Steph Curry and Draymond Green Have One Advantage in Pursuit of LeBron James, Per Insider

LeBron James is widely expected to stay with the Los Angeles Lakers for his 24th NBA season. He has reportedly already begun negotiating with them and currently hasn't been speaking with other teams.

However, in the unlikely event that he decides to take his talents elsewhere, there are a few teams that stand out as potential destinations. One of which is the aging and beleaguered Golden State Warriors.

According to Dan Woike and Nick Friedell of 'The Athletic,' there's a high chance he stays in the league next season. They're less certain, though, of where he'll play.

According to Woike, the notion of teaming up with Draymond Green and Stephen Curry is intriguing. The draw is not just their basketball talent. James is close friends with both players. He also added that being on a team with people his age is appealing.

Friedell, on the other hand, doesn't see it. He questioned why James would choose to go to a team that doesn't have a realistic shot at a title. The appeal of playing with Curry and Green does not override that.

He pointed to the injuries the Warriors faced last season. Then asserted that those injuries will continue to plague them into the 2026-27 campaign.

The Warriors don't have much flexibility to make roster-improving moves.

Stephen Curry is owed over $62.5 million, while Butler will take up $56 million in cap space. That's already around $119 million of cap space tied up in two veterans who have been hobbled by injuries.

With the 2026-27 salary cap projected to be at $165 million, it doesn't leave them a lot of room to maneuver. Even more so if Draymond Green picks up his $27,678,571 player option.

If LeBron James does decide to play for the Warriors, they can offer him the $15.1 million non-taxpayer midlevel exception. This is a huge pay cut compared to what the Lakers can pay him to stay in Los Angeles.

What Would Be the Age of the Warriors' Core if LeBron James Joins Them

Even if you ignore the LeBron rumors, the biggest problem for the Golden State Warriors is their age.

Stephen Curry just turned 38, and injuries are becoming an ever-increasing concern, as fans saw last season.

Jimmy Butler will be 37 at the start of next season, and there isn't even a timeline for when he'll return from his ACL tear.

Draymond Green just turned 36, but so far, he has not been plagued with the injury concerns that affect his contemporaries.

If Al Horford stays with the Warriors, he'll be their oldest player, having turned 40 on June 3rd.

Then, there's Kristaps Porzingis. He is an unrestricted free agent, but the expectation is that he'll remain with the Warriors. He will turn 31 on August 2nd.

On the younger side, Golden State has Brandin Podziemski, Will Richard, and Gui Santos, all 23, as well as Moses Moody, who just turned 24.

Of the four of them, no one has shown that they can fill the gaps when the stars are injured.