When LeBron James's contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers ends this summer, the forward will be free to join any team that can meet his salary. Although James is rumored to be headed for Los Angeles to join the Lakers, there are new rumors that he may join the Philadelphia 76ers instead.
James famously left the Cavaliers in 2010 to join Miami Heat but returned to the Cleveland team in 2014. It is possible that he will leave the Cavaliers again for another team, although it is also possible that he will opt to stay.
The biggest rumor seems to be that James is headed for Los Angeles, where he spends a significant amount of his time and owns a number of homes. Joining the Lakers may have practical benefits to the player, and there are also rumors that the Lakers are already freeing up salary cap space to meet his salary demands.
However, rumors that James may be going to Philadelphia instead of Los Angeles surged at the beginning of this month, although they likely began in November of last year. According to a USA TODAY report, there were rumors that Bryan Colangelo, Sixers president of basketball operations, was interested in signing James.
After speaking to several individuals around the league the past few days, Lebron to philly has a much higher percentage of happening than most think.
One league source told me, “50/50.”
Even though many seem convinced that James is headed for Los Angeles, it does seem that the Sixers also have a fighting chance of offering James a lucrative deal as well as a good playing experience. For one thing, the Sixers have a more flexible salary cap space for James, unlike the Lakers, whose cap space seems tight at the moment. The Sixers also has the second youngest team in the league, but they also have veterans that can mesh well with James. James is reportedly an admirer of Brett Brown, the Sixers coach.
Sixers forward Ben Simmons and center Joel Embiid have also expressed that they want James to come to Philadelphia, with posts on social media that hint at a warm welcome should the 15-year veteran choose to join the Sixers. Sixers fans have also begun courting James, with one company buying three billboards in Cleveland, all of which urged James to come to Philadelphia. The player was flattered, saying: "That's cool, I think. That's dope."
LeBron asked about those 3 Philly billboards, “I know all about it, there’s a lot of potholes on 480.” He then says he knows about them, and that it is flattering “that I’m sitting here at 33 in my 15th year … that people in their respective city want me to play for them.” pic.twitter.com/TrKUDbq34a
— Ashley Bastock (@AshleyBastock42) February 27, 2018 " data-caption="null" data-credit="null">James was also asked if there was any truth to the rumors that he was scouting schools in Philadelphia for his children, but the player denied it.
It seems likely that James's future in the league will remain unknown until the summer, when the player himself reveals his decision once and for all.
