Last week the NBA world had another installment in its' reality television series when Marc Stein reported that there were potentially two teams that LeBron James would realistically consider opting out of his $51 million contract next season to sign with if said team drafted his son, Bronny James.
Now, obviously there are a lot of unknowns in this report. First and foremost, who are the two anonymous teams? And is Bronny going to leave USC after one season playing college basketball? If he does, where will he be drafted and could LeBron's potential to join him change his draft position? This list of questions could go on and on, but one of the teams being linked to this report is the Philadelphia 76ers. The reason being they have the cap space and LeBron seems to have had some level of interest in potentially joining Philly in the past.
Well unfortunately LeBron shut down this possibility over the weekend.
At the NBA All-Star weekend he said "I am a Laker. I’ve been happy being a Laker the last six years, and hope it stays that way." If LeBron is anything, he is insanely calculated in his actions and words so could there be some ulterior motive or manipulation with these comments? Of course. However, it seems likely LeBron will remain in Los Angeles next year and beyond.
LeBron is not just an NBA basketball player. He is a businessman, an actor, a producer, a philanthropist, and he is entering the mens grooming space in the near future too. What can't this man do? But seriously, the media landscape in LA is unparalleled and he enjoys living there with his family. It has been reported he has always wanted to play with his son and that cannot be ignored, yet LA seems like the most likely team for LeBron to be with come the start of next season.
Philadelphia has the cap space to go big game hunting this offseason and LeBron's statement will not change that. The Sixers can and hopefully will bring in All-Star caliber players to pair with Joel Embiid next year and keep their NBA title window open. Now that LeBron is off the table, who should be the top target for this franchise?