The Golden State Warriors are preparing to pursue a reunion of LeBron James and Anthony Davis, league sources told ESPN, and Draymond Green's decision to decline his $27.7 million player option on Monday was made specifically to open up the cap flexibility needed to chase both. James is a free agent.
Davis is under contract with the Washington Wizards, meaning any path to pairing him with James in Golden State would require a trade rather than a simple signing.
The connection that makes this more than speculation is representation.
James and Green share the same agent, Rich Paul of Klutch Sports, and the timing of Green's opt-out has been widely read as a signal that James is genuinely engaged with the idea of joining Golden State rather than remaining with the Lakers.
If James were committed to staying in Los Angeles, the expectation around the league is that Paul would have steered Green toward simply taking the guaranteed money.
Green, 35, said as recently as May that he could not see himself playing for another franchise, and the belief across the league is that he will eventually sign back with Golden State on a lower annual salary once the dust settles on the front office's bigger swings.
What he is doing right now is making room. The Warriors have reportedly told Jimmy Butler they would prefer to keep him, but his $56.8 million expiring contract could end up being central to any trade package built to match Davis's $58.4 million salary.
Butler has already addressed the uncertainty publicly:
"If I get traded, I get traded. Their job is to win."
Free agency opened Monday. Whether LeBron James ends his Lakers tenure for a third act in the Bay Area is the single biggest storyline hanging over the league's opening days.