RESOLVING THE LEDGER
This is one outlet's own report from Yahoo Sports — the article as it was filed. Other outlets are covering the same event; open the full story to compare every source side by side.
See the full story · 5 sourcesWarriors reportedly denied $285M deal that would have secured 76ers superstar LeBron James originally appeared on The Sporting News .
Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
The Golden State Warriors were one of the most aggressive teams pursuing LeBron James during his free agency process. James is entering his 24th NBA season, yet he was pursued like a young star entering his prime.
Instead, the 41-year-old veteran is nearing the end of his legendary career. The Warriors wanted to pair Stephen Curry and James together for the final years of their careers, and at one point, Golden State was even considered one of the favorites to land him.
“I would be stunned if he picked a team that wasn't Golden State or Cleveland," a Western Conference executive told FOS' Alex Schiffer.
The Warriors were right in the middle of the race for the four-time NBA champion but ultimately fell short. James decided to sign with the Philadelphia 76ers , and a major factor in that decision was believed to be Philadelphia's acquisition of former Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown.
“The Philadelphia 76ers landed two big fish this offseason. It started when they acquired Jaylen Brown from the Boston Celtics on July 6, then signed LeBron James a few weeks later. A betting man would say that getting Brown is what swayed LeBron to join Philly,” Hardwood Houdini’s Matt John wrote.
It turns out the Warriors may have been just one move away from securing James. Golden State had an opportunity to acquire Brown earlier in the season but ultimately declined the offer from Boston.
“The Warriors had an opportunity to acquire Jaylen Brown from the Celtics at February’s trade deadline, but they declined, per Shams Charania. Boston was requiring Golden State to relinquish all of their future draft capital in the proposal,” NBA reporter Evan Sidery wrote.
The Warriors were potentially one decision away from landing both Brown and James for the next two seasons. The belief is that James chose Philadelphia because of the Brown trade, meaning Golden State may have had a legitimate path to bringing him to the Bay Area.
Brown is currently on a $285 million contract , but the Warriors did not want to surrender all of their future draft assets. It has to sting for Golden State knowing they were so close to changing the direction of the franchise but ultimately watched the opportunity slip away.
More NBA news:
Lakers get brutal sign-and-trade update for ex-Warriors NBA champion Jonathan Kuminga
Cavaliers reportedly meeting with ex-Warriors champion Jonathan Kuminga to gain edge over Lakers
Lakers predicted to move on from Jonathan Kuminga, trade for 7-year veteran with Finals experience
76ers waive former first-rounder to make room for star LeBron James, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
AIPROPX is an independent multi-source news index — we track, compare, and connect coverage from across the web into one place you won't find anywhere else.