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Lakers Rumors: LeBron James Reportedly Didn't 'Seriously Consider' 76ers over LA
July 10, 2018
Many would argue LeBron James had a better chance to win another NBA title by signing with the Philadelphia 76ers rather than the Los Angeles Lakers, but James gave little thought to actually joining a promising Sixers core.
ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported, in fact, the Lakers were the only team James met with before making his decision.
"No, I don't think he seriously considered [the 76ers]. I think he considered them," Windhorst said of the Sixers in an interview on ESPN Radio's Dan Le Batard Show. "They were on the board. He didn't even grant them a face-to-face meeting. ... This year, he only met one team face-to-face; he only talked to two teams—the team he was leaving and the team he was going to."
The discussion begins at the 4:30 mark of the video below:
Windhorst then speculated James' family preferred a move to Los Angeles rather than Philadelphia before questioning whether the Sixers made sense from a basketball perspective, citing the potential style clash between James and All-Star center Joel Embiid.
Beyond Embiid, it seemed fair to wonder how James and reigning Rookie of the Year Ben Simmons would've operated on the same team.
Since he's not much of a shooter, Simmons needs the ball in his hands to be successful. James immediately would've become the Sixers' primary ball-handler and facilitator, thus negating a lot of Simmons' offensive effectiveness.
While the Lakers are much further away from title contention than the Sixers, James at least has more of an opportunity to help mold the roster to his preferences.
That's not necessarily a good thing for Los Angeles, based on its business so far. After adding James, the Lakers signed Rajon Rondo and Lance Stephenson and re-signed Ketavious Caldwell-Pope.
But the Cleveland Cavaliers shuffled through a number of players and lineups before they built a roster that delivered a championship in 2016. It's a bit unfair to judge the Lakers based on how they look at the moment.
Especially next summer, when a number of marquee stars are eligible for free agency, James and the Lakers front office will pull out all of the stops to strengthen the franchise's championship hopes.