NBA Exec Questions Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe's Fit with LeBron James on 76ers

At least one NBA executive is expressing doubt over whether LeBron James' arrival will be a positive thing for budding stars Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe.

Speaking to ESPN's Vincent Goodwill this week, an anonymous NBA exec said, "Maxey and VJ will want to please James, which could take away from their games. [Maxey] is already not a true point guard; all of this will have [his] head spinning."

With star center Joel Embiid appearing in only 38 games due to injury, it can be argued that Maxey and Edgecombe were the driving forces behind the Sixers last season.

Maxey led the team with 28.3 points per game to go along with 6.6 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 1.9 steals en route to All-Star and All-NBA Third Team selections. Meanwhile, Edgecombe averaged a solid 16.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.4 steals per game as a rookie after going third overall in the 2025 NBA draft.

The 76ers made it to the second round of the playoffs with that core, but they were swept by the eventual NBA champion New York Knicks, prompting the front office to get aggressive during the offseason.

It started with sending Paul George and draft picks to the Boston Celtics for five-time All-Star Jaylen Brown in a blockbuster trade.

That move seemed to be the one to sway James as well, as he chose to sign with the Sixers in free agency despite garnering league-wide interest.

Now Philadelphia has arguably the best starting five in the NBA, but that still doesn't guarantee a deep playoff run and championship contention.

Embiid and James have some major injury concerns, and when all five starters are healthy and playing, it is fair to wonder how well they will co-exist in terms of sharing the basketball.

The offense figures to run through James since he is an experienced facilitator who ranks fourth on the NBA's all-time assists list, but that will mean taking the ball out of the hands of Maxey, Edgecombe and Brown.

While it could work if everyone buys in, it could also be an awkward dynamic that doesn't necessarily fit the skill sets of Maxey, Edgecombe and Brown.

Still, signing arguably the greatest player in NBA history was likely worth the risk from the 76ers' perspective, especially since LeBron has a player option and can walk after only one season if the pieces don't fit together.