Rejoice, Philadelphia 76ers fans. When it comes to LeBron James conspiracy theories, CJ McCollum is on your side.
On the debut episode of his Pull Up podcast, the Portland Trail Blazers shooting guard wasted little time in delivering a super-hot take. His blistering sentiment: LeBron-to-Philly isn’t just noise. It’s more feasible than most realize.
Here’s exactly what he said, courtesy of SLAM Online’s Ryne Nelson:
Is there an actual chance LeBron goes to the 76ers?
CJ: “He’s always (been) calculated about his decision-making process going back to his youth. Ben [Simmons] is his young guy. Ben is a member of Klutch Sports, so that also could play a factor.
“Philly is in the Eastern Conference. LeBron has been fond of the Eastern Conference throughout his career on what seems to be his EZ-Pass to the Finals.
“I think it’s a bigger possibility than people think. I’m not sure if they have the space financially for that. Obviously, they have a lot of guys on rookie deals right now.
“But they would need to get some more shooters in there if they do want to bring Bron in.”
McCollum isn’t off his rocker. Not even close. The LeBron-to-Philly theory isn’t a new one. The Sixers have one of the most promising cores in the NBA, along with a fairly clear path to max cap space. They’ll be able to afford LeBron outright upon greasing the wheels of a Jerryd Bayless salary dump.
Indeed, Philly isn’t the glitziest market. It isn’t Los Angeles or Miami. But joining the Sixers would rank as one of the best possible basketball decisions. Not only does LeBron stay in the Eastern Conference, where he gets to punch an NBA Finals ticket every year, but between Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, Markelle Fultz and Dario Saric, the Sixers have the burgeoning talent necessary to continue contending long after he enters his twilight—assuming, of course, he ever actually does.
