Tag: free

Sixers free agency rumor roundup: An absolute gallon of fuel dumped on the PG-to-the-Sixers’ fire sixers,free,agency,rumor,roundup,an,absolute,gallon,of,fuel,dumped,on,the,pg,to,the,sixers,fire,liberty,ballers,front-page

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New day, new deluge of Sixers rumors to get to. The 2024 NBA Draft is now less than a week away. Unlike last season, when Daryl Morey was going radio silent on James Harden hoping he’d opt into his one-year player option, teams are now legally allowed to negotiate with their own free agents.

But the Clippers haven’t appeared to gain any traction on keeping their nine-time All-Star, Paul George. (Emoji eyes).

Let’s do a Sixers rumor roundup focused solely on the SoCal native’s potential relocation to Philly.

Photo by Jim Cowsert/NBAE via Getty Images

Okay, so you already know Embiid stole NBA Finals headlines by recruiting PG with a dashing and mischievous smile on national TV days before Boston put the finishing touches on the Mavs.

That marked somewhat of a key change in Embiid’s offseason demeanor. He was no longer staying silent or looking for mere #dawgs like P.J. Tucker. Now he has his sights set on a much bigger fish.

Recent local L.A. reporting

According to Tomer Azarly for ClutchPoints, June 19:

“…there is no indication the Clippers are prepared to drop a max … that offer has not been on the table in recent months and there’s nothing to indicate that line of thinking has changed….George feels that he’s still worth a max contract and, as one league source told ClutchPoints, that Leonard’s three-year, $150 million shouldn’t affect his own.”

Mirjam Swanson, from the SoCal Nes Group, believes the Clippers and George are heading toward a divorce: “that’s why it’s starting to feel, after staring at the tea leaves trying to stitch together a predictive pattern for the past few months, like they’re headed for a divorce.”

The columnist working the Clips beat added, as recently as June 20:

“The 76ers, who are among the collection of teams in contention mode, could – and pretty clearly would – offer George a max deal of four years and $212.2 million. So could the Magic, with whom George could flourish, playing relatively pressure-free basketball – and, in either scenario, paying significantly less state income tax than he would in California.

The Clippers know this. And they’re letting it be known that they’re fine with it.

Perhaps they’re assuming the Palmdale product will find it in his heart to take a hometown discount? I don’t know, though. It’s not been the warmest homecoming; the guy gets booed every time he appears on a Jumbotron outside of Crypto.com Arena….”

Another local voice, Justin Russo, via Substack, sang a similar tune as Azarly and Swanson.

Per Russo, some sourced intel, from Juneteenth:

“[Kawhi Leonard’s January extension] left George out in the cold, awaiting his own fresh deal. It has yet to come, and sources tell Russo Writes at the time of this writing that the two sides…. have grown no closer to agreeing on a new contract for the 34-year-old.”

“…as was first reported by yours truly at Russo Writes in April, George told a rival player late in the season that money is what matters the most to him during these negotiations, not playing close to home.”

George has until June 29 to decide on his player option. At the moment of this writing, George is likely to decline it, a source not authorized to speak publicly on the matter tells Russo Writes.

“..it feels like the marriage is ready to dissolve….”

Did you catch that line? PG told a rival player late in the year that money talks, not playing close to home. (Double emoji eyes).

ESPN’s Brian Windhorst recently speculated that the Clips think PG is “bluffing” about wanting the money and being willing to leave. Russo’s report suggests otherwise.

National voices weigh in

On a June 19 pod where Marc Stein hosted Chris Haynes, Haynes reminded us that with a new arena opening this coming season the Clippers “…. want all their horses in the fold. They want to have a championship-caliber team going into that arena for next season…” but Haynes adds that PG leaving would be a game changer. In that scenario, Haynes could even see the team pivoting to a name like DeMar DeRozan, another L.A. native.

Stein adds ice water: “I can’t see George leaving…but… they clearly want Paul George to come in under the max, …they clearly want George at their price….” and Stein reminds listeners that hasn’t happened yet.

From PG himself

And of course, amid all of this speculation, George, perhaps in negotiation mode, is doing little to make either side feel extra comfortable.

One nugget now going viral was delivered from PG two weeks ago on the “Podcast P with Paul George.”

Former Blazers’ star Zach Randolph references the Daryl Morey-James Harden divorce as an example of an organization not being straight up with a player.

Minutes after Z-Bo’s point, after discussing his own experiences with perceived front office betrayals, George adds, on the general subject of F.O. chicanery:

“Believe it or not like, players talk, you know what I mean. And then reputations go around, like, ‘hey man, I don’t know about going to this place, because they shit, watch yo’ back, you know what I mean?’ That’s the conversations you have.”

So no, he wasn’t directly responding to the Morey-Harden thing. But you don’t have to use mental telepathy to piece together what Harden has expressed to PG about his own recent divorce with the Sixers’ current President of B-Ball Ops. The question is, would PG care enough to take less? And if so, how much less?

Money talks

According to Spotrac, PG has about $305,332,086M in career earnings. Celebrity Net Worth has ventured he’s worth an estimated $90M.

So if C.N.W is even remotely on the scent here, it makes sense why an extra $30-$40M would sway PG. (If you had $90K in the bank, your last great chance to add an additional $30K, regardless of your career-to-date earnings, might be very important to you.)

If Morey dropped a $212M offer at the first second of free agency making clear PG is his top priority, while the Clippers came in with a significantly lower figure, adhering to some invisible pecking order where PG is beneath Leonard, maybe PG could find a way to trust Daryl. Too bad the Sixers couldn’t offer PG an expiring two-year no-trade-clause.

***OR*** maybe PG is already sick of Harden, lol, get this…

The Athletic’s Law Murray appeared on The Athletic NBA show. Murray thinks he loves L.A. and that his body performs better in warm weather but wants the team to get younger. “But I think Paul wants his money,” Murray concludes.

So is PG sick of Harden already?

PG on play style

PG was asked about what he’s prioritizing with FA on the horizon:

“For sure contributing to winning basketball. I mean at this point… It’s not even about… Like people are saying, ‘chasing a championship.’ Like, it’s not that. But it’s playing the right style of basketball is what I’m chasing.”

The quintessential 3-and-D wing added more context that all seems a bit “anti-Beard:”

“We started the year off rolling, we started year off hot….

“And then we traded to get James [Harden] and it’s not James’ fault of why I think we struggled, but the lost part of that was we lost [Robert Covington] we lost Nico [Batum]. Those were our glue guys….So again, it had nothing to do with grabbing James, it was more so losing those guys. KJ Martin as well…. RoCo was huge for us. Nico was huge for us. So you plug those guys around myself, Kawhi, and [Russell Westbrook] they did a lot of the dirty work. And now you grab James, who is super talented offensively, now myself, Kawhi, we become the dirty guys. Now we have to score too. I think it was just a lot that we were trying to balance and manage at that point.

“But again, it had nothing to do with James. James I thought was awesome for us.”

Lol, Not that there’s anything wrong with James! He’s a fine player!

We’ve come a long way

In early May, Shams Charania reported that “this Clippers team fully intends to keep this group together, they want to bring back Paul George as a free agent or give him an extension, but they have not been able to reach an agreement….”

A week later, Shams shared that people around the NBA “have the belief” George wants to remain a Clipper.

PG himself even noted he’d love to have his jersey retired in both Indy and L.A.

Adrian Wojnarowski also reported on May 29 that the Boats are “determined to keep” the 14-year vet.

Jake Fischer, for Yahoo, on May 24 reported:

“The Clippers, sources said, remain hopeful through continuous dialogue that George and his representatives will agree to terms with his incumbent franchise.” But Fischer added that if there is no max, PG might walk. He also reported: “Rival teams and agents are conducting business, sources said, under the impression the Clippers aren’t keen on committing to guaranteed money beyond the three-year window of Leonard’s deal that runs through 2026-27.”

Now this….

Conclusion

If the Clippers are hoping or assuming PG will give them a hometown discount, it’s one very dangerous game they’re playing.

In the three-plus weeks since top dogs Woj, Shams and Fischer made clear L.A. wants to keep this group together, it feel as if everything has shifted. Or nothing has shifted, and that’s a really big deal.

Are the Clippers reluctant but secretly willing to pay full price, in mere hopes of getting him on a lower all-in number? A “Tobias Harris special” maybe? Remember, (or better yet forget) Harris in 2019 was eligible to sign a $197M five-year deal but he ultimately signed for $180M. Is that something the Clippers might have in mind? $180M for four years? What if they offered $195? Would that get it done? In similar situations with Blake Griffin and Chris Paul, the Clippers benefitted from the star player opting in then being traded — allowing L.A. to at least recoup assets and flexibility. That’s how they got Kawhi and PG in the first place. Perhaps that’s what they’d like most.

Has PG been communicating to them that there is a number below a max but he doesn’t want to play with Harden anymore? Would letting James walk and keeping PG be the cleanest way to alleviate these second-apron hell concerns?

Every day that passes (with no bomb that they’re going to make him a truly competitive offer) must ring like a silent symphony to Morey and Embiid’s star-hunting ears.

There is so much smoke to this fire that I almost feel compelled to wrap it up with a dead fish prediction: the Sixers are still highly unlikely to land PG, and if they do they’ll be highly unlikely to win a title. That’s the safest bet, sadly. If PG wants to stay, and they want him, chances are they will settle upon some large figure that satisfies all parties. And there’s always other teams lurking.

But holy shit, the Sixers might really get Paul George, and still keep some of their five draft picks. What do you think, maybe 30 percent?

Source: Sixers not expected to pursue Miles Bridges in free agency source,sixers,not,expected,to,pursue,miles,bridges,in,free,agency,liberty,ballers,front-page,76ers-free-agency-rumors-news

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So any Sixers fan with the slightest hint of a moral compass can breathe a sigh of relief.

It was reported earlier today by Matt Moore, also known as HPBasketball on X, that the Sixers could potentially be linked to free agent Miles Bridges.

“They’ve been linked to [Paul] George for months, with speculation only increasing after George appeared on ESPN’s pre-game show with [Joel] Embiid. So, George and [Jimmy] Butler are the two high-profile names. The Sixers are also expected to have interest in Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges.”

As a member of the Charlotte Hornets, Bridges averaged 21 points per game last season along with 7.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists.

More importantly, Bridges pled no contest to a domestic violence charge on Nov. 3, 2022 stemming from an incident the previous summer. After sitting out the entire 2022-23 season, Bridges was arrested again in October of 2023 for violating his parole.

His status as a cheap reclamation project does fit the bill of a player Sixers’ president of basketball operations Daryl Morey would be interested.

Liberty Ballers’ own Paul Hudrick threw cold water on that report, however. Hudrick said that “a source familiar with the team’s thinking says they are not expected to pursue Bridges.”

Any team that brings in a player with such a troubled past will need to answer a lot of questions to their fanbase. At least it looks like that won’t be the Sixers’ problem.

Is Daryl Morey setting expectations too high for Sixers fans in free agency? is,daryl,morey,setting,expectations,too,high,for,sixers,fans,in,free,agency,liberty,ballers,front-page,76ers-analysis

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A few weeks into last summer’s James Harden Trade Demand saga, Sixers president Daryl Morey went on the Anthony Gargano Show and revealed his long-term plan.

“What we’re attempting to do is have the best team possible this year, but also have the ability that, if we get into a next-season situation, to be a very unique team with the most cap room of a team that’s as good as us,” he said. “That’s a very unique situation to have.”

The Sixers now have the ability to create nearly $65 million in cap space this summer, which puts them in the neighborhood of the Detroit Pistons for the league lead. The Pistons certainly do not have an established MVP and a first-time All-Star as their top two players at the moment, so Morey is technically correct in that regard.

However, the Sixers aren’t the only playoff team with that type of flexibility this offseason. The Orlando Magic and Oklahoma City Thunder both aren’t far behind. And those two wouldn’t be the Sixers’ only threats for any stars that do become available.

Cole Anthony is Orlando’s highest-paid player under guaranteed contract next year at $12.9 million, as Jonathan Isaac’s $17.4 million contract is fully non-guaranteed until Jan. 10. Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs both become extension-eligible this summer, and Paolo Banchero will follow next offseason, so the Magic won’t have cap space for long. But they have the ability to carve out more than $65 million in spending power this year.

The Thunder can’t quite meet those same heights. They can create up to $37.8 million in cap space at most, barring any trades. Still, they’re fresh off a Western Conference-leading 57-win season and an appearance in the conference semifinals. With Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams all under contract for at least the next two years, there’s no better time for them to strike than now.

Unlike the Sixers, who enter the offseason with virtually no one under contract, the Magic and Thunder could each offer young fliers to sweeten sign-and-trade offers as well. Josh Giddey’s stock took a beating this season, especially in the playoffs, but he could be a second-draft candidate who thrives in a more ball-dominant situation elsewhere. Cole Anthony, Jett Howard and Anthony Black should all have at least some modicum of trade value, too.

All things being equal, win-now veterans would likely prefer to join Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey than Banchero and Wagner, and OKC can’t carve out max cap space. That should still put the Sixers in the lead for Paul George, LeBron James or any other star that decides to leave their team in free agency this summer.

However, some of the Sixers’ top targets aren’t even guaranteed to become free agents. They could pick up the player options in their respective contracts, which would widen their list of potential destinations thanks to the NBA’s new collective bargaining agreement.

Teams over the first apron—projected to be $178.7 million in 2024-25—can’t acquire players via sign-and-trade. Among others, the Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, Milwaukee Bucks, Denver Nuggets, Boston Celtics and Phoenix Suns all project to be over either the first or second apron next year, which would take them out of the running for any sign-and-trades unless they shed a significant amount of salary.

Anyone who picks up their player option rather than becoming a free agent wouldn’t have to worry about that. They’d just be subject to the league’s normal trade rules, which are far less restrictive for teams below both aprons. Teams above either apron aren’t allowed to take back more salary in a trade than they send out, and teams above the second apron can’t aggregate contracts in trades either. Meanwhile, teams below both aprons can take back 125 percent of the salary they send out plus $250,000 as long as they send out at least $29 million in salary.

Take Paul George, for instance. The Sixers’ Plan A, per Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer. The Sixers and Magic could both afford to sign him to a max contract in free agency, although they wouldn’t be left with much cap space with which to round out their roster. Instead, George could pick up his player option and force his way to a specific destination via trade by threatening to leave the Clippers empty-handed in free agency if they didn’t comply.

That isn’t just baseless speculation, either. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst suggested that as a legitimate possibility during a recent appearance on the Pat McAfee Show.

All of this is to say: It is far more likely than not that the Sixers will whiff on signing either George or James in free agency. That doesn’t mean that they’ll be doomed or that the cap-space plan was a mistake from the start, but it means Morey and the Sixers front office might have to get creative.

“I think the actual big transactions this summer will be trades,” Windhorst added on McAfee. “Teams taking on salary in trades. Philly, potentially, if they don’t get Paul George, try to trade for guys into their cap space.”

Brandon Ingram and Zach LaVine may be the more realistic high-end targets available to the Sixers this offseason. Whether they acquire either one will likely come down to asking price and offers from other teams. And if they strike out on all of their top options, Morey plans to sign players to shorter-term deals to maintain his flexibility for the next star that hits the market.

“The main mistake that could be made—that we won’t make—is if some of the better options don’t go our way,” Morey said at his end-of-season press conference. “Trade into our cap space, free agents, turn our draft picks into things. If all of those things don’t yield what we want, we are definitely not going to just sign for a lot of money some player who’s just an OK player. That’s not happening. Because that will be where we can’t continue to build a contender around Joel and Tyrese. In those scenarios, we’ll be doing shorter deals and then using our draft picks to set ourselves up for trades or set ourselves up for the next opportunity when it comes.”

That’s all well and good, but it’s clear that the Sixers plan to go star-hunting this summer. Morey telegraphed it during his end-of-season presser, and reporting since then has confirmed it.

”Philadelphia, according to league sources, views its opportunity this summer as something just shy of Golden State’s rare opening to sign Durant as a free agent without the league’s cap smoothing in 2016,” Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports reported in late May. “Teams with an MVP and an All-Star can’t typically afford to sign a maximum-salary third banana into room, while holding other avenues to spend and mid-level levers to pull, plus a cupboard of draft picks. The penalties baked into the NBA’s new collective bargaining agreement are almost designed to dissuade that exact coalition.”

The Durant signing led the Warriors to win two straight championships and make it to a third straight Finals before Durant and Klay Thompson both suffered major leg injuries. The Sixers would be lucky to make a single Finals thanks to whatever they do this offseason. It’s clear that they’re aiming high, though, which means they’re setting themselves up for criticism and setting fans up for disappointment if they come up short.

Unless otherwise noted, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball Reference. All salary information via Spotrac and salary-cap information via RealGM.

Joel Embiid seemingly recruits potential soon-to-be free agent Paul George on live TV at the NBA Finals joel,embiid,seemingly,recruits,potential,soon,to,be,free,agent,paul,george,on,live,tv,at,the,nba,finals,liberty,ballers,front-page,76ers-free-agency-rumors-news

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The Celtics are about to win the NBA Finals. Who cares?

The most important thing to happen ahead of Game 4 was Joel Embiid popping on NBA Countdown on ESPN — seated next to potential free-agent-to-be Paul George.

Social media was abuzz as soon as that picture went live. George, a nine-time All-Star, has a player option with the Clippers for the 2024-25 season. If he declines that option, he’ll hit free agency. If that happens, the Sixers are expected to be the top team after his services.

When Embiid spoke, he made sure to let everyone know how he felt about the basketball team from Boston:

Embiid has been steadfast over the years in saying that he doesn’t want to meddle with what the team’s front office is doing. But when the opportunity presented itself, he seemingly made a not-so-subtle pitch to George on live television. Below is a zoomed in look at the video above.

Embiid is a former MVP. One of the best players on the planet. Even at his size, there are few things he can’t do on a basketball court.

But subtlety has never been his strength.

For many Sixers fans, this is likely a welcomed sight (depending on how you feel about the team signing George). Embiid basically saying on ESPN, “Hey, Daryl, this is the player we should get!” is quite the departure from his previous offseason approaches.

For what it’s worth, George has admired Embiid from afar and the two have developed a relationship. Just this past season, George gushed about Embiid on his podcast, calling the big man this generation’s version of Shaquille O’Neal.

The funny thing is you would think Tyrese Maxey, who grew up in Garland, Texas, would be there in Dallas to join the recruitment wagon. Alas, Maxey appears to be in Paris for an event with New Balance. Perhaps Maxey joined Embiid and George for a late-night FaceTime call.

While we shouldn’t get too far ahead of ourselves, Embiid being in Dallas at the NBA Finals while George is also there feels mighty purposeful.

Report: Paul George, Clippers ‘not on the same page’ with extension talks ahead of free agency report,paul,george,clippers,not,on,the,same,page,with,extension,talks,ahead,of,free,agency,liberty,ballers,front-page,nba-free-agency,76ers-free-agency-rumors-news

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As we all watch in disgust as the Celtics look set to win the NBA Finals, a sliver of offseason slop might provide a small boost to Sixers fans’ spirits.

ESPN NBA insider Brian Windhorst shared a nugget that could leave the door open to nine-time All-Star Paul George coming to Philly in free agency. As a guest on the Pat McAfee Show earlier this week, Windhorst said that George and the Clippers “have swapped numbers, and they’re not on the same page.”

As Windy notes in the clip above, the two sides could’ve reached an agreement at any time and failed to do so. Kawhi Leonard signed an extension with L.A. way back in January for three years and a shade below $150 million. Notably, that was not a max contract extension for Leonard. Perhaps the Clippers are hoping to get George to agree to a similar deal while the six-time All-NBA selection knows that there will be max offers waiting for him in free agency.

In any case, it does leave the door cracked open for the Sixers, the first team Windhorst mentions as a George suitor. Windy also spoke about the potential of a sign-and-trade between the Clippers and Sixers, which could lead to a few intriguing scenarios for Daryl Morey and company.

While all indications are that PG-13 is the Sixers’ Plan A, their Plan B might not involve free agents at all. If they fail to sign George, a trade is the next possible outcome, per Windhorst.

“If they don’t get [George], where’s the Sixers’ money going? What are they going to do with it? Not necessarily sign players, I think the actual big transactions this summer will be trades — teams taking on salary in trades. Philly, potentially, if they don’t get Paul George, [could] try to trade for guys into their cap space.”

The two biggest names potentially on the trade market are old friend Jimmy Butler and the Pelicans’ Brandon Ingram. If you’ll recall, Windhorst linked the Sixers to all three of George, Butler and Ingram literally the day after the team was eliminated by the Knicks in Game 6.

Remember, in the new CBA, teams are allowed to speak with their free agents the day after the NBA Finals — unlike last season when the whole “Daryl Morey is a liar” James Harden fiasco went down. So, we should get a decent idea where George and the Clippers stand once Boston finishes off Dallas (maybe the only reason to look forward to that series ending).

The NBA Draft is also less than two weeks away. As Windy notes, things could get spicy when the first round starts on Wednesday, June 26.

“We might actually see the biggest action around the draft. … That’s the beginning of trade season and who knows? You might see action with Paul George — whether it’s him getting traded somewhere or him just deciding to stay with the Clippers.”

Hold on to your butts.

Sun rays or banner raise? LeBron’s dilemma in free agency sun,rays,or,banner,raise,lebron,s,dilemma,in,free,agency,liberty,ballers,front-page,76ers-analysis

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“I always believed that if we only have this one life, then let’s experiment with it.”

-David Bowie, told to TeleGraph, 1996

I think if you ask most fans, they’d still agree that Michael Jordan, possessing six championship rings, is The Greatest of All Time.

LeBron James has been squarely in the conversation ever since he won his fourth title with the Lakers in the bubble. And there are plenty of experts and fans who’d take The King over His Airness outright. But unless the NBA’s all-time season-scoring leader wins a fifth ring (which would tie the Akron native with names like Tim Duncan, Kobe Bryant and Magic Johnson), I’m not sure that he’ll convince enough people that he’s THE best to ever lace ’em up. One more ring would win over another wave. Two more might just put the whole thing to bed.

Hearing MJ talk over the years, one of El GOAT’s biggest regrets has been the 1997 Bulls management blowing up a dynasty, preparing for the future beyond MJ’s career, saving a few bucks. Jordan wanted a seventh, perhaps somehow knowing he’d one day be competing with players better than any he’d actually gotten the chance to face on a court.

So what’s LeBron’s mindset heading into year 22? One more ring in L.A. and a local might ask “so was he better than Shaq, Kareem, Kobe or Magic?” When you have 17 banners this is just what’s expected. But in Philly, where there haven’t been any banners since 1983? Now we’re talking about some true legend shit.

Sun rays, comfort, hope and a prayer

Sure, it might be comfortable for LeBron and his fam to stay in sunny L.A. Sure, LeBron probably has the confidence to convince himself his team with Anthony Davis (a true top-10ish talent when healthy) can win the title in 2025. Meh.

Sure, there’s the pipedream that maybe the Lakers’ 2024, 2029 and 2031 first-round picks along with several of Austin Reaves, Jarred Vanderbilt, Gabe Vincent or Rui Hachimura might land a Jimmy Butler, a Donovan Mitchell or a Brandon Ingram.

But in his heart of kingly hearts, the 20-time All-Star probably does sense his career mortality looming. He probably does understand the Lakers have few paths to land the very big fish they’d need to help him catch Magic let alone Mike.

Alas, the 13-time All-NBA First Teamer could soon become a free agent. But the absence of rumors he might depart, combined with the Lakers already embarrassing offseason, already has fans wondering if he’s not as motivated to win as he once was.

Maybe LeBron can tune them out until the end of the month. But the speculation will only explode assuming he re-signs and begins the twilight of his career mired in mediocrity.

The Philadelphia 76ers (with a true top-six per Bleacher Report’s latest ranking talent when healthy) with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey (a newcomer to the top 20ish players) have about $65M in cap space.

If LeBron extends with the Lakers he can earn $164.3M. If he opts out and signs with the Sixers he’s looking at $157.5M. Pocket pennies for a dude worth about $1.2B.

And unlike L.A., few here are asking about the Sixers (set to drop a full max on Maxey) what BR’s Eric Pincus asked Tuesday: “are the Lakers just … cheap?

Philadelphia could give King a max, trade up to five first-round picks, still come up with another ~$15Mish in space, plus an $8M exception, all while signing a few of his preferred vets on min deals. They still wouldn’t be as top-heavy or expensive as Boston’s roster is built, they could offer ring-chasing vets a significant playing-role since they’d need cheap depth.

Joel, Maxey, LeBron, KCP, Caruso, Lowry, Batum, Drummond, Bronny, and maybe even Oubre or Hield anyone?

Per Newsweek, DraftKings is already slotting the Sixers in for the seventh-best (+1200, an implied 7.7% chance) odds to win the 2025 championship. LAL is given just the 10th-best odds (+2000, 4.7%), almost half of Philly’s.

Can you imagine how much higher the Sixers’ title odds would be if LeBron signed in Philly, not LA? Only Boston would have the edge, and with Kristaps Porzingis’ new injuries, I’m not sure it would be an edge at all.

Yahoo Sports’ Vincent Goodwill recently referred to the LakeShow as a “circus:”

“Some folks around the league feel J.J. Redick won’t want to be involved with this circus, and that he won’t want to be a second choice, but he wants to coach.”

ESPN’s Senior Writer Zach Lowe reminded us that the Lakers are a Play-In team almost every year.

Fans are reasonably trying to suss out how much LeBron cares about winning and the current coaching search.

Does King James just want his podcast buddy JJ Redick to coach? Did he secretly prefer UConn’s Dan Hurley or did Rob Pelinka go against James’ wishes again?

Was it all a leverage ploy by Hurley’s camp? Did the Lakers, known playfully as the league’s “mom and pop shop,” just get too cheap?

Why are we hearing “GM LeBron” — one of the most notoriously involved player/GMs ever — isn’t really involved now? Is his focus divided between hoops Cali business interests?

Hmmm….

The markets, media and fans all smell that LA circus popcorn popping, so why doesn’t James? Is he stubborn? Does he feel loyalty?

Kyrie Irving’s Finals run with the Mavs cannot be sitting well

Dallas Mavericks v Los Angeles Lakers

Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images

If it’s loyalty, he shouldn’t let that sway him. How much resentment might James harbor against his current franchise’s front office for not topping the Dallas Mavericks offer for Irving when they reportedly had the opportunity?

By 2023, James called his former running mate “the most gifted player” in NBA history.

It’s been reported that the Lakers could have bested Dallas’ offer back in 2023. Per ESPN’s Brian Windhorst.

“LeBron wanted the Lakers to trade for Kyrie Irving when he was on the trade block, a couple of different times in ’22 and ’23….The Lakers actually could’ve created the cap space to beat the Mavericks offer last year, but they elected not to.”

As Sam Quinn put it for CBS Sports: “[Dallas’ offer] was an offer the Lakers could have topped, and the Nets demanded that they do so.”

Marc Stein, via Substack, laid out what Brooklyn asked for and L.A. wasn’t willing to offer: “They didn’t just want the two firsts and Russ [Westbrook]. They wanted [Austin] Reaves. They wanted [Max] Christie. They wanted Rui [Hachimura]….”

I know Irving carried more than a bit of baggage, but talent-wise, if you’re not prepared to cash in (two distant future picks, Rui and Reaves, while netting a dumping grounds for Westbrook’s hilariously bad contract) to capitalize on LeBron f—-g James’ prime, you’re doing something wrong.

James told coaching candidate JJ Redick on their co-hosted Mind the Game pod:

“There was nothing on the basketball floor that Kyrie couldn’t do…. I am so f—ing mad at the same time that I am not his running mate anymore.”

This reminds me… Tom Brady is considered the GOAT of the NFL, right?

NFL star Aaron Rodgers, after a rare down year in 2019, had to watch his Packers’ franchise draft his replacement over some premier offensive weapons in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft. Rodgers was furious and responded by bouncing back and winning back-to back NFL MVP’s in 2020 and 2021.

In the 2020 NFC Championship game, the eventual Super Bowl MVP Brady, threw three interceptions in seven plays, uncharacteristically imploding.

But Joel Embiid’s favorite team at the time, the Packers, simply couldn’t capitalize.

Stud receivers the Pack could have selected like Tee Higgins and Michael Pittman fell to other teams, as Rodgers’ future backup stood uselessly on the sidelines in the Conference Finals. GB lost by five points in an agonizingly winnable home game. Brady went on to win his eighth ring in a route the very next game.

The Bulls underestimated how much MJ had left in the tank. The Pack underestimated how much Rodgers had left in the tank. And the Lakers underestimated both LeBron and Kyrie. All left bullets that would have helped in the clip. All paid the price.

So LeBron shouldn’t feel any undying loyalty or obligation here to the Lakers. They’ve made their bed. He certainly doesn’t have to lie in it.

Yes, Anthony Davis makes an elite star-running mate. His 2020 title run was sensational. But like Embiid, he’s no exemplar of health. If both bigs are risky bets, at least Embiid is better when both are healthy.

Austin Reaves is good. But he’s certainly no Maxey.

The Sixers could in theory (since they’re not as cheap as L.A.) sign LeBron, then target two role players Bron won a chip with in KCP (an FA) and Bulls’ Alex Caruso (via trade). There would still likely be dollars and picks leftover to retain names like Kyle Lowry, Nico Batum, and even go shopping for cheap help like Andre Drummond or Kevon Looney, or a 2025 version of Oubre, looking to resurrect a career.

That may not be a super team, but it might be.

LeBron averaged over 26 points per 36 eleven times in his career. But during three of his four title-winning campaigns, the King averaged 26 pts/36 or less. Playing alongside Joel and Maxey might approximate some of that Big Three dynamic he enjoyed in Miami and Cleveland. He’d have to keep carrying the show in L.A.

Redick or whoever L.A. hires as coach might be good. But in his first season he certainly won’t be 2019 champ Nick Nurse. This Conference is no cakewalk. But Indiana making the East Finals reminds us how open it is. The West? I don’t know.

In some ways, it feels like LeBron is already #OneOfUs.

It isn’t difficult to sniff out where The King would have his most realistic chance to catch Kobe, if not Jordan.

Oh right, and all he’d have to do is say the word and Daryl Morey would probably draft his son Bronny James.

Can you even imagine a better storyline than this one:

James won his fifth championship, on his fourth team, delivering a title to every team he’s ever played for, in his 22nd NBA season, while sharing the floor with his soon-to-be-20-year-old son, Bronny James.

#GOAT shit.

If I had LeBron’s confidence, this type of hypothetical might even have me wondering if I could show up in Philly, F-k around and threepeat, topping Jordan’s six rings.

If LeBron wants another ring (as much as MJ would have) then he’d set sail for the Sixers. Rolling the dice on AD’s body holding up isn’t much — if any — safer than betting on Embiid’s.

If James is comfy going out on his own terms, not having to move, padding regular season all-time point stats, scrapping and clawing for the Play-In, then I suspect he’s better off staying put.

But if his own team wasn’t even willing to bet on his remaining window by mortgaging the future for Irving, wouldn’t it make some sense to find a significantly better team that truly believes in him?

Go rewatch “The Last Dance” and tell me MJ would have been content with four rings and some glorious sunshine during his final All-NBA worthy seasons.

One day, far away, someone new will come along and win five rings, and pundits will wonder if this heir apparent is better than James was. And Bron might just regret once opting for the comfy confines of Cali instead of using his remaining prowess to pursue glory alongside Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and his son. Guess we’ll see how badly he wants to be the GOAT in a couple of weeks.