We're now more than three weeks removed from the Los Angeles Lakers' season ending, but there's no further clarity on whether or not LeBron James will return to LA in 2026-27. In fact, it seems like the rumors of his departure have only grown in their boldness in recent days.
Most recently, The Ringer's Bill Simmons asserted (once again) that LeBron makes a lot of sense with the Golden State Warriors. Simmons actually proposed the idea of Golden State trading Jimmy Butler and an unprotected 2027 first-rounder to the Washington Wizards for Anthony Davis before going ahead and signing LeBron. This would give the Warriors a hilariously old (but undeniably star-studded) "Big 4" of AD, LeBron, Stephen Curry, and Draymond Green. Simmons dubbed it "The Avengers".
Is it even possible for the Warriors to sign LeBron James?
Yes, it does look possible for Golden State to sign LeBron this summer. According to The San Francisco Standard's Tim Kawakami, the Warriors could sign Bron to the $15.1 million nontaxpayer midlevel exception if they made other moves to clear some cap space.
"If they maneuver their roster and payroll just enough, the Warriors could offer LeBron the $15.1 million nontaxpayer midlevel exception, which is monumentally short of the $52.6 million he made this season but is more than some other possible teams could pay him," Kawakami wrote.
The Lakers aren't contending anyway, so why not try something else if you're LeBron?
Simmons made the interesting point that LeBron joining the Warriors would give him just as good a chance at contending as anywhere else not named OKC or San Antonio ... in other words, chances that are close to zero.
Maybe Simmons is right -- maybe everyone outside of OKC and San Antonio is fooling themselves if they think they can compete in the Western Conference next season. The Thunder are about to get significantly better in the NBA Draft, widening the gap between themselves and a team like the Lakers, who would only be able to make marginal improvements this offseason if LeBron returned to LA.
If contention isn't feasible for LeBron with any of his suitors, why not shift gears and just decide to prioritize having fun, doing something different, and riding out into the sunset in epic fashion alongside Curry, the only player who has truly rivaled LeBron in star power over the last two decades?
As Simmons noted, the "Avengers" Warriors would sell out every arena and be an absolute spectacle. This might appeal to LeBron during his "farewell tour" era.
So, there you have it: Los Angeles might be in real danger of losing LeBron this summer, but it's not because there are better opportunities to win a championship elsewhere. It's because winning a title might be completely outside the realm of possibility for James in Year 24.
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