Team sources believe part of LeBron James' hesitancy to ultimately sign with the Golden State Warriors stemmed from his history battling the franchise during its dynasty years, along with how the choice might have been perceived from a legacy standpoint. James played against the Warriors in four consecutive Finals while with the Cleveland Cavaliers between 2014 and 2018.

"I believe there's more appeal to playing with Steph Curry on a different franchise rather than that franchise," said one league source.

Draymond Green echoed that sentiment during his podcast Tuesday, addressing James' decision directly.

"I ultimately don't think Bron was ever able to get over the history, and I understand it, I get it," said Green.

Nobody within the Warriors believed they were strongly in the mix for James over the past few weeks. The waning communication they received from James signaled he was leaning in a different direction.

"I didn't even think we were realistically in the running for LeBron," Steve Kerr said. "It's just that everyone kept saying we were. It never seemed serious to me despite all the reports."