Thunder and lightning often go hand in hand, and the Sixers delivered a boom that shook the NBA on Wednesday.
They agreed to a deal to acquire Jaylen Brown from the Boston Celtics shortly after 6 p.m., Eastern time.
The lightning, though, was delayed by a few hours.
At 8:45 p.m., Eastern time, Tony Jones of The Athletic reported that the Sixers have “reached out and are expressing interest” in free-agent forward LeBron James.
The Sixers have done this song and dance before, entering the James sweepstakes back in the summer of 2018 when he eventually signed with the Los Angeles Lakers.
But things are much different now.
James’ time in L.A. has come to an end. He’s in his early 40s. As if his basketball career didn’t set him and his family up enough, he’s established his post-basketball life out west. By all accounts, he wants to wrap it up pursuing basketball happiness instead of dollar bills.
And the Sixers are very different now. But perhaps most intriguing to James, they’ve managed to capture attention during one of the most trade-heavy summers we’ve ever seen by acquiring an apex predator forward in Brown.
In establishing a core of Tyrese Maxey, V.J. Edgecombe, Brown and Joel Embiid, Philadelphia has leapt right back into the upper echelon of Eastern Conference teams.
So why should James seriously consider the Sixers?
What it means for his story
Consider all the teams out there reportedly in on James at the moment—the Sixers, Golden State Warriors, Cleveland Cavaliers, Minnesota Timberwolves and Miami Heat.
Ultimately, this stop won’t mean much to his story if it doesn’t result in a championship. If that happens, it will take relatively different meanings for him depending on where he lands.
If he goes to Golden State, sure, he’s billed as a savior who helped Stephen Curry win one more ring, but that is Curry’s team. The story will be that James was the final piece to help Curry get one more in the twilight of his career.
At least with Golden State, there would be some level of cachet. He rides off into the sunset with one of his long-time playoff adversaries as his teammate. Curry and James shined as Team USA won gold at the Olympics in the summer of 2024. James and Draymond Green are regarded as two of the most brilliant players of the last 20 years. Is this heaven? No, it’s The Bay Area.
If he goes to Miami, he’s returning to a franchise that serves as little more than a chapter in his story. A highly successful one, but a chapter in the story, nonetheless. Plus, is he really the savior when they just traded for Giannis Antetokounmpo? Does that feel like the way to end this legend?
If he returns to Cleveland, he’s going home. Both bookends to an all-time great career. If the Cavaliers achieve the ultimate goal, the Akron kid goes off as the savior who helped Donovan Mitchell, James Harden and company get over the hump.
Much like Cleveland, there would be no downside to going to Philadelphia or Minnesota. If he wins, it’s historic for both franchises. He’d be celebrated in both markets forever. If he doesn’t win, there’s no scrutiny anyway.
The pre-existing relationships
In a business so often predicated on relationships, the Sixers rostering Maxey should be a sigificant advantage.
He and James share an agent, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul. Maxey also has a sky-high approval rating around the NBA.
It can’t hurt that James and Embiid were on that Olympic team together a few summers ago and that Embiid and Paul were seen in conversation several times after games this season. Embiid doesn’t currently have an agent for his NBA endeavors. But perhaps there’s some business in the works there, as well.
The on-court fit
That core mentioned above? Imagine James slotting into the middle of that. Pretty darn good starting five. The Sixers need shooting, but they also need high-IQ players and can use all the passing they can get. Playing next to two of those four at any given time would allow James to exist as an ancillary piece in the offense. There would be no need for him to serve as a high-usage fulcrum. Is he the best shooter? No. But James could slash and shoot off the catch, using his creation abilities as needed.
He’d also be insulated on defense with the presences of Edgecombe, Brown and the newly-signed Dean Wade. They all offer varying levels of defensive versatility, allowing James to take the weakest link on the perimeter if he so chooses.
Maxey has earned his respect as a catch-and-shoot threat. Edgecombe showed promise in that regard as a rookie. Brown has never been an efficient 3-point shooter, but he is a willing one. All three would be able to scale up or scale down to allow James to play within the offense as he desires.
The market
Obviously Cleveland will always hold a special place in James’ heart. Then again, no one is blaming him for going home. But that’s also the only small-market franchise he’s ever chosen.
He’s otherwise gone for the beaches instead of the heavy snows. While Minnesota and Philadelphia do both represent risk-free opportunities to play contending basketball, the Timberwolves aren’t the market that the Sixers are and Philadelphia does not present the winter extremes that Minnesota does.
The competition
But perhaps above all of that, Minnesota and Golden State have impediments that no team in the East has. James still has to go through the San Antonio Spurs and the Oklahoma City Thunder to even get back to the Finals.
In the East, the competition is much looser at the top. The New York Knicks would likely figure to be favorites because they’re coming off a title run. But if James comes to Philadelphia, is there really anyone close to the Knicks and Sixers?
Boston is coming off a very rough trade and putting a lot on Jayson Tatum being healthy. Detroit lost Tobias Harris and will have a disenchanted Jalen Duren, if he’s still around at all. Cleveland’s second-best player may be 37-year-old James Harden. Miami’s top two are excellent but Andrew Wiggins is their third best player and there’s a steep decline after that. Charlotte just traded LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges in an apparent culture reset and may be taking a step backward before they take another step forward. Atlanta was impressive to end the 2025-26 regular season, but they’re not as good as Philadelphia is with that starting five.
Toronto may be the biggest non-Knicks impediment for Philadelphia. But with the Knicks losing Mitchell Robinson, the top of the East still doesn’t shake out as richly as the top of the West does.
And even if it’s not about money, the Sixers can offer James more than a minimum deal.
So, what’ll it be?
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