76ers' LeBron James almost signed with Western Conference title contender instead of Philadelphia image
The Philadelphia 76ers are going to be right in title contention for the next two seasons after trading for Jaylen Brown. The biggest talk around the NBA this summer was where LeBron James was going to end up.
The 76ers did all they could to bring him to Philadelphia. In the end, they were the team that won the battle for James.
“LeBron James is signing with the Philadelphia 76ers for his final run at another NBA championship, he announced Friday," ESPN's Dave McMenamin wrote. "James, 41, is signing a two-year, $8 million contract with a player option, Klutch Sports Group CEO Rich Paul told ESPN's Shams Charania."
However, for James, it wasn’t always going to be the 76ers that he signed with. The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski believes he would have signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves if Philadelphia hadn't traded for Brown.
“There's a very good chance that if they don't make that trade, LeBron James is in Minnesota this year, and not Philadelphia,” Krawczynski said. “I do think that LeBron made the decision to go to Philadelphia because of the basketball fit, and the chance to win a championship. If Jaylen Brown is not in Philadelphia, I think that there's a real possibility that LeBron looks at Minnesota as the next-best team for him to be competitive and try to win a championship.”
Based on this report, it seems like James thought playing alongside Brown gave him a better chance to compete for a championship than joining Anthony Edwards and LaMelo Ball in Minnesota.
“The Charlotte Hornets are trading star guard LaMelo Ball and Josh Green to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Naz Reid and a series of draft picks, sources told ESPN's Shams Charania on Thursday. In addition to Reid, the Hornets will receive a 2033 unprotected first-round pick and three second-round picks (2029, 2032, 2033). Charlotte also gets first-round pick swaps in 2028, 2029 and 2030,” ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk wrote.
It is crazy to think about how close James was to teaming up with Anthony Edwards and LaMelo Ball. That would have been a lethal duo alongside the four-time MVP. Instead, James went to the 76ers, who are expected to be dominant in their own right.
James has two years left in the tank to make something happen. He very well could do that in Philadelphia, but the Timberwolves' title chances are at an all-time high right now.
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