Notable NBA analyst Bill Simmons has arguably been the most vocal member of the LeBron James-to-Golden State group over recent months, meaning the Warriors won't want to hear the 56-year-old's latest belief on where the superstar forward ends up in free agency.
After previously claiming he'd bet his life on James heading to the Warriors, Simmons now believes the franchise was being used as leverage and that a return to Cleveland is locked in for the 4x MVP.
Bill Simmons updates his LeBron James free agency expectation
Speaking recently on his podcast with Joe House, Simmons emphatically changed his stance as rumors and reports of a third stint at the Cavaliers continue to surge with the NBA world awaiting James' decision.
"The other thing that happened to poor Golden State is that I think they thought they were getting LeBron and potentially AD, and now it's pretty clear they were being used as leverage as LeBron goes back to Cleveland. The Cleveland thing is done," Simmons said.
Given Simmons was previously very strong on the idea of James pairing up with Stephen Curry at the Warriors, his complete 180 doesn't provide much optimsim of the franchise's ability to turn that dream into reality.
In fairness it does reflect the growing sentiment across the NBA, with ESPN's Anthony Slater reporting on Thursday that Golden State themselves acknowledge "the Cavaliers as a suitor that'd be difficult to beat."
A fairytale reunion at the Cavaliers to finish his career may be too big of a factor for other teams to overcome, especially compared to the potential of James joining his long-time rival which could create some public criticism.
Warriors not out of LeBron race until he officially signs elsewhere
As much as Cleveland may now be the overwhelming favorite to sign James, Golden State still at least have some hope until such time as the 41-year-old confirms his return to the Cavaliers or signs elsewhere.
Curry continues to answer questions over the possibility of playing with James while at Lake Tahoe for the American Century Championships, while veteran forward Draymond Green -- who also remains an unrestricted free agent -- has been seen with James in the past 24 hours.
The Warriors appear to be running things back with a similar roster outside of a blockbuster James move, having signed Charles Bassey to a new one-year deal on Thursday after previously bringing back Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford and De'Anthony Melton over the past fortnight.
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