PHILADELPHIA, PA — Just over one year ago, the Sixers were among the worst teams in the NBA, the Process era appeared over, and they seemed on the verge of another horrifying rebuild.
A year on, and the Sixers have so thoroughly changed course that one of the greatest of all time could choose to end his career in Philadelphia.
A new report this week from Tony Jones in The Athletic indicates that the Sixers are interested in signing free agent Lebron James.
That remains true even after Wednesday night's stunning blockbuster trade with the Boston Celtics, which shipped Paul George and draft picks to the Sixers archrivals in exchange for star Jaylen Brown.
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The 41-year-old James, who will turn 42 in December, has not indicated a preference in free agency yet, beyond wanting to play for a team in championship contention. With the addition of Brown, there is no doubt that the Sixers fit that bill.
James told the Lakers earlier this week that he intends to play elsewhere in 2026-27.
His profile is theoretically a perfect fit in Philadelphia, though the alchemy of so many primary scorers working together on the court at once be challenging to predict. The Sixers have an elite center in Joel Embiid, an elite point guard in Tyrese Maxey, a budding star at shooting guard in VJ Edgecombe, and now an elite small forward in Brown. That open slot in a well balanced lineup, a power forward, would be a perfect slot for Lebron.
The Sixers pursued James seriously on his last run through free agency, when he decided, eight years ago to the day Thursday, to head to Los Angeles. Philly has the basketball history, financial resources, rabid fanbase, will to win, and players to win. Not many other teams do.
Two of Lebron's former teams, the Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat, are also in the running. So are the Golden State Warriors. The Sixers are not the favorites, but there's a chance for something truly spectacular in Philadelphia come next winter and spring.
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