The movement of getting LeBron James to the Philadelphia 76ers by this summer has grown considerably since being just another far-fetched destination not named the Los Angeles Lakers or the Houston Rockets.
According to Bill Simmons of The Ringer, the Sixers are more than just an outsider looking in — instead becoming a more likely destination due to their cap space and winning roster as is.
Transcript via Reddit KingK5E:
“There’s been some growing “LeBron to Philly” buzz for four reasons: the Sixers have enough cap space and trade assets to accommodate LeBron and the likes of, say, Paul George; Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid are two of the league’s best under-25 blue-chippers (young legs!); Klutch (Sports) represents LeBron and Simmons (hmmmmm); and NBA insiders have been gossiping about an increasingly cozy Philly–LeBron’s circle connection since November. You want a quality narrative? What about this one:
In 2018, LeBron James signed with Philadelphia to build one last mini-dynasty with Embiid and Simmons. He vowed to play seven more years, until he turned 40, and vowed to make it his last stop. Just as important, he wanted to be closer to New York City and to his goal of becoming the first active billionaire athlete, with an eye on building his business empire and eventually owning an NBA franchise.”
Philly might not have the same glow as Los Angeles, but being part of a coalition of talent with another superstar and a group of really young players still soaking up the details of the game could prove frustrating for a soon-to-be 16-year veteran in the league.
Houston has a contender as it is, and while playing in a mega trio along Chris Paul and James Harden seems appealing, it’s a lot more likely he’d be only teamed up with Harden, barring yet another teardown of the roster by GM Daryl Morey.
The Sixers present a ready-made product with plug-and-play functionality that could prove hard to resist, unless this Cleveland Cavaliers roster can reach another NBA Finals and prove itself worthy of The King.