The Los Angeles Lakers might still be the leaders in the clubhouse to sign LeBron James this summer, but they're not without competition ... it appears that way, at least. There's been some significant buzz lately connecting LeBron to the Golden State Warriors, seeing as Bron is close with Draymond Green and also well-acquainted with Stephen Curry and Steve Kerr from their time together at the Olympics.
The Ringer's Bill Simmons recently came out and suggested that the Warriors offer LeBron the most marketable opportunity in front of him at the moment, as he and Curry would be must-see basketball every time they took the court together. Simmons' over-arching point here was that, considering LeBron is unlikely to contend for a title with the Lakers (or any of his other suitors) in 2026-27, joining Golden State for marketing reasons would be the wisest move.
Then again, maybe there are contenders out there who have a strong interest in acquiring LeBron. If you listen to what LeBron's agent, Rich Paul of Klutch Sports, said a few days ago, you might be convinced that James' market is a lot stronger than what we've assumed.
Rich Paul just said that 10-plus teams have called about LeBron James
Appearing on The Pat McAfee Show, Paul said that between 10 and 12 NBA teams have called to inquire about LeBron's free agency situation. That's more than a third of the entire league, and although Paul didn't specify which teams, one would assume that there's a good chance that there's a contender in there somewhere.
Does Paul have every reason to inflate this number publicly, to enhance his leverage in negotiations with the Lakers and others? Of course. That being said, it's not like LeBron didn't perform in a way during the 2025-26 season -- and even more so, during the postseason -- that would attract up to a dozen suitors across the league. Even at 41 years old, LeBron is still playing at an All-Star or even All-NBA level. What's undesirable about that, from a general manager's perspective?
LeBron's desired salary figure will dictate everything
Of the alleged 12 suitors that called Paul about LeBron, surely some of them would exit the sweepstakes once negotiations advanced and it became clear what kind of salary Paul and LeBron are looking for. The biggest question of all is, will the Lakers be among those teams that ultimately walk away? Or, will Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka eventually land on a number that Paul and LeBron are happy with? A number that works for everyone.
The higher Pelinka goes with that number, the less money he'll have leftover to spend on LA's other offseason priorities. Negotiations will thus be a delicate balancing act for Pelinka, and they may very well end in LeBron ending up on another team, especially if Paul's reveal is anything close to being true.
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