Rich: Warriors Should “Move Heaven & Earth” to Sign LeBron after His Snubbing of the Lakers

The news broke in real time, mid-sentence. Rich was walking through the LeBron James situation, noting that James had not made himself available to talk directly with the Lakers during their exclusive negotiating window, when the update hit the screen. Shams Charania reported that James would continue his career next season but had told the Lakers they could move on without him, because he would play elsewhere. His agent, Rich Paul, delivered the message to ESPN.

"Well, then he's in play," Rich said.

The logic was immediate. If James refused to use the one window that belonged solely to the Lakers, he wanted the conversation to happen with everyone else. "He clearly wanted to talk to somebody else, and he's going to talk to somebody else," Rich said.

Then came the question that will define the rest of James's career. Where does a player chasing one more ring actually go? Rich ran the board. Cleveland, for the full-circle homecoming. Miami, to pair with the newly acquired Giannis. And Golden State, where Brian Windhorst had reported the Warriors intended to make their pitch that very afternoon.

Golden State is where Rich planted his flag. "If I'm the Warriors, I move heaven and earth to make sure this happens," he said. A roster with Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, a healthy Jimmy Butler, Al Horford, and Kristaps Porzingis, coached by Steve Kerr, adding James on a discount. The Warriors have reportedly told Butler they are not trading him. Porzingis just arrived. Horford stayed.

Of course, there is the small matter of age. The crew could not resist. Someone floated Cocoon comparisons, the Golden State roster diving into the regenerative pool at Chase Center. TJ Jefferson supplied the reality check.

"If this had happened in 2018, then you'd be talking about maybe a 72 and 10 run," Jefferson said. "Father time just..." He did not need to finish it. His worry was simple. The aches and pains accumulate, and he was not sure this group could hang with the young Spurs or the defending champion Knicks.

Rich's counter was that they would not need to be great for 82 games. They would need to be dangerous in stretches, grab a decent playoff seed, and catch fire. Money is the real hurdle. James has never taken the kind of haircut a mid-level deal would require, and the room around him topped out around 15 to 20 million.

For the Lakers, the ending is quieter than anyone in purple and gold wanted. Jeanie Buss posted a thank-you, praising eight years and a title won under impossible circumstances. Rich pushed back on the asterisk crowd, reminding everyone that the bubble champions all played under the same conditions and were simply the best at it.

The path forward now runs through Luka and Austin Reaves, with Deandre Ayton opting back in. And when James eventually returns to the arena in another jersey, the crew split on whether the crowd cheers or boos. To settle it, there was only one move left. Send up the bat signal for the show's resident Lakers diehard.