LeBron James' 76ers Contract Stuns Fans, NBA Title Hopes Hyped After Jaylen Brown Trade

The huge ripple effects of the Jaylen Brown trade continue to be felt in the NBA with the news on Friday that LeBron James is also going to be part of the Philadelphia 76ers.

James revealed his decision in a statement on X released Friday, with his agent, Rich Paul, telling ESPN's Shams Charania the four-time MVP will sign a two-year, $8 million contract with Philadelphia.

The announcement was met with shock and awe as the Sixers have quickly built one of the most impressive starting fives on paper in the NBA, as James and Brown are joining a roster that already had Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid and VJ Edgecombe.

This is a huge turn of events for the 76ers when they didn't have an obvious path to upgrading their roster coming off a second-round sweep in the playoffs at the hands of the New York Knicks.

The Sixers were $14.5 million under the tax going into the start of free agency with Kelly Oubre Jr., Quentin Grimes and Andre Drummond all set to hit the market.

After Oubre and Grimes both agreed to deals with other teams on the first day of free agency, it didn't seem clear what the path for new president of basketball operations Mike Gansey was going to be.

Turns out Gansey had an ace up his sleeve because the Brown trade was agreed on shortly after the Oubre and Grimes deals were reported. It also allowed the 76ers to get out of the $54.1 million guaranteed to Paul George next season and $56.6 million he could make in 2027-28 if he opts into the final year of his contract.

The Brown trade almost certainly led to the intrigue for James of playing with Philadelphia because he gave the team a second reliable All-Star player, along with Maxey.

It probably didn't hurt the Sixers that Gansey had an established relationship with James after beginning his front-office career with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2017. They also finished No. 1 and 2 in Ohio Mr. Basketball voting when they were in high school in 2001.

Now, the 76ers can reasonably argue they are right there with the defending NBA champion New York Knicks as far as pure talent in the starting five going into next season.