With Draymond Green opting out of his contract, there’s a looming possibility that the Warriors could pursue LeBron James in free agency and Anthony Davis via trade. Here’s how that could work financially:
For starters, the Warriors must include Jimmy Butler as a salary match in any potential trade for Davis. Butler’s $56.8 million salary matches up almost perfectly with Davis’ $58.5 million, and nobody else’s salary number on the team comes close — save for Steph Curry’s, and Golden State won’t trade him.
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Then, the Warriors needed Green to opt out of his $27.7 million contract to have enough flexibility to trade for Davis and still sign James with their nontaxpayer midlevel exception — or perhaps even to take him in via a sign-and-trade. If Green renegotiates his deal to stay with the Warriors for, say, $52 million over three years, that would shave $11 million from his salary for 2026-27.
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That $11 million makes all the difference in the Warriors staying under the first apron salary threshold, which they would need to do to give James at least the nontaxpayer midlevel.
Trading Butler and draft capital to the Wizards for Davis would add about $1.5 million to the Warriors’ books, and the already agreed-upon deal with Al Horford adds another $6.8 million. If De’Anthony Melton opts into his $3.4 million deal and second-rounder Lajae Jones signs for the rookie minimum of $1.3 million, there are three roster spots left to fill and $24 million below the first apron with which to do it.
James’s salary would take up $15 million if he takes the nontaxpayer midlevel exception, or up to $23 million if the Warriors can work his acquisition as a sign-and-trade for Will Richard and the injured Moses Moody. (Moody would probably need to go to a third team along with draft capital). Note that in the latter example, the Warriors would have much more financial wiggle room because they would be removing Moody’s $12.5 million obligation, enabling them to use a portion of their nontaxpayer midlevel on a guard or wing.
The likely casualty in all of this would be Kristaps Porziņģis. It would be virtually impossible for the Warriors to re-sign him for more than the minimum in any scenario in which James and Davis come to Golden State.
If the Lakers wanted Porziņģis, he could also be an outbound sign-and-trade salary in a deal that brought James to Golden State. However, it would be difficult for James to make more than the nontaxpayer midlevel exception unless Moody’s salary were also included in that deal.