case you missed it, our Luke Adams also previewed the Clippers’ offseason in a Front Office article.
Lakers Notes: LeBron, Firings, Offseason Priorities, Lottery Reform
LeBron James and his representatives are waiting for the Lakers to present an offer for next season, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said on the latest edition of The Hoop Collective podcast (YouTube link). James will be an unrestricted free agent and hasn’t committed to continuing his career, and he wants to hear the team’s plan before making his next move.
James has a $57.7MM cap hold, so the Lakers will need to resolve his financial situation before making their other offseason moves, Windhorst notes. He cautions that they might have to renounce LeBron’s free agent rights if the four-time MVP isn’t ready to make a decision on his future by the start of free agency, but the two sides could resume negotiations later in the summer after the team’s other business is resolved.
Windhorst addresses the possibility that James could move on to another team and notes that the Cavaliers and Warriors have frequently been rumored as potential destinations. His best outcome in that case is a sign-and-trade to earn a salary above the mid-level, but he needs the organization to work with him to make that happen. Windhorst adds that James’ options increase dramatically if he’s willing to play for the mid-level exception or the veteran’s minimum just to get to the team of his choice.
There’s more from Los Angeles:
- A reorganization plan resulted in the layoffs of more than a dozen Lakers employees on Wednesday, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN. He notes that the team has continued to undergo changes since the purchase by Mark Walter was approved in October. Sources tell McMenamin that the layoffs affected marketing, team communications, team content and corporate partnerships.
- General manager Rob Pelinka recently said it’s “not the Lakers’ way” to go through losing seasons and rebuild through the draft like Oklahoma City and San Antonio did, so Melissa Rohlin of The California Post examines how the team can compete with those Western Conference powers. Her answer is to find better role players to mix with James, Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves so L.A. can match the depth of the Thunder or Spurs in future playoff meetings.
- In a subscriber-only piece, Mirjam Swanson of The Los Angeles Times explains that the 3-2-1 lottery reform proposal might benefit the Lakers, but she still sees it as a mistake for the league. Swanson believes the new system is overly complicated and doesn’t give legitimately bad teams a clear path toward improving.
Cavs Notes: Atkinson, Altman, Offseason, LeBron
Being on the receiving end of a four-game beat-down by the Knicks in the Eastern Conference finals was bad enough, but Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson opened himself up to additional criticism before Game 4 by telling reporters that his team had “analytically” earned two of three expected wins to that point in the series (story via ESPN).
Atkinson still has three years left on his contract, but a handful of questionable postseason game management and lineup decisions, a disastrous fourth-quarter collapse to open the Knicks series, and that aforementioned sound bite are among the factors that have made him a candidate to become the “fall guy” for a disappointing finish to the season, suggests Joe Vardon of The Athletic.
Still, Atkinson was team owner Dan Gilbert‘s preferred candidate for the job when the team hired him two years ago, according to Vardon, who suggests Gilbert’s support for the veteran coach doesn’t appear to have wavered as of late. Vardon adds that Atkinson is believed to have strong working relationships with both Mitchell and Harden, who reaffirmed their commitment to the team after the Game 4 loss and also spoke highly of their head coach.
“I love Kenny,” Mitchell said (Twitter link via Marc J. Spears of Andscape). “We love Kenny. I ride with Kenny.”
“He understands his team,” Harden said of Atkinson, per Jamal Collier of ESPN. “Of course, somebody’s going to have to take criticism, whether it’s myself or Kenny or whoever, the entire team. They’re going to put it on somebody. But I think for Kenny, he did an unbelievable job of getting me acclimated as fast as possible to understanding what I’m supposed to be doing out there. It’s just an unfortunate situation. Any team coming off of a tough two series against two defensive monsters (Toronto and Detroit), it would have been challenging.”
Here’s more on the Cavs:
- If Gilbert wants to blame someone besides Atkinson, Cavaliers president of basketball operations Koby Altman could end up on the hot seat, Vardon writes. However, Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints (Twitter link) says the “early talk” is that Altman is expected to remain in his current role.
- Atkinson spoke during his post-game presser on Monday about the Cavs having taken a step forward this season (Twitter video link via Michael Scotto of HoopsHype), and team owner Dan Gilbert echoed that sentiment in a statement on social media — with an important caveat. “We took a step ahead this spring, but we are nowhere near where we need to be,” Gilbert wrote (on Twitter). “I can’t thank the fans enough for the support this year. We will dig in all summer and do everything we possibly can to take the next step. We will grind until we get there.”
- Within his Cavaliers offseason preview, ESPN’s Bobby Marks examines the free agency decisions the team will have to make on Harden and defensive stopper Dean Wade and provides details on what an extension for Mitchell would look like based on the NBA’s latest cap projections.
- Is LeBron James the missing piece the Cavaliers need to get over the hump and into the NBA Finals? Chris Mannix of SI.com makes the case for why the team needs to try to lure the four-time MVP back to Cleveland this summer.
Knicks Notes: Robinson, Towns, Bridges, Pre-Draft Workout
Knicks center Mitchell Robinson announced Saturday that he’ll be staying away from social media due to concerns about his mental health, writes Jared Schwartz of The New York Post. Robinson informed his followers on Snapchat a few hours before the start of Game 3.
“I’m deleting all apps for a little while until I can get back to myself,” he wrote. “I had a very upsetting experience a few days ago. I’m not gonna go into detail about it, just gonna focus on the playoffs and myself. I know some of you have called and texted and it popped up green. That’s because I got a new [phone] number. My mental health is not the best right now but I am fighting to get back on track while playing on the biggest stage in the world in the Eastern Conference finals.”
Schwartz states that Robinson went public regarding his mental health issues after being ejected from Game 6 of the first-round series against Atlanta for fighting with Dyson Daniels. Robinson posted on Facebook that he was “just lost in the world at the moment,” and he sent out another Facebook message on Thursday saying he would be deleting all his social media accounts.
“Last post before I delete this app,” Robinson wrote. “I finally have changed my number for many reason [sic]…as I fight through and keep fighting in this playoffs run my focus have to go to another level. This is the start of a new chapter in my life. Love and will miss y’all…. Mitch out.”
There’s more on the Knicks:
- LeBron James has been impressed by New York’s recent run of playoff dominance, Schwartz adds in another story. Speaking on his Mind the Game podcast (Twitter link), the Lakers star raved about the Knicks’ newfound versatility on offense. “The defense can’t just key on a couple of actions anymore. I thought over the last couple of years with New York, you kind of got a good rhythm of how they were gonna play. The ball was gonna end up in a certain way every single time,” James said, referring to heavy reliance on Jalen Brunson isolations and pick-and rolls. James explained that running the offense through Karl-Anthony Towns has opened up opportunities for everyone on the court.
- Cleveland has adjusted to limit the effectiveness of Towns’ passing, but the Knicks have found other ways to win and that versatility could lead to a championship, Kristian Winfield of The New York Daily News suggests in a subscriber-only story. Brunson carried the scoring load with 38 points in Game 1, and Josh Hart launched a three-point barrage in Game 2. “That’s the blessing of our group,” Towns said after Saturday’s shootaround. “We have multiple ways and systems that we can utilize to help us get the win. I’ve been happy because we’ve continued to win.”
- Prior to Game 3, coach Mike Brown talked to reporters about Mikal Bridges‘ value, per Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter link). “It starts with (owner) Mr. (James) Dolan because he’s willing to spend money,” Brown said. “… From there you talk about (team president) Leon Rose and his group, they identified Mikal as a two-way player and they went and got him.”
- Miami’s Tre Donaldson is the latest draft prospect to work out for the Knicks, Begley adds (Twitter link). The senior guard averaged 16.4 points and 5.7 assists per game for the Hurricanes this season.
Lakers Notes: LeBron, Friedman, Zaidi, Pelinka, Senior
Discussing his future on the latest episode of the Mind the Game podcast with co-host Steve Nash (YouTube link), Lakers forward LeBron James said he’ll need to take some time before he decides whether or not to continue his career and what the 2026/27 season might hold for him.
“I haven’t even really thought about it too much,” James said, per Khobi Price of The California Post. “Obviously, I understand that I’m a free agent and I can control my own destiny — being here with (the Lakers) for a foreseeable future or if it’s going somewhere else. But like, I haven’t even really even got to that point. I haven’t even taken my family vacation yet, which is going to happen after Memorial Day. That’s kind of the thing at the forefront of my mind.
“But, I think at some point in June, late June, as July rolls around, free agency starts to get going and as July rolls around and maybe into August, we start to kind of get a feel of what my future may look like. If it’s continuing to play the game that I love, which I know I can still give so much to the game and play at a high level, or if it’s not. But I have not gotten to that point yet.”
As Dave McMenamin of ESPN writes, James also addressed Los Angeles’ second-round loss to the Thunder during his discussion with Nash, suggesting that the Lakers – going up against the defending champions without top scorer Luka Doncic – were simply facing a talent deficit.
“We were not outworked, they didn’t out-physical us, they didn’t outsmart us,” LeBron said. “I feel like we were just out-talented by OKC. … At the end of the day, we failed in talent. OKC just possessed so much more talent than us. You can tip your cap to them, obviously, in understanding that. But you can’t get caught up in that, especially when you know you were undermanned.”
Here’s more on the Lakers:
- In an interesting story for Yahoo Sports, Yaron Weitzman examines how new Lakers owner Mark Walter has tasked the same two executives – Andrew Friedman and Farhan Zaidi – who helped turn the Los Angeles Dodgers’ front office into one of MLB’s most sophisticated and successful operations to follow a similar blueprint with the Lakers. While Rob Pelinka and Kurt Rambis have led the search for a pair of new assistant general managers, Friedman and Zaidi have also been involved, Weitzman says, with at least one of them sitting in on most interviews.
- There has been some speculation about the involvement of Friedman and Zaidi leading to the Lakers replacing Pelinka as their head of basketball operations, but that’s not currently the plan, according to Weitzman, who notes that Pelinka is the one leading discussions with player agents in contract discussions and has told people he’s working “in collaboration” with the Dodgers execs.
- The Lakers offered Timberwolves assistant GM Steve Senior an executive VP of basketball operations role, but Senior opted to remain in Minnesota, multiple league sources tell Weitzman.
- Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron (Substack link) takes a closer look at the Lakers’ upcoming offseason, explaining what the team could do with its projected cap room and exploring what sort of contracts their free agents might get. Gozlan projects a deal in the neighborhood of $35-40MM per year for Austin Reaves and believes Rui Hachimura could receive a salary in the range of the full non-taxpayer mid-level exception ($15MM+).