The desire to acquire LeBron James could lead to the Philadelphia 76ers parting ways with franchise cornerstone Joel Embiid.
How badly do the Philadelphia 76ers want to sign LeBron James?
That is an important question President of Basketball Operations Mike Gansey and company need to answer.
If the conclusion is they have a desperate desire to land the 22-time All-Star, Philadelphia could be tempted to make a franchise-altering decision in order to lure him to the Sixers.
94WIP's Joe Giglio proposed a trade that would see the 76ers send Joel Embiid and draft capital to the Washington Wizards in exchange for James' former teammate and 10-time All-Star Anthony Davis.
There has been plenty of talk about the Golden State Warriors potentially acquiring Davis to tempt James to join the team, but a reunion for James and Davis in Philadelphia is rarely discussed.
A 76ers team led by a starting five of Tyrese Maxey, V.J. Edgecombe, Jaylen Brown, James, and Davis would easily be the favorite to hoist the Larry O'Brien Trophy at next season's end. The blend of offensive talent, defensive prowess, and athleticism would simply be unmatched.
However, Davis comes with the same major issue as Embiid: availability.
Embiid has not appeared in more than 65 games since the 2022-2023 season and played in 38 games last season while Davis has been on the floor for more than 65 games only once since the 2018-2019 campaign. When on the floor, Embiid and Davis are each regarded as one of the NBA's top big men.
Embiid averaged 26.9 points and 7.7 rebounds on 48.9% shooting last season while Davis recorded 20.4 points and 11.1 rebounds per game on 50.6% shooting.
James and Davis led the Los Angeles Lakers to a championship in 2020, so it wouldn't come as much of a surprise if the former desires another team-up with the latter and vice versa.
The 76ers already made a major move to get James' attention by trading for Brown, but this blockbuster deal would signal they're committed to giving him the ideal farewell tour.
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