LeBron James Urged To Leave Lakers And Sign With 76ers

Sam Quinn of CBS Sports believes LeBron should sign with the Philadelphia 76ers. 

“If LeBron James’ priority is to win in the near future, he should sign with the Philadelphia 76ers,” Quinn wrote. “James would slot in on the wing alongside Joel Embiid, a former MVP at center, and Tyrese Maxey, an emerging young All-Star guard. Maxey is young enough and durable enough to ease LeBron’s ball-handling load. James and Embiid would minimize the amount of shots the other would need to take in the regular season. Embiid has struggled in the playoffs. James, obviously, does not. At best, they’d alleviate so much pressure on one another that they’d both be able to play at their best in high-stakes moments.

“At worst, James likely at least solves Philadelphia’s ‘what happens when Embiid goes to the bench?’ problem. In his playoff career, the 76ers have lost the minutes they have played without Embiid by 217 total points.”

LeBron can become an unrestricted free agent this summer if he declines his 2024-25 player option. The four-time MVP met with the Sixers in 2018 before signing with the Lakers. 

LeBron appeared in 71 games for the Lakers this season. The four-time Finals MVP averaged 25.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 8.3 assists while shooting 54.0% from the field, 41.0% from beyond the arc and 75.0% from the free-throw line. 

The Lakers lost to the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the 2024 playoffs. LeBron, who turns 40 in December, will be teammates with Embiid this summer for Team USA. 

According to Shams Charania, Jovan Buha and Sam Amick of The Athletic, LeBron is expected to play up to two more NBA seasons.

The Lakers will fire Darvin Ham as head coach in the coming days, sources told Hoops Wire. That move could play a big role in LeBron’s future since The King wasn’t fond of Ham, sources told Hoops Wire.