The idea of LeBron James wearing a Warriors jersey always felt more like a fever dream than a real possibility. At least according to the guy who would have coached him.
Steve Kerr sat down with reporters recently and basically poured cold water on the whole thing. The Warriors head coach made it clear he never bought into the offseason chatter that Golden State was a legitimate landing spot for LeBron James.
“I didn’t even think we were realistically in the running for LeBron,” Kerr told Anthony Slater of ESPN. “It’s just that everyone kept saying we were. It never seemed serious to me despite all the reports.”
The dream that wasn’t
You remember the buzz. LeBron joining Steph Curry and Draymond Green in Golden State. One last superteam run in the twilight of their careers. The NBA basically breaking the internet for a few weeks.
It made for great talk radio. But Kerr’s comments suggest the whole thing was mostly smoke. And eventually James made his choice. He took his talents to Philadelphia and signed with the 76ers. He’ll now share the floor with a revamped Sixers squad that also landed Jaylen Brown in a massive trade with Boston.
For the Warriors, the LeBron sweepstakes turned into another swing and a miss in a league where they’ve had to recalibrate fast.
Now what for Golden State?
The Warriors are stuck in a weird place right now. They’re not bad enough to tank but not good enough to scare anyone in the West. The Thunder and Spurs have reloaded. The West is brutal.
Golden State does expect Jimmy Butler back at some point next season after he tore his ACL. But even with Butler healthy, it’s hard to look at this roster and see a team that can hang with the top of the conference. They don’t have many realistic ways to upgrade either. The cap is tight. The trade chips are limited.
The Warriors schedule drops next month. And for now, that’s about the only thing on the calendar that feels certain.
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