Oakland, Calif. ? More than 13 years after Chris Webber demanded to leave the Golden State Warriors, the free-agent forward is all set to return.

Webber sent an e-mail to the Associated Press on Monday night confirming he will rejoin the Warriors and coach Don Nelson, who won a power struggle with the former No. 1 draft pick in their messy first stint with the franchise.

Webber might be with Golden State by Friday night when the club returns home to face Charlotte. The five-time All-Star isn’t expected to join the Warriors during a two-game road trip this week to Houston and New Orleans, said an NBA source who spoke on condition of anonymity because Webber hadn’t formally signed with the club.

Nelson apparently masterminded the Warriors’ decision to re-sign Webber, who hasn’t played in the NBA this season, as a backup big man and offensive playmaker. Nelson has spoken repeatedly about the team’s hopes of signing Webber in recent days.

Just a few days after Chris Mullin said he planned no significant changes to the club with the NBA’s second-most victories since mid-November, Nelson apparently convinced Golden State’s top executive to take a chance on Webber. The power forward’s diminished athleticism and uneven playoff performances convinced his hometown Pistons not to re-sign him last summer.

A slow-footed, soon-to-be 35-year-old big man with surgically repaired knees and a bad history with the head coach seems to be a terrible fit for the Warriors’ harmonious team chemistry and their up-tempo style. But Nelson has done stranger things in his highly successful career.

“I’m afraid if we don’t get him, our team is not strong enough to be a playoff team,” said Nelson, whose club is seventh in the conference at 27-18. “I think he has a chance to make some of our players better and make our team better. Really that’s all that’s important. I’ll get along with anybody who can help our team.”

The second-winningest coach in NBA history claims the Warriors desperately need Webber’s passing abilities and bulk to compete with the Western Conference’s best centers and power forwards. Webber’s arrival could mean less playing time for Al Harrington and Andris Biedrins, while also increasing the likelihood Golden State will make a move near the trade deadline.