Ben Simmons on Co-Existing with LeBron James: 'There's Only 1 Way to Find Out'

Philadelphia 76ers rookie Ben Simmons stated the obvious when he told TMZ Sports he'd like the opportunity to play alongside Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James.

Asked whether he and James would fit on the same team, Simmons said, "There's only one way to find out."

The Sixers are one of the few teams that would seemingly have a realistic chance of signing James were he to leave Cleveland a second time (presumably by not exercising his player option and becoming a free agent).

James might be swayed by the Sixers' promising roster built around Simmons, Joel Embiid, Dario Saric and Markelle Fultz. And Philadelphia will have $25.2 million in salary-cap space, per Bleacher Report's Dan Favale, which means it wouldn't have to make major moves to afford James' max salary of $35.4 million.  

As The Ringer's Kevin O'Connor reported in March, James has four teams on his list of possible destinations for the 2018-19 season, and Philadelphia is on it. 

The presumptive Rookie of the Year will almost certainly be a centerpiece in Philadelphia's free-agent pitch to James this summer, though, if the team is afforded the chance.