According to one report, the Philadelphia 76ers are all-in on trying to attract LeBron James.
In what is probably the least shocking news this offseason, the Philadelphia 76ers are prepared to go all-out for LeBron James. As the best player of this generation, if not all-time, it makes sense that they would.
According to Keith Pompey, the Sixers will do “whatever it takes” to get James in a Sixers uniform. With a healthy Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, the Sixers would become instant favorites in the Eastern Conference. They might have enough firepower to compete with Golden State, to boot.
There has been plenty of debate over whether or not the Sixers should sign LeBron. They’re talented enough to build a competitive team with their current core, while some worry that LeBron’s skill set would stunt the development of his protégé Ben Simmons.
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Those concerns are largely overblown, though. The Sixers showed some significant weaknesses in their conference semifinals loss to the Boston Celtics. It’s pretty clear that significant alterations are needed if they want to compete at the highest level.
And, if anything, James’ presence would help Simmons. Some of Ben’s best work in the playoffs came off the ball. If LeBron can relieve some of the pressure placed on Simmons offensively, that’d be nothing short of beneficial.
Plus, according to Chris Broussard, James might want to play more of an off-ball role at the next stage of his career. He’d be able to do that in Philly, letting Simmons retain control of the offense and mentoring him on a daily basis.
Regardless of how their roles are split up, though, James gives the Sixers everything they need on the offensive end and then some. He’d be another viable shot creator who can shoot threes and generate his own offense at will.
People tend to forget that LeBron is one of the best individual scorers of all-time. His skill set goes well beyond fancy passes and high-flying dunks.
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If the Sixers can get LeBron, it’s a no-brainer. He’s the best player in the world and hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down at age 33. You don’t have to think he’s better than Michael Jordan to want him on this Sixers team.