Shams Charania accidentally kicked off a firestorm this week when he rattled off LeBron James’ top free agent landing spots and forgot to mention the Golden State Warriors. It took about 30 seconds and a question from Pat McAfee for Charania to realize what he’d done.
“I don’t think I did, did I? Cavs, Heat, Warriors, Sixers, throw them in there,” Charania said on The Pat McAfee Show, walking back his earlier omission. The moment was caught on video and posted to social media, where it immediately became the kind of rumor fuel that drives NBA Twitter into a frenzy.
Which teams are actually in the mix
According to Charania, the real focus for James is on four teams: the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat, Golden State Warriors, and Philadelphia 76ers. He said James has all the information he needs to make a decision and that the process is “getting closer and closer to the end.” That could mean an announcement sometime next week, though Charania didn’t sound convinced we’d get one this week.
The Warriors’ pitch has always centered on pairing James with Stephen Curry, his longtime rival turned Team USA teammate. The idea of James as a primary playmaker with Curry spotting up off the catch is the kind of thing that makes defensive coordinators lose sleep. There was also chatter about the Warriors trying to trade for Anthony Davis, who won a title with James in Los Angeles, but the Washington Wizards — who just acquired Davis — shot that down fast.
Age concerns and a storybook ending
Not everyone is sold. ESPN’s Tim MacMahon has argued that the Warriors are too old to be real contenders, even with James on the roster. And he’s not wrong — Golden State’s core of Curry, Draymond Green, and Klay Thompson isn’t getting any younger, and adding a 40-year-old LeBron doesn’t exactly fix that.
But the narrative angle is undeniable. James ending his career playing next to Curry, the guy he battled in four straight NBA Finals, would be one of the most interesting storylines the league has ever seen. Whether that’s enough to push the Warriors past the top of the Western Conference is a different question.
For now, Golden State is back in the conversation. Charania made sure of that.
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