WAITING AT A traffic signal on the Las Vegas Strip in the dead heat of summer league, Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr noticed someone filming him from the rear window of an adjacent car. Kerr rolled down his window to say hello. They asked about the team's ongoing pursuit of LeBron James.
"Oh, we got him," Kerr laughed. "Put that on Twitter."
The clip, as predicted, found its way to the public and sparked another wave of speculation about the Warriors' perceived place in the hunt.
"I was having a little fun," Kerr told ESPN this week.
But it also teased a fanbase desperate to land a big name even though the actual chances at securing James had long been fading.
"I didn't even think we were realistically in the running for LeBron," Kerr said. "It's just that everyone kept saying we were. It never seemed serious to me despite all the reports."
The Warriors made an early July pitch, team sources said. Draymond Green declined his player option the day before free agency to generate financial flexibility and vacationed with James during the process. Stephen Curry communicated with James to ensure he'd welcome the pairing. Controlling owner Joe Lacob was among those around the league to send James' agent, Rich Paul, a voice note recruiting James.
They lobbied him on the Hall of Fame spectacle of linking up with Curry, their veteran-friendly environment, an ability to hike his salary up toward the $15.1 million nontaxpayer mid-level exception and the proximity to family. There was even a back-channel exploration from James, league sources said, about the feasibility of zipping back and forth to Southern California various times during the NBA calendar, as Green and Jimmy Butler occasionally do.