A meeting between LeBron James and Draymond Green could change everything.
The Golden State Warriors are still in hot pursuit of LeBron James despite being long shots to land the superstar, but even if they don't have the advantages of sentimentality or a particularly strong roster on their side, the Warriors do have a secret weapon in the form of Draymond Green.
The idea of James heading to the Warriors has always been rooted in the spectacle of playing alongside Green and Steph Curry: longtime rivals and legends of the modern NBA who duked it out season after season in the NBA Finals finally becoming teammates for one las ride at the end of their respective careers.
Not only is there a good story present in that situation, but James has developed a genuine friendship with Curry and Green despite the way that they clashed a decade ago, and his relationship with Green goes even deeper.
Green and James' Connection
The pair share the same representation in Rich Paul and Klutch Sports and seem to be friends off the court as well.
In fact, according to a report from ESPN's Shams Charania, James and Green are planning to "spend some time" together later in the week, which Charania introduced as a story worth speculating on.
Of course, the two players could simply be hanging out as friends, though Charania didn't specify where they'd be going or what they'd be doing, but considering James' presence on the free agent market and the Warriors being so hotly linked to him as a potential destination, it would be impossible to deny the idea that James' future will come up.
A Pitch from Draymond?
Green has always toed the line of tampering with the way that he used his platform to praise other players in a way that verged on recruitment, but in James' situation as a free agent, Green doesn't have to worry about tampering at all as that would only apply to a player under contract, not free agents.
That means there's nothing stopping Green from outwardly recruiting James to the Warriors, or at least pitching him on the idea.
There may be a number of factors working against the Warriors when it comes to signing James, especially considering the news that the Warriors are unlikely to trade for Anthony Davis, which was reportedly one of James' main conditions, but having the benefit of Green's relationship with James does go a long way.
Only time will truly tell how much influence Green will have on James' ultimate destination, but it is a situation whose impact can't be denied.
