LeBron James signed with the Philadelphia 76ers this offseason, and new reporting from Shams Charania suggests the Golden State Warriors had a real shot at reshaping their roster before that decision was made. The Warriors and Celtics discussed a Jaylen Brown trade before the February 2026 deadline, and Golden State walked away from a deal it could have revived over the summer. That choice, according to Charania, may have shifted James’ free agency calculus entirely.
| Category | Details |
| Player | LeBron James |
| New team | Philadelphia 76ers |
| Team that missed out | Golden State Warriors |
| Connected deal | Jaylen Brown ($185M) traded from Celtics to 76ers |
| Draft capital Warriors declined to spend | Four first-round picks (approx.) |
| Key insider | Shams Charania |
| Latest update | Draymond Green points to Warriors-Cavaliers Finals history as a factor |
Shams Charania reveals previous Warriors Jaylen Brown decision
Golden State and Boston talked trade around several first-round picks, pick swaps and second-rounders, with $185 million star Jaylen Brown as the centerpiece. Charania said, “The Warriors could’ve got in the Jaylen Brown sweepstakes if they wanted to give up four first-round picks-ish, in that range. They decided not to, from my understanding.”The Warriors reportedly could have returned to the table this summer with an offer of roughly four first-round picks and still didn’t. Brown instead landed with Philadelphia for Paul George and additional draft compensation, a deal that reshaped the Eastern Conference picture heading into the season.
Jaylen Brown decision may have connection to LeBron James’ Sixers landing
Charania’s reporting connects the two storylines directly. Speaking on the Stephen A. Smith show, he raised the question of whether a Warriors team willing to trade for a star like Brown, or even Anthony Davis, would have looked different to James. Charania said his understanding was that landing Davis would have put Golden State in a good position.“If they had gone out and got that done, does that make LeBron James more viable? If the Warriors had gone out and been willing to give up several draft picks to go get an Anthony Davis from Washington, does LeBron James follow suit?”Instead, the Warriors held onto their picks, Brown went to Philadelphia, and James followed him there. Golden State now heads into the post-Curry stretch of its timeline without the star power it could have added at two separate windows this year.He added, “My understanding was that if the Warriors were able to get Anthony Davis, they had as good a chance, if not better than anyone, to get a LeBron James, and I think you have to look at that in the calculus of everything.”
Warriors Draymond Green reveals why LeBron James chose the Sixers
Green offered his own theory on his podcast, and it has less to do with assets than history. He pointed to the four straight NBA Finals matchups between James and the Warriors from 2015 to 2018, series Golden State won three of. Green said he doesn’t think James was ever able to “get over the history” of that rivalry, and that the backlash James would have faced for teaming up with Curry and Green weighed on the decision. James and Green remain close, and Green said he respects the choice.Whether Golden State’s front office revisits its approach to aggressive trades after watching two stars it could have pursued end up in Philadelphia instead is the question hanging over the rest of the Warriors’ season, and one that grows louder if Stephen Curry’s frustration with the direction of the roster continues to surface.
