The Philadelphia 76ers didn’t just land LeBron James. They unlocked him.
That’s the picture Mike Ganzi painted during an appearance on NBC Sports Philadelphia while the Phillies were playing the Washington Nationals. The 76ers president said the path to bringing in the four-time champion opened up only after Philadelphia pulled off the Jaylen Brown deal.
“I called Rich right away and said, ‘Hey, like, we got Jaylen. Is there a chance LeBron will want to come to us?’
And, you know, obviously they said, ‘Yeah, this changes some things.’ So they talked about it, and then obviously the whole process of, whatever, three weeks or however long it went, they were doing all their due diligence with LeBron, talking to all our players and other teams, and their representation and stuff.”
“So, yeah, it was a long process. But yeah, we don’t get LeBron without Jaylen, that’s for sure.”
That call to Rich Paul is the clearest window yet into how the Sixers turned one major move into another. Before Brown arrived, Philadelphia was not considered a real threat to pull LeBron in.
Sure, the team would have had interest in adding the NBA’s all-time leading scorer. But the idea of LeBron choosing the Sixers was a long shot.
Then July 6th happened. Brown joined the roster, and suddenly the Sixers looked very different. Pairing another All-NBA-caliber wing with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey instantly gave Philadelphia one of the league’s most loaded groups, and it got the attention of LeBron’s camp.
From there, the process dragged on for nearly three weeks. Ganzi said both sides went through the usual heavy lifting, with LeBron’s representation speaking to the front office, players, other teams, and more before everything came together.
When it did, LeBron agreed to a two-year, $8 million contract with Philadelphia, a deal that stands out even by his standards. He has never taken a minimum-type contract because of slipping production, and that’s not the case here. Even as he enters his 24th NBA season, he’s still putting up real numbers, averaging 20.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 7.2 assists last season.
So the message is pretty clear: this wasn’t about a fading star chasing a final paycheck. It was about chasing a ring.
With Embiid, Brown, and Maxey already in place, the Sixers suddenly had the kind of top-end talent that could make LeBron see a real title path. The signing came 24 days after the offseason began, and it finished off one of the wildest free agency stories in recent NBA memory.
Now Philadelphia’s projected starting five features LeBron James, Joel Embiid, Jaylen Brown, Tyrese Maxey, and V.J. Edgecombe.
On paper, that’s the most stacked starting lineup in the league. Of course, talent alone doesn’t solve everything.
The bench still needs work, health is always part of the conversation, and there’s plenty to sort out when so many high-usage players are sharing the floor.
Rich Paul has already suggested LeBron is expected to take on a Draymond Green-type role, serving as the team’s primary playmaker while helping bring out the best in Embiid, Brown, and Maxey.
But the bigger takeaway is what Ganzi made unmistakable: Brown was the spark. The trade didn’t just improve the Sixers. It changed LeBron’s view of Philadelphia and helped turn the team into a destination.
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Philadelphia has added more floor-spacing around him, which makes Barlows own shooting growth even more important if he wants to stick long term. For a player whose contract situation leaves little margin for error, the next stretch is less about simply being available and more about proving he can fit into a changing offense before the team has to decide whether to keep waiting on that development. [Read more 🡒]