By Luke Adams | at July 24, 2026 1:44 pm
**LeBron James**‘ decision to sign with the Sixers came as a surprise to some executives around the NBA, according to Joe Vardon, Tony Jones, Dan Woike, and David Aldridge of The Athletic, who note that many viewed Miami, Cleveland, and Golden State as more viable landing spots.
“That was like option No. 4,” one exec told The Athletic moments after James announced he was joining the 76ers.
However, James has long been interested in Philadelphia. According to The Athletic’s story, one of James’ former Lakers teammates said LeBron told him that he seriously considered the possibility of signing with the Sixers during his 2018 free agency before making the move to Los Angeles.
As The Athletic’s reporters detail, James will slot in as the 76ers’ starting power forward, but his passing and play-making abilities will be critical, since he’ll be playing alongside so many scorers, including starting point guard Maxey, who can operate off the ball.
We have more notes and updates related to LeBron:
Before James went public with his choice, Vincent Goodwill of ESPN reported on Friday morning that James had been “angling” earlier in free agency for the Cavaliers to acquire Kyrie Irving, but the Mavericks weren’t interested in engaging in trade talks. Sending out James Harden in a sign-and-trade for Irving would’ve been a difficult transaction for the Cavs to pull off, as Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron (Substack link) details, and it may have been a moot point anyway, since a source close to James insisted to The Athletic that the star forward wasn’t waiting for a team to trade for Irving or Anthony Davis.
Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald considers what’s next for the Heat after missing out on James, evaluating potential free agent alternatives for the team and noting that “fresh” conversations are expected with veteran forward DeMar DeRozan. While there have been rumors connecting Russell Westbrook to Miami, Jackson hears that a coach whom Erik Spoelstra trusts advised the Heat not to sign the former MVP, claiming that he’s difficult to coach.
The Warriors figure to shift their focus to re-signing Draymond Green and filling out the rest of the roster now that James is off the board, writes Nick Friedell of The Athletic. Free agent guard Gary Payton II remains a candidate to return to Golden State, Friedell confirms.
Although the Timberwolves recognized they were probably a long shot to land James, they pursued him aggressively, with Anthony Edwards and LaMelo Ball getting on the phone with LeBron while president of basketball operations Tim Connelly spoke at length with agent Rich Paul about the fit, reports Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. Co-owner Alex Rodriguez was also involved in Minnesota’s pitch, according to Krawczynski, who explores how the Wolves might manage their power forward spot after failing to land James.
Pursuing a fifth championship was the primary motivating factor for James as he weighed his options and chose the 76ers, per ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, who adds that living in New York City and commuting to Philadelphia is a possibility for the 41-year-old. Within the same story, a panel of ESPN writers examine LeBron’s likely role with his new team and consider how good the Sixers can be.
Echoing previous reporting, Paul tells Ramona Shelburne of ESPN (Twitter link) that LeBron and his son Bronny James are “not a package deal” and that there are currently no plans for the Lakers to trade Bronny to Philadelphia.
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