Mike Dunleavy Jr. may not be able to say exactly what he’s thinking at all times, but he looked to be telling the truth Tuesday night.

The Warriors’ general manager was interviewed by ESPN’s Dave McMeniman on the sidelines of the team’s summer league loss to the Memphis Grizzlies in Las Vegas, and at the end of the chat, McMeniman hinted at the name that has been on Warriors fans’ minds: LeBron James.

The ESPN reporter asked Dunleavy if there were any lingering pieces of business he would like to sort out soon.

“I think we’re getting close to finalizing the roster here,” Dunleavy said, “so we’re looking forward to that finish point.”

The third-year man in charge of the team sure sounded like he was eagerly awaiting the end of free agency as James’ latest decision — which has been messaged as a choice centered around his happiness rather than money or contention — has entered its third week.

Last year, Dunleavy and the Warriors waited until September to make their first signing as negotiations with restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga dragged into training camp. Surely, Dunleavy is hoping for resolution before that point this time around.

Asked if the final roster might include free agent Draymond Green, or perhaps an unnamed player beyond the longtime Golden State big man, Dunleavy simply replied, “We’ll see. We shall see.”

Green has remained unsigned, leaving salary cap flexibility for the Warriors until they get clarity in their pursuit of the 41-year-old James.

Reports from around the league over the last week have positioned the Warriors — one of the first teams floated by insiders as a destination for James — as secondary or tertiary contenders for his signature. Longtime NBA reporter and Bay Area scribe Marc J. Spears of Andscape reported Wednesday that the Warriors aren’t particularly optimistic.

“I’m kind of hearing today that the Warriors internally kind of feel like they’re a dark horse at this point, that LeBron James is probably going out east,” he reported on ‘NBA Today’.

The clubs in the Eastern Conference that have been most consistently linked to James are the Cleveland Cavaliers, his two-time team, the Miami Heat, his onetime team, and the Philadelphia 76ers.

Philly has been making its case since acquiring Jaylen Brown from Boston earlier this month. Former Warriors president Bob Myers, who is now an executive with the Sixers’ ownership group, went on a podcast last week cohosted by James’ agent, Rich Paul. ESPN’s McMeniman reported that guard Tyrese Maxey was among the major voices in the 76ers’ pitch.

Golden State does not appear to be giving up hope, though. Steph Curry was on Wednesday’s edition of "Good Morning America" and reiterated a pitch to James that was similar to one he shared last week at the American Century Championship at Lake Tahoe.

“We know how to win. Beautiful weather, great golf — I know he’s into that,” Curry said before recalling their gold medal win at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

“The USA experience that we had, the battles that we’ve had over the years, we just know how to play basketball and I think that he would enjoy just the idea of what it means to finish your career the right way.”

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