Warriors Hire LeBron James' Former Coach as Free Agency Decision Looms
LeBron James told the Los Angeles Lakers on June 30 that his days in LA are over.
Since that point, nearly every team in the NBA has been linked to him one way or another.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have long been viewed as the obvious frontrunner. James grew up in Akron, Ohio. He was drafted by Cleveland in 2003 and won the Cavaliers’ first NBA championship in 2016. It’s his home, and the team just went to the Eastern Conference Finals.
He also won back-to-back titles with the Miami Heat in 2012 and 2013, making a reunion with Pat Riley and Erik Spoelstra another strong possibility, especially after their recent blockbuster acquisition of Giannis Antetokounmpo.
But through it all, the Golden State Warriors have remained firmly in contention, and on Sunday, we may have got our clearest sign yet of where things might be headed.
ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that the Warriors had signed former Lakers coach Frank Vogel to become the team’s new associate head coach under Steve Kerr.
Vogel and James spent three seasons together in LA and won a championship together in 2020.
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While James has yet to announce any formal decision, Golden State has constantly been linked to him thanks to his relationships with Steph Curry, Draymond Green, and Kerr.
James and Curry were part of Team USA’s gold medal-winning squad at the 2024 Paris Olympics, and the two looked nearly unstoppable together. Ever since, the possibility of the longtime rivals joining forces in Golden State has kept the basketball world on edge.
Things intensified last week when Curry admitted he’d love the chance to play alongside James, and even made a pitch to him to join the Warriors.
“The pitch is: Do you want to play good basketball and be around people who know how to play the game? Hopefully, raise our floor and competitiveness this year,” Curry said during the American Century Championship at Lake Tahoe.
“We’re an organization that’s been there; he knows that. And that’s really self-explanatory. It’s just a matter of where he sees himself fitting, and at the end of the day, that’s up to him.”
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The entire NBA world is still awaiting his decision, and his agent, Rich Paul, has made it clear that James isn’t rushing into one. He’s willing to take his time and even sign a veteran minimum if it’s with the right team.
And the Warriors bringing in a coach James has not only worked with but also won a championship with is a great way to give them an edge.
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This story was originally published July 13, 2026 at 12:04 PM.