Warriors won't be denied in their pursuit of another star

LeBron James turned down a chance to join the Golden State Warriors before this year's failed pursuit. Kevin Durant didn't want to return to his old team at the 2025 trade deadline.

That hasn't stopped the Warriors from continuing to pursue both superstars. James already turned them down, but they're reportedly still holding out hope for Durant.

Golden State Warriors are focused on star hunting

In the first month of free agency, the Warriors did two things: Re-sign the players from last year's 37-win team, and wait for James to choose his next team. Draymond Green opted out of his $27.7M player option for 2026-27 to open up salary cap space, but the Warriors' only ambition for that space was to sign the NBA's all-time leading scorer.

It's an approach that the Warriors have been trying for the last few seasons. James rebuffed the Warriors' interest in trading for him at the  2024 trade deadline, then declined to leave the Los Angeles Lakers as a free agent in 2024 and 2025. In 2025, the Warriors wanted to trade for Durant, but he had "no desire" to return to where he played from 2016-19, winning two titles. Instead, the team traded for Jimmy Butler.

Trying to pair Stephen Curry with another veteran superstar has been a constant quest for the Warriors in the twilight of their star's career. It doesn't seem to matter if that superstar has rejected them before, often multiple times, as when Durant departed as a free agent in 2019.

Golden State Warriors forget how they succeeded with Stephen Curry

When the Warriors surprisingly won the 2022 NBA title, it wasn't because they paired Curry with a superstar. It was a team that had veterans, but primarily had excellent role players: versatile forward Otto Porter, Jr., rebounding center extraordinaire Kevon Looney, bench scorer Jordan Poole and three-and-D wing Andrew Wiggins.

Curry thrives with players with high basketball IQs. Players who can play team defense, pass, set screens and make smart cuts without the ball thrive alongside Curry, especially as the threat of his shooting opens up space. Butler is a legitimate star, but he also shares those qualities.

Instead of trying to find Curry the next Looney or Andre Iguodala, the Warriors seem to be only focused on max-contract stars, rather than multiple mid-tier team players. That was true when the team had lottery picks in 2020 and 2021 and went for star upside with James Wiseman and Jonathan Kuminga, rather than more team-oriented choices like Franz Wagner of the Orlando Magic.

But even after missing out on James yet again, the Warriors are hoping that Durant will change his mind if he gets another chance.

The strategy is ambitious. It's just not very rational.