As the LeBron James free agency saga plays out, the Cleveland Cavaliers might be the most frequently mentioned as the favorites to land the superstar forward.
That's typically bad news for the Philadelphia 76ers, who have been making a strong push to lure in the 41-year-old All-Star.
With the Cavaliers having a quiet offseason so far, that could be seen as a sign that they are confident that LeBron is coming to their team.
But another rumor suggests the Cavaliers are working on a possible Plan B. Jonathan Kuminga, who has been frequently linked to the LA Lakers lately, was also mentioned as a target for the Cavs in the past.
In a recent update on the Kuminga situation from a Lakers' perspective, The Athletic's Dan Woike stated, "Cleveland, according to league sources, is the team most-often connected to Kuminga other than the Lakers."
That's a rumor worth taking stock of.
Don't count the 76ers out yet
Based on the countless rumors of who is favored to end up with LeBron James in free agency, it's clear that there isn't a known favorite at this time.
While the Cavaliers storyline makes total sense for James, as he's from Ohio, had two stints with the Cavaliers, and is likely calling it a career soon, the Cavaliers don't seem as sure as they are painted out to be.
The Sixers remain a logical basketball fit for James. After swapping out Paul George for Jaylen Brown, the Sixers have one of the most talented core fours in the Eastern Conference.
The group is made up of the former MVP Joel Embiid, the MVP-caliber forward Jaylen Brown, an emerging star in VJ Edgecombe, and a two-time All-Star in Tyrese Maxey. It's a major plus that James is known to be close to Maxey and competed in the Olympics with Joel Embiid.
James would fill a positional need for the Sixers and more. While Tyrese Maxey has developed into a quality starting point guard for the Sixers since the departure of James Harden, James would easily boost the Sixers' playmaking, even at forward.
In 60 games with the Lakers last season, LeBron averaged 7.2 assists per game. In addition to his passing, he produced 20.9 points per game and 6.1 rebounds per game.
In the coming days, the Sixers and the rest of the NBA hope to get answers on the LeBron front. For the time being, the Cavaliers aren't moving like a team that knows they are guaranteed to get James.
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