The Golden State Warriors may be left disappointed if they can't land LeBron James in free agency, but they'll find it funny that the Los Angeles Lakers are willing to waste another roster spot just to appease the superstar forward should he return to the franchise.
The chances of James landing with the Warriors took a hit on Wednesday when ESPN's Marc J. Spears not only reported that the 4x MVP was likely headed back to the Lakers, but that his former championship teammate Kevin Love could be joining him in purple and gold as well.
Warriors can only laugh at Lakers' potential Kevin Love signing
Love was one of the league's best big men and played a critical role in the Cleveland Cavaliers defeating Golden State in the NBA Finals a decade ago. Since then, however, he's slowly diminished as a player in the past five years, to the point where the Lakers signing Love would be a James-centred move to keep him happy, rather than actually expecting the 37-year-old to have major on-court impact next season.
Love most recently played with the Utah Jazz this past season, averaging 6.7 points and 5.8 rebounds on 37.3% 3-point shooting in 37 appearances. They aren't bad numbers, but it's still almost certain that the 5x All-Star will be a veteran leader at the end of the bench, rather than a legitimate and consistent rotation option for JJ Redick.
"I'm hearing that [LeBron's] likely coming back [to the Lakers]. ... Kevin Love could likely be joining the Lakers too."@MarcJSpears gives some insight on what could be next for LeBron 🏀 pic.twitter.com/EV1Qwqiixf
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) June 17, 2026
Despite the sense of now building around Slovenian superstar Luka Doncic, signing Love would be the second instance of the Lakers catering to a 41-year-old James, having previously drafted his son Bronny late in the second-round of the 2024 NBA Draft.
Heading into next season with Love and the younger James could be a waste of two roster spots, with the latter showing some positive signs in his second season but still far from established as a bonafide NBA player.
Warriors losing hope in LeBron James free agency pursuit
The potential of James heading to Golden State as a free agent has been surging in recent weeks, but that now appears to have lost steam in the wake of Spears' report, and from his colleague Anthony Slater who outlined that while the franchise would have interest in the 22x All-Star, they've been given no indication that it's a real possibility at this stage.
The Warriors could open up access to the non-taxpayer mid-level exception to offer James, but at this stage it seems like things would have to fall drastically apart between he and the Lakers for that to come into reality.
James' power in regard to roster moves has been unmatched over the past nearly two decades, and the Lakers signing Love to appease him may just be the next example of exactly that.
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