- 11 hours ago
Nick Friedell: Chances of LeBron Landing with Warriors is 50-50
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00:00Now, back to Willard and Dibbs.
00:03I mean, Mark, it's so good to hear y'all's voices.
00:05And Mr. Dibbs, I mean, it's just been way too damn long.
00:09So, it puts a smile on my face.
00:12On 95-7, the game.
00:14The Warriors have signed another player.
00:16Who?
00:18His name is...
00:22Yaxel Lundeborn.
00:23Oh, they officially signed their first round pick.
00:24Rookie contract has been signed.
00:27Yaxel is officially on the team.
00:29Thank God.
00:30It's the only thing that's different from last year at this moment.
00:33There you go.
00:34Who says they aren't going young, huh?
00:3624.
00:37Not yet.
00:38He's 23 right now.
00:40We're going to go young right now, too.
00:42We're going to bring a young man who is an Odyssey NBA insider.
00:47His name is Nick Friedle.
00:48He's brought to you by Hyundai.
00:49Discover what's next at your local Hyundai dealer.
00:52Official partner of FIFA World Cup 2026.
00:57And one of the reasons we're having Nick on right now, not that there's anything wrong with now,
01:02is because I think he wants to be a part of FIFA World Cup 2026.
01:08Ladies and gentlemen, Nick Friedle on the air now so that he can drive to Santa Clara.
01:12And hopefully he already has.
01:14Hi, Nick.
01:15If only it were that easy, Mark.
01:18I thought I would have tickets by now, but I'm still scanning every app there is.
01:23Oh, my gosh.
01:24I may be in Santa Clara, but I don't know if I will actually be in the stadium.
01:30We'll see.
01:31I'm even happier that I went to Seattle a couple weeks ago and had that experience just in case I
01:36don't get in for this one.
01:38But I have rarely seen tickets spike higher like this for any event in recent history.
01:47Look at you.
01:48Look at you.
01:49You narcissist waiting, making all of us wait to find out where you're going to be tonight, just like a
01:55certain basketball player.
01:57Gosh, you guys are drama queens.
02:00Hey, if you're going to wait for somebody, you wait for LeBron James.
02:05And, Mark, I had to laugh because you guys were talking about how, hey, they haven't exactly gotten younger.
02:13I mean, there was all this hope that there'd be a younger arc to this team once next season started
02:19and we'll see what happens with LeBron.
02:21And you understand completely why the Warriors are doing what they're doing.
02:25But I literally just finished up a column where it was basically like a month and a half ago, Steve
02:31Kerr understandably said, hey, we got to get younger.
02:34We have got to have a team full of guys that can play back-to-backs because we know Steph
02:39and Draymond.
02:40And at that point, there was some uncertainty whether or not Horford and Porzingis would be back.
02:44But they're not at that stage of their career where they can.
02:48And now, I mean, they've brought back the exact same team with Melton.
02:53And you have Yaxel and LeJay Jones.
02:56And now you're just kind of like, eh, okay.
03:01Like, you wait because it's LeBron.
03:03But it's basically like it's going to end up being like a split-squat team, guys, because you're going to
03:09have Team A of your stars and your guys who aren't going to play back-to-backs every night.
03:16And then Team B, it's going to have to run out there and play a whole lot of minutes while
03:21these guys are taking a break.
03:23Nick, obviously the first domino that fell in maybe LeBron to the Warriors becoming a likely scenario was Draymond opting
03:29out of his nearly $28 million player option.
03:32In your mind, was that made with some sort of information on Draymond's end about LeBron's intentions?
03:40Or was that just simply the Warriors keeping their options open?
03:44And if LeBron decided that maybe he's interested, at least they now have that option.
03:48Why do you think that decision was reached?
03:51Mr. Grady, there is no way that Draymond didn't know something.
03:55There's no way he didn't go to Mike Dunleavy and to Steve Kerr and to the Lakers and say, hey,
04:02we at least have a chance here.
04:04And I am willing to basically defer whatever is going to happen for a little while to figure out what
04:12may come of that.
04:13But there's just no way when you have that strong of a relationship like Draymond does with LeBron and you
04:21know your contract situation is kind of contingent on, well, can they offer all of this?
04:27And there are other moves that have to be made.
04:30You absolutely have some kind of insider trading here if you're the Warriors, and you should.
04:37This is how you make good deals for your team.
04:40So the whole thing has been fascinating because, guys, up until we got the news that Draymond was opting out,
04:48the general belief within the organization was he was coming back on that one year and he's going to pick
04:53up the player option.
04:54So there's no doubt in my mind that Draymond and LeBron have had this open line of communication.
05:02Now, what LeBron ends up doing, we'll see.
05:06But there's no question when you have that type of relationship, especially as it pertains to free agency and what
05:15may come next year, you have to take advantage of it.
05:18Nick Friedle is with us here on Willard and Dibs.
05:21Grandy in for Dibs, 95-7 the game.
05:23All right, so let's back up and then just get your general commentary on that.
05:28In this moment, you think the chances of LeBron to the Warriors are what?
05:32I'd say it's about 50-50 right now.
05:35And, Mark, I think it's Golden State and Cleveland.
05:40I just don't see another team that makes that much sense because on a strictly basketball standpoint, it's San Antonio.
05:50You plug LeBron in there, he fills a whole bunch of needs for that group on top of being the
05:57veteran that you would have next to Wemby who goes,
06:01hey, I've been here before.
06:03Let me show you the ways a little bit.
06:05But if you want basketball happiness, and my good friend Dave McMenamin, he's got a strong line into LeBron, into
06:16the LeBron line of thinking through the years.
06:21That's what he said.
06:22LeBron is looking for basketball happiness kind of at the end.
06:27Guys, there's no better place to do that than here, flatly.
06:31He's got a chemistry with Steph.
06:34He knows Draymond for all these years.
06:37He knows what Steve Kerr is all about.
06:39They lived it and won a gold medal together in Paris at the Olympics.
06:43The Warriors, on top of all that, and I think this has kind of gotten lost in the shuffle, they
06:48let their players kind of be who they are.
06:51I mean, look at Jimmy Butler, guys.
06:53He had all these blowups in all these different places, and he's comfortable out here.
06:58And people say, oh, yeah, we'll wait until he wants that next contract.
07:02Okay, I understand, but I've been around Jimmy his entire career, and I have never heard him say so succinctly
07:11that this team is the best.
07:13The way they run things is the best.
07:15And I say that in context of LeBron because the Warriors have a culture that can handle the star power
07:21that is LeBron James.
07:23He knows it.
07:24He saw it with Kevin Durant.
07:25He's seen it through time with Steph.
07:27Steph sets the tone for everybody else to follow.
07:30So I think the Warriors have a really solid chance, but it's going to come down to, guys, what does
07:36he really want?
07:37Because the storybook ending is Cleveland.
07:40It's not here.
07:41I'm not sitting here telling you even if they have LeBron, they're going to go win a title.
07:45I don't believe that at all.
07:46It would sure as hell be fun to watch, and I think for those guys, it would be fun to
07:51play together in the moment.
07:52But only he knows exactly what he wants over the next couple days here.
07:58Well, that's what I wanted to ask you, and you're going to have to speculate because who knows exactly what
08:02LeBron wants.
08:03But you talk about him wanting basketball happiness.
08:07That's a great line, but who the hell knows what exactly makes LeBron happier than anything else?
08:12Is it when we heard that he's not into this for the money at this stage of his career, but
08:19maybe does he want to go somewhere where he has a best chance to win a sixth ring?
08:22To me, that would mean Cleveland more than the Warriors, but you talk about everything that's appealing about the Warriors,
08:28and you're right there.
08:29But do you think that's what he wants?
08:31In your opinion, what do you think is the one thing driving LeBron's happiness more than anything else?
08:37I take what has come out from the people closest to LeBron at face value, Mr. Grandy, and that is
08:45it's not about money.
08:48The legacy is secure.
08:50It's where he would feel most comfortable, and I can promise you guys, having done this for a long, long
08:56time in a lot of different places,
08:59nothing spells basketball happiness like playing with Steph Curry.
09:03I mean, that is 100%.
09:06When you talk to players around the league, their eyes just start lighting up when you start talking about what
09:13is it?
09:13What's it like being out there?
09:14Oh, my gosh, the space and the power that he creates.
09:20And it's not just like from a basketball standpoint.
09:22It's from off the floor.
09:24They know that he is the center of everything out here.
09:27I mean, LeBron, who is one of the very greatest players of all time, can come into a team and
09:34not have all the weight on him every day
09:38as far as going through the day-to-day of talking to the media and being around everybody.
09:46That's Steph.
09:47I mean, that's why he is who he is.
09:49So, Mr. Grandy, I'm not sure exactly what he's going to do.
09:54I don't think anybody is right now, including him.
09:57But if you're looking for strictly happiness, there isn't a better place in the league to me than being with
10:05the Warriors for two reasons.
10:06One, you get to play with Steph within this culture.
10:10And two, they know how to treat their players.
10:14And when you're at this stage of your career with where he's at and what he's done, that is very,
10:20very important to the equation.
10:22The Insider Calls are brought to you by Hyundai.
10:24Discover what's next at your local Hyundai dealer, like our next-generation EV, the Ioniq 9, Hyundai official partner of
10:33FIFA World Cup 2026.
10:35Okay, Nick, especially with the DeAnthony Melton signing today, back to the Warriors,
10:41if LeBron were to come, is there collateral damage?
10:47Who's on the roster right now that might not be on the roster if he comes?
10:52I think the short answer right now, Mark, is Moses Moody.
10:58Would they have to trade him out to clear out some more space?
11:02We'll see.
11:03I'm not sure how all of that works.
11:06What I am most fascinated by, though, and it's another part that I feel like hasn't gotten nearly as much
11:13attention in the last couple days
11:15as people come to grips with the fact that this actually might happen and he might come here is,
11:21what happens then with Jimmy?
11:23And I say that because if you're Jimmy Butler and you were at the Jersey announcement for the Logo Pats
11:31the other day
11:32and you say you love it here and Lacob and Dunleavy, everybody loves you and it's just a complete love
11:39fest,
11:40what happens when Jimmy comes back in February or March, whenever it is,
11:46and he's out there and then LeBron's out there and then Draymond's out there and then you still have Steph?
11:52I mean, there are a huge amount of ifs.
11:54And I feel like in so many ways, guys, we're having the same conversation we had last summer
11:58because it's like, well, if Horford stays healthy and, oh, my gosh, in February, if Porzingis can stay out there,
12:05oh, I see it, of course.
12:07But if you're Jimmy and you come back to a team that has LeBron and Draymond and Steph,
12:12you've got to be thinking, hey, this isn't too bad.
12:15So as far as the here and now, Mark, what's the move that might happen?
12:22I would have to figure it's shipping Moody out to clear out some more space for whether it's LeBron or
12:30somebody else.
12:30But I am really interested to see if this does play out,
12:35how Jimmy and LeBron would be out there on the floor together with Draymond.
12:40I mean, you've got a hell of a lot of length and you've got guys that have played at a
12:45very high level defensively for a long time.
12:48But those guys are not shooting threes.
12:51That is a strange-looking lineup out there offensively,
12:56and there's going to be a hell of a lot of pressure on Steph.
12:58But we'll cross that bridge when we get to it.
13:01I would only underscore what you guys already know, which is if you plug him on this team,
13:06the Golden State Warriors will run circles around everyone else in the NBA as far as the day-to-day
13:12interest goes.
13:13Yeah, absolutely.
13:14Nick, I'm curious if you've sensed any, I don't know, from the franchise,
13:20just absolute locked in on this move because there's not much else they can do.
13:26Do you feel any sense of desperation?
13:28Because it feels like the only thing standing between this coming year's team feeling different than last year's team is
13:36LeBron James.
13:37What else can they do if LeBron decides to go elsewhere?
13:40And how okay is Mike Dunleavy, is Joe Lacob with it kind of feeling like what last year was,
13:46which was really difficult to watch for much of the season?
13:49If they get LeBron, Mark, they're not going to care because they're going to say,
13:54we have LeBron James and Steph Curry together.
13:57But what if they don't get LeBron?
13:59We'll throw down the chips wherever they go.
14:01And for fans to say, oh my gosh, they're getting older.
14:04This guy ain't going to be out there.
14:06He played 60 games last year.
14:08Hey, I get it.
14:08But it's LeBron James.
14:10So the answer to that part is you wait, you hope.
14:14I don't feel like there's desperation because I think not only organizationally,
14:19but throughout the league, it was like, ah, all this is smoke in L.A.
14:23He's going to go back to the Lakers.
14:25He will find a way back to the Lakers.
14:28They'll work itself out.
14:29Then it didn't happen.
14:30Then you go, oh, whoa, we got a shot here.
14:33So if it happens for the Warriors, great.
14:36If it doesn't happen, you take some of that money in the mid-level
14:41and you try to find somebody else.
14:44The problem, though, and this speaks to your point, well, who is that?
14:48And that is the issue that the Warriors will have because now there's hype
14:52and there's buildup and fans are getting excited about the possibility.
14:56And it's not like the world's going to come to an end if he doesn't sign.
15:00It's just that no matter who they bring in, it's not going to be LeBron James.
15:04And that is going to be a tough decline for everybody involved thinking of what could have been.
15:13But I think that's the problem.
15:15What LeBron's addition brings is hope.
15:19And the Warriors have lived off hope these last few years.
15:23Well, if this happens and if that happens and if Jimmy Butler stays healthy,
15:27I understand that there's a frustration, at least from a portion of the fan base,
15:31on where you can't just keep selling hope.
15:33The reality, though, is there's only so many moves that they can make.
15:36So you wait for this one to play out, and if it doesn't happen, you go from there.
15:41But nobody, nobody they can get is going to give them the push that this guy would.
15:46Doesn't this feel like something LeBron would do?
15:51That's where my mind keeps going.
15:54Let's think about this through his brain.
15:58And even Cleveland, which to me feels like an itch he's already scratched.
16:05His ability to be a showman, the way we've watched his brain work in the past,
16:10at least to whatever level we know, doesn't this just feel like something he'd do?
16:16The short answer is yes.
16:18He loves the attention.
16:20He loves being around other players that he knows are that good.
16:24He loves the the adulation that he's going to get in this potential farewell tour.
16:33I mean, that's the part to what you're saying, Mark, that I never bought was that LeBron will go out
16:39with no retirement tour.
16:40Oh, OK. Sure. I believe that for the guy that goes to the scorers table before every game and flings
16:49off chalk everywhere
16:51and wants everybody in the building to say, hey, look, there he is.
16:55So is it something that he could do?
16:58Yeah. I mean, I don't think a lot of people go back 15, 16 years.
17:02We're like, oh, is this guy really going to pair up with his friends, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh?
17:07Oh, that's kind of weak. Well, then he did it and they won two titles and he changed the way
17:13the league perceived friendships in the process.
17:16So I think his relationship with Draymond is important.
17:20I think his relationship with Steph and the way the ice has thawed through the last few years between those
17:28two
17:28and the success they had together on Team USA.
17:31I think that's important. And absolutely, I think Steve Kerr is important in this equation
17:37because he knows what he's getting every day.
17:41And Kerr is widely regarded as not only one of the best coaches of all time, but a guy who
17:47knows how to handle egos.
17:48So you can't get a much bigger ego than LeBron and the Warriors can deal with it.
17:54So I think to me, it goes back to, does he want the symmetry of the beginning, middle and end
18:02in Cleveland?
18:03Is that strong enough of a pull?
18:06Because guys, that team ain't winning a title with Donovan Mitchell and James Harden.
18:12Those guys are solid players.
18:14Harden is a Hall of Famer, but they're not number one guys on a title team anymore.
18:20LeBron used to be, but he's 41 years old now.
18:22So it's basically, do you want to live at home and have the full circle come for your career?
18:29Or do you want to play with your friends, be coached by Steve Kerr, drink a whole lot of great
18:33wine,
18:34and play golf whenever you want on some of the best courses in the world?
18:38I mean, there's your choices in play.
18:41Yeah, Nick, so how long do you think he keeps us waiting?
18:43I mean, you're heading down to Santa Clara to watch soccer.
18:46You think you're safe from breaking news tonight?
18:48Yeah, that would truly stun me if it happens tonight.
18:53By everybody I've talked to, Mr. Grandy, they're expected at least a few days here.
19:00I mean, the fact that it came out that he was out of the Lakers,
19:05and now he wants to kind of sift through all the information and see what's out there.
19:10We're all playing the waiting game.
19:13Everybody in the Bay did it about 10 years ago with what Kevin was deciding.
19:18They've been through this before.
19:20And again, if it happens, great.
19:23But I don't think the organization is sitting there right now going,
19:26oh, my gosh, if LeBron doesn't sign, it's over for us.
19:30There's a reality.
19:32And Kurt noted this in that press conference after he signed the extension, guys.
19:36This team isn't built to win titles anymore.
19:38You bring LeBron in, certainly you've got attention and fans can dream,
19:44but that's not the goal as you start the season on a team that is so veteran-heavy
19:50that we're still talking about, well, who's going to play night to night leading into next season?
19:54You hope that at the end of the year you can be healthy and give yourselves a puncher's chance.
20:01And even as I say that to you, Mr. Grandy, I'm having flashbacks to listening to Steve Kerr
20:06and Steph Curry say it over and over and over again last year.
20:10And I promise you if LeBron comes, it will be the same message over and over again now.
20:16All right, so, Nick, it won't be today, but you said that LeBron loves attention.
20:21So if it were going to happen, he wouldn't wait for a weekend, would he?
20:26I mean, that's just not good for anybody.
20:29Come on, Nick.
20:31Call McManaman.
20:32Yeah, well, hey, I mean, anytime, watching the Dave tweets, guys, it's like the Pope smoke.
20:40It's like, okay, well, what does everybody want to know here in this LeBron situation?
20:45Dave's sending out the messages to the world one tweet at a time.
20:50Did you see McManaman wrote meaningful basketball?
20:53The second he wrote meaningful basketball, I'm like, I'm crying out.
20:56He's coming.
20:58Hey, it would be a hell of a lot of fun.
21:02And again, if we're looking at all the factors in play, Mark, I think it's a pretty easy choice for
21:09LeBron.
21:09Because you play with Steph and you have the pedigree of a team that knows how to win, knows how
21:18to spend, and is going to treat their players right.
21:22But if the pull to be Cleveland's favorite guy comes one more time for one last run, there is no
21:33better place for him as far as the storybook goes to end in the place where it all started.
21:40Thank you, my friend.
21:42Really appreciate it.
21:43And best of luck to your debit card in the next few hours.
21:48It's screaming for some Tylenol right now as we speak.
21:51So who knows if it'll actually happen.
21:53But it's always great to be with you guys, and I'll talk to you soon.
21:57All right.
21:57See you, buddy.
21:57Thanks, Nick.
21:58There he goes.
21:59That's Odyssey NBA insider Nick Friedle.
22:01He's brought to you by Hyundai.
22:03Discover what's next at your local Hyundai dealer, official partner of FIFA World Cup 2026.
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