The biggest lingering question in the NBA offseason is what the future holds for 41-year-old LeBron James. The future Hall of Famer is fielding inquiries from around the league as he plots what to do for his 24th season, and seems content to let his free agency drag on well into July.
The Cavaliers, Heat, 76ers, Warriors, Timberwolves and Nuggets are among James' suitors. Here's the latest from Friday on the LeBron rumors front.
Curry addresses 'pipe dream' of Warriors landing LeBron
A return home to Cleveland is the expectation of many at this point, while Philadelphia has suddenly become an intriguing option with Jaylen Brown now on the roster alongside Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid. However, the team that's been connected to James for the longest time in a recent pursuit of the star is Golden State, as the Warriors have made overtures that last two trade deadlines to try and pair LeBron with his longtime rival turned friend (and Team USA teammate) Stephen Curry.
There was a time the Warriors were considered the favorite, with rumors they would pursue a trade to bring in Anthony Davis and reunite James with another of his friends. Those rumors have cooled -- although Davis still doesn't have an extension in Washington, so it's not out of the question -- but Golden State remains an intriguing option because of the presence of Curry, Draymond Green and Steve Kerr.
Curry met with the press this week at the American Century Championship golf tournament. He's a past champion on the links, but unsurprisingly many of the questions were about LeBron. While Curry wasn't willing to go too deep into his thoughts on a potential partnership because it'd be "premature" he did admit that it's a tantalizing opportunity, via ESPN.
"Up until probably two, three years ago, that was like a pipe-dream question or even a thought," Curry said. "But that's part of the allure. Him going into his 24th season, me going into my 18th, the battles we've had, that would be such a unique story in NBA history, in sports history. But a little premature right now to talk about it."
Pairing up the two defining players of a generation would be incredible to watch, as both James and Curry are still performing at an incredibly high level -- even if not quite what they were at their ultimate peak. Curry did make the short version of Golden State's pitch to James -- which includes the opportunity to play some great golf in the Bay Area.
"I feel like any place he calls and says I want to play there, you move mountains to make it happen, and we're in that boat as well. The pitch is, do you want to play good basketball and be around people that know how to play the game?" Curry said. "Hopefully raise our floor and our competitiveness this year. There's good golf in the Bay. We're an organization that's been there. He knows that. That's really self-explanatory. It's a matter of where he sees himself fitting. At the end of the day, that's up to him."
Want to talk to The King? Send his agent a voice memo
Curry is not alone in making his pitch to James, as teams around the league are trying to convince LeBron they provide him with the best balance between happiness off the court and the chance to compete on it. According to ESPN, owners, presidents and GMs of various teams pursuing James have sent voice memos to James through Rich Paul to make their pitch -- with Sixers president Bob Myers taking it even further by appearing on Paul's "Game Over" podcast to lay out what Philadelphia could provide him.
James is soaking in what is expected to be his final dip in the free agency pool. No one knows when he'll announce a decision, with ESPN noting there's "no timetable" for James' announcement. And since salary won't be a deciding factor, suitors aren't having to concern themselves with withholding cap space and can go about the business of filling out their rosters while keeping one spot warm for James if he wants it.
