The Golden State Warriors are being touted as the go-to destination for LeBron James after leaving the LA Lakers.
LeBron James has confirmed that he’ll continue his NBA career elsewhere from the start of the 2026-27 NBA season. That leaves a major hole in the Los Angeles Lakers’ roster.
But let’s put that on the back burner for a second and focus on James’ next destination, which many are touting to be the Golden State Warriors.
While the prospect of James joining forces with the dynamic duo of Stephen Curry and Draymond Green makes sense, the financial side of the deal complicates the move.
Golden State Warriors can’t offer more than $15 million to LeBron James
The only major reason why the Warriors are even in contention to sign James is thanks to Green opting out of his $27.7 million player option.
Since then, the Warriors have re-signed Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis to new deals. Following those deals, the team’s projected salaries for next season come to around $177 million.
As of now, the Warriors have nine players on the roster, and the 10th would be James in this hypothetical scenario.
Unfortunately, the maximum that the Warriors can offer LBJ is $15 million using the non-tax mid-level exception. This increases the Warriors’ salaries to $192 million, leaving about $17 million to complete the roster.
In this case, the biggest problem isn’t finding three veterans who’ll take minimum contracts, but also the salary of Green from the same $17 million.
How Golden State Warriors can make cap space for Draymond Green
The easiest way to make room for Green’s new contract would be to salary dump one of the current players’ contracts ahead of the new season.
Moses Moody’s $12.5 million salary for the upcoming season fits that description. By getting rid of Moody’s contract, the Dubs will have around $10 million more in cap space.
Thus, the Warriors can not only offer Green an extension of around $20 million annually, but they can also fill out the remaining spots, albeit by the thinnest of margins.
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