The Sixer Sense
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How the Philadelphia 76ers can get LeBron James & Kawhi Leonard

By Rusty Gorelick

CLEVELAND, OH - JANUARY 30: LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Kawhi Leonard #2 of the San Antonio Spurs wait for a rebound during the second half at Quicken Loans Arena on January 30, 2016 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Cavaliers defeated the Spurs 117-103. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory copyright notice. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH - JANUARY 30: LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Kawhi Leonard #2 of the San Antonio Spurs wait for a rebound during the second half at Quicken Loans Arena on January 30, 2016 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Cavaliers defeated the Spurs 117-103. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory copyright notice. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) /
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ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said he believes the Philadelphia 76ers can acquire LeBron James and Kawhi Leonard in the 2018 offseason. Here’s how it can happen.

On Monday, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said on SportsNation that he could construct a realistic scenario in which the Philadelphia 76ers acquire LeBron James and Kawhi Leonard this summer.

Between those two players, there are four NBA Finals MVPs, 16 All-Star appearances, four NBA titles, 10 All-NBA defensive team appearances, and 15 All-NBA team appearances. That’s a lot of hardware prospectively joining a team in one summer.

Here’s how it could all happen.

LeBron James will most likely opt out of his contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers after this season, and after J.J. Redick‘s one-year, $23 million contract expires, the Sixers will have nearly $30 million in salary cap space. King James will demand more than $30 million, and Leonard will make around $20 million each year for the next two seasons. That would bring the Sixers up to a $120 million payroll, not including any players traded away for Leonard or potential free agents signed by the team this summer.

The Cavs have the highest payroll in the league, with $137 million in committed salary for this season, and they will pay $43 million in penalties because they are so far above the $119 million luxury tax penalty line. The Sixers may exceed the luxury tax line if both superstars come to Philly, but if Leonard and James help the team to a title in 2019, the financial commitment will pay off.

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Now that the financial side is out of the way, here’s a look at what the Sixers would need to part with to land arguably the best two-way perimeter player in the league. A package of Robert Covington, Markelle Fultz, the Los Angeles Lakers’ 2018 first-round pick (if it conveys), and the Sixers own pick in 2019. The Spurs may jump on this package, but there is a good chance they will want Bryan Colangelo to replace Covington with Dario Saric.

Assuming the package with RoCo completes the deal, the Sixers would start a lineup of Ben Simmons, Kawhi Leonard, LeBron James, Dario Saric, and Joel Embiid. Kawhi, the smallest player in this hypothetical, stands at 6-7.

Additionally, trading Covington would get rid of his salary and help the 76ers bring back Redick and Marco Belinelli as role players to knock down shots from deep when coming off the bench.

Three-point shooting stands out as the biggest weakness of this lineup. Leonard has shot at a league-average percentage of 37 percent for most of his career, while Bron has hit 36 percent of his shots from deep over the past two seasons. Unless Ben Simmons miraculously learns how to fill the basket up outside of five feet during the offseason, defenses may play far off of everyone except Saric, which will clog the paint for Joel Embiid.

LeBron and Kawhi have greatly improved their shooting over the course of their careers, so there is no reason why those two, Simmons, and Embiid can all add a few percentage points to their outside shooting tallies if they join forces ahead of the 2018-19 season.

Aside from that one downside, this starting five would be the best lineup of all-time on paper. Teams will have to operate like neurosurgeons when attacking Simmons, Kawhi, LeBron, and Embiid, as they will make it nearly impossible for opponents to get close to the rack.

Regardless of the slight lack of shooting in this hypothetical lineup, adding LeBron James and Kawhi Leonard to the duo of Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid will lead to a ton of wins. This team could undoubtedly hang with the Golden State Warriors, and these rumors reveal how far the Process has come since it began in 2013.

From the Oct. 18, 2014 starting five of Casper Ware, Elliot Williams, Hollis Thompson, Brandon Davies, and Henry Sims to a possible lineup of Ben Simmons, Kawhi Leonard, LeBron James, Dario Saric, and Joel Embiid is a testament to how well Colangelo and Sam Hinkie provisioned the team during the Process.

Next: 2018 NBA Mock Draft 5.0

Even if it does not yield any titles, these two superstars joining the Philadelphia 76ers will validate the Process. If the King takes his talents to the cradle of liberty, then the league will know for a fact that Hinkie was right and that the Sixers have some special players who will rule the league for years to come.