The Cleveland Cavaliers appear to be emerging as frontrunners to land LeBron James ahead of the Philadelphia 76ers.
Are the Philadelphia 76ers the frontrunners to sign free agent LeBron James?
Unfortunately not, according to one NBA insider, as the 76ers' pursuit of James has been hit with multiple pieces of bad news recently.
First, it was reported by The Athletic's Jon Krawczynski that the Minnesota Timberwolves are ramping up their pursuit of James.
The Timberwolves are a strong contender for James because they are home to a top-10 player in Anthony Edwards, have multiple elite defenders in Jaden McDaniels and Rudy Gobert, and made a splashy move for point guard LaMelo Ball.
And now, insider Marc Stein is sharing that the Cleveland Cavaliers are "looking more and more like the scenario to beat."
It shouldn't come as a surprise that the Cavaliers are emerging as the favorite to land James given his ties to the city and organization. The 22-time All-Star was born and raised in Akron, Ohio, was drafted by Cleveland with the No. 1 pick in 2003, and led the team to its first championship in 2016.
Not to mention, they have a star-studded starting lineup highlighted by James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, and Evan Mobley. James could slot seamlessly into the starting small forward position for the Cavaliers. Not only could his scoring be effectively utilized, but his playmaking and rebounding as well.
The 76ers can offer a lot of enticing factors to James too.
The ties to Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid, and Mike Gansey exist, an open starting power forward job and a loaded lineup should all appeal to the four-time NBA champion seeking a fifth ring. Philadelphia would instantly become the league's No. 1 title contender if James signs, given the sheer amount of talent on the roster.
The problem for Philadelphia, which is out of its control, is Cleveland is home.
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