Report: Warriors Eye LeBron-Like Forward From Italy

The Golden State Warriors have been unsuccessful in adding a star over the past few months. They missed out on Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jaylen Brown in the trade market before blowing their chance to sign LeBron James in free agency. 

With this series of offseason failures, the Warriors find themselves in a stagnant state with no star addition to show for an aging roster led by Steph Curry. 

However, it may not be for long, as Clutchpoints’ Brett Siegel reported that the Warriors could be looking to add American-Italian Paolo Banchero, who, early in his career, was often compared to LeBron James because of their playstyles. 

Siegel also said that the Warriors could be considering Banchero’s teammate Franz Wagner, if the Orlando Magic continue to underperform next season. 

“The Warriors have held interest in Wagner and Banchero previously, even though Orlando was not interested in hearing offers for either young forward, and Golden State would lurk as a suitor again should the Magic underachieve in what has become a crowded Eastern Conference,” Siegel wrote. 

Banchero, who stands at 6-foot-10, has also looked similar to LeBron’s build as a forward who can bulldoze his way to the paint.

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Warriors Focus On What They Can Control

Despite the chance to get Curry a co-star in the next few months, the Warriors are still looking at themselves and focusing on what they can control ahead of the 2026-2027 NBA season. 

“At this moment, the Warriors are solely focused on what they can control,” Siegel said. “Fixing on-court mistakes from a season ago and continuing to find ways to alleviate pressure on Curry are Golden State’s main goals entering the new season.”

“While adding another superstar talent or pulling off a big move would’ve stood out, it was not necessarily in the Warriors’ grand scheme of remaining competitive now and for the next decade.”

Banchero put up solid numbers during the 2025-2026 NBA regular season for the Magic, averaging 22.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 5.2 assists across 72 games. 

He led the team to a first-round playoff performance, where they blew a 3-1 lead against the Detroit Pistons. 

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Warriors’ Outlook Remains Good Despite Missing Out On Stars

The Warriors are still in good shape to add a superstar in the next few months, according to NBA insider Marc Spears. 

He believed that the Warriors could make a splash before the NBA’s trade deadline in February 2027. 

“Think about what you have. You have an expiring contract with [Kristaps] Porzingis, right? A tradable with Porzingis. Draymond’s got a tradable contract. Jimmy has a tradable contract, and you’re going to have teams that I believe at the trade deadline might be willing to make major change,” Spears said in the Willard and Dibs show on 95.7 The Game in The Bay Area.

“I do think that Jimmy and Draymond are mature enough at this stage of their career where they’d be like, I get it,” he added.

The Warriors possess several notable tradable contracts for the 2026-27 season that provide the financial matching power, such as Jimmy Butler ($56.8 million), Draymond Green ($27.7 million), and Kristaps Porzingis ($20 million). 

The Warriors can also aggregate contracts like Moses Moody ($12.5 million), Al Horford ($6.8 million), and sophomore guard Brandin Podziemski ($5.7 million) to facilitate a trade while staying safely below the strict luxury tax apron.

For now, they are expected to field the same roster for next season. 

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