LeBron James is widely expected to stay with the Los Angeles Lakers this offseason, regardless of whether he picks up his $51.4 million player option for the 2024-25 season. However, ESPN's Brian Windhorst recently called the Sixers a "threat" to land James if he does decide to leave L.A.
"[Sixers president] Daryl Morey has been trying to sign LeBron for a decade now, multiple different opportunities," Windhorst said. "And of the teams that have a chance to win the championship next year, the only team with cap space that could offer LeBron a max contract is the 76ers. Other teams could do sign-and-trades, but the Lakers wouldn't have to cooperate.
"The 76ers are a threat. I don't think they're a serious threat, but certainly in the NBA, you never rule anything out."
If James is willing to come to the Sixers—even if they have to spend the No. 41 pick on Bronny James to further entice him—he's worth prioritizing over anyone else. How often does one of the greatest players of all time want to join your team?
The Sixers wouldn't necessarily be signing up for James' version of Michael Jordan's two years with the Washington Wizards. James is fresh off an age-39 campaign in which he averaged 25.7 points on 54.0 percent shooting, 8.3 assists and 7.3 rebounds per game. He also shot a career-best 41.0 percent from three-point range, which would make him an even better fit alongside Embiid and Maxey.
James' max starting salary on a new deal from the Sixers would be roughly $50 million, which is less than $1 million more than Paul George's max and $1.2 million more than what Jimmy Butler will earn in 2024-25. The Sixers wouldn't have much flexibility to build out a supporting cast around James, but a team with James, Embiid and Maxey might attract a horde of ring-chasers on the cheap.
