LeBron James‘ free agency this summer could raise a lot of eyebrows around the league as certain teams are positioning themselves for a run at James. However, that destination won’t be in the Eastern Conference according to recent reports. However, this won’t stop Daryl Morey and the Philadelphia 76ers from trying.
“Those same sources believe James won’t want to relocate to the East Coast, even to potentially chase a title with Joel Embiid and Klutch client Tyrese Maxey. Would Sixers president Daryl Morey draft Bronny James in an attempt to lure his father in free agency? ‘If someone were going to do it, it’d be Daryl,’ one Eastern Conference executive said.”
The 76ers have essentially two players on contract next season Joel Embiid and Paul Reed. They have to re-sign Tyrese Maxey but can do that after making a marquee free-agent signing. LeBron could be a free agent if he turns down the $51 million player option in his contract, which he’s widely expected to do.
The free agent pool doesn’t have many superstars in it, but players like Paul George could also be of interest to the 76ers. LeBron would be the ultimate prize and arguably one of the biggest achievements of Daryl Morey’s executive career.
To make courting James easy, the 76ers could use their first-round pick on Bronny James. Given that Bronny’s NBA caliber is in question, that would be an extremely high selection for Bronny and could go uncontested unless the Lakers land in the lottery and use their lottery pick on Bronny before the 76ers can make a pick.
This will be an interesting summer in LA and Philadelphia, as a possible bidding war over the rights to the NBA’s all-time leading scorer could be underway.
Should LeBron Return To The East?
James made his name in the East, spending the first 15 years of his career on the Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat in the East. He made the switch to the West in 2018 to join the Lakers, and his success in the West doesn’t come close to replicating what he achieved in the East, like winning nine Eastern Conference Championships, with eight of them coming in consecutive seasons.
This season has made the West-East disparity even clearer. The No. 5 seed Mavericks in the West would be the No. 2 seed in the East, with even the No. 11 seed Houston Rockets being good enough to nab the No. 9 seed in the East. The Lakers’ 45-35 record would have them at No. 7 in the East right now, as compared to No. 10 and eliminated from top six contention in the West.
Given the strength of the West, with teams like the Grizzlies expected to join the contenders race next season, it may be smarter for James to compete in an easier Eastern Conference. If he has Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey alongside him, James will have two reliable options next to him which will allow him to further embrace a smaller role with a focus on playmaking. If Bronny is on the roster, it’s a perfect fit for all his goals.
It’s unlikely he would leave the Lakers in the summer, but if anyone has any chance of enticing him to make a switch, it has to be the 76ers.
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