Plenty of teams will be waiting when LeBron James enters free agency this summer (player option).
And the Philadelphia 76ers are expected to be among them, according to some NBA executives.
From USA Today‘s Jeff Zillgitt:
J.J. Redick is a smart man. He went to Duke, an excellent academic institution.
So when asked about any Ben Simmons-LeBron James comparisons, Redick slipped in this subtle recruiting pitch. “LeBron, I think, is the greatest player to ever play,” he said.
The statement was made for interested ears. In other words, “Hey LeBron, the Sixers would be a great team for you to join in free agency after this season. Come play with Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid, Dario Saric, Robert Covington, Markelle Fultz, Amir Johnson and me, J.J. Redick.”
If James, who can become a free agent after this season, decides to leave the Cavaliers, he could – and should – consider the 76ers, and executives around the league believe Sixers president of basketball operations Bryan Colangelo will attempt to sign James.
The basketball case for James to sign with the Sixers is an easy one to make. They can carve out max cap space and still surround him with Ben Simmons, Markelle Fultz, Joel Embiid, Robert Covington and, depending where the Los Angeles Lakers’ pick falls, another high-end prospect. They may also be able to give him J.J. Redick, a slightly younger version of Kyle Korver, should the former accept a discount after signing a one-year, $23 million deal this past summer. Give James this core, and he should get another few cracks at his fourth NBA championship.
Would he consider joining the Sixers, though? We can’t be sure. A lot of people think he’ll consider leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers. Some think he’s already gone. But many of those people are more inclined to identify the Lakers, Houston Rockets or San Antonio Spurs as potential destinations before even getting to the Sixers. But if James’ decisions thi time around turns out to be about basketball alone, well, Philly has as strong of a sales pitch as any other locale.
