The Golden State Warriors are now widely viewed as co-favorites to land LeBron James as a free agent, with only the Cleveland Cavaliers standing in their way.
Per Polymarket, the Warriors’ odds of landing James have skyrocketed since the 41-year-old forward met with Draymond Green over the weekend.
JUST IN: Warriors odds have surged in the LeBron James sweepstakes after Draymond Green’s latest recruitment efforts, per @Polymarket
Cavaliers – 42%
Warriors – 30% 📈
Cavaliers – 42% Warriors – 30%📈
Golden State has surged to 30% on Polymarket, closing the gap on Cleveland.
Draymond Recruits LeBron James
Draymond Green described his free agency pitch to LeBron James as “crazy” in his podcast on Sunday. Interestingly, he said that his pitch will make James’ “brain work a little” and give serious consideration to joining the Bay Area franchise.
“You know, I’d be crazy if for X amount of days, and at no point if I’m like ‘yo, we need to chop it up. Like what the hell is going on.’ Of course I did that,” Green revealed.
“Of course the pitch was crazy. Since I think I’m pretty decent at it, doesn’t change anything. Doesn’t make anything happen,” he continued.
“With the things I shared in it, I believe it’s definitely going to make the brain work a little bit. I don’t think there’s a decision that’s been made but say if there was, it’ll make you think twice about it. So there’s that.”
Warriors Pursue LeBron James
As part of their recruitment pitch to James, the Warriors have hired former Los Angeles Lakers head coach Frank Vogel as the new associate head coach. Vogel, of course, captured a championship alongside James during the 2020 bubble season.
It remains to be seen if Green’s pitch and Vogel’s hiring seal the deal for Golden State.
ESPN’s Shams Charania on Sunday suggested that the Warriors had surpassed the Miami Heat and Philadelphia 76ers among the list of LeBron James free agency suitors, with only the Cavaliers viewed as a bigger threat to land the four-time MVP. Charania said that Draymond’s pitch to James resonated deeply with the “The King” as he continues to mull his options.
“They’re really close friends, and I’m sure Draymond is doing everything he can to recruit LeBron James to the Warriors,” Charania told SiriusXM’s “NBA Radio.”
“I think that is 100% what is going on here. Draymond, to my knowledge, is fully committed to going back to Golden State.”
Green, who opted out of his player option for the 2026-27 season, is expected to re-up with a new contract once the LeBron James free agency sweepstakes end.
Warriors Get Significant Good News on LeBron James Pursuit