The Eastern Conference destinations are being viewed in a much more serious manner by LeBron James.
The Philadelphia 76ers' chances of landing 22-time All-Star LeBron James just received a major boost.
The six destinations that most often come up in conversation surrounding James are the 76ers, Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat, Golden State Warriors, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Denver Nuggets. Of these landing spots, three are in the Eastern Conference and three are in the Western Conference.
Per NBA insider Marc Stein, James is considering the East locations with "much more seriousness."
"What I do believe, based on actual reporting, is... Cleveland, Miami, Philly. He is looking at Eastern Conference destinations with much more seriousness,” Stein said. “He's apparently open to going very, very far away from where he's been for the last 8 years."
Although Stein never claimed the Warriors, Timberwolves, or Nuggets were out of the running, this is still a major positive for Philadelphia. Why exactly James is weighing his options across the country with more seriousness is tough to say at this point.
Plenty of members of the 76ers' organization have made their pitch publicly to James, including executive Bob Myers, President of Basketball Operations, and superstar Jaylen Brown.
From a basketball perspective, there's arguably no better fit out there. He would slot perfectly into the starting power forward position alongside Tyrese Maxey, V.J. Edgecombe, Brown, and Joel Embiid. In that spot, his playmaking would be heavily utilized while his scoring and defense could take a backseat role.
James, although he would be joined by a plethora of star power in Philadelphia, is still uber-talented in his own right. He averaged 20.9 points, 7.2 assists, and 6.1 rebounds on 51.5% shooting in 60 games for the Los Angeles Lakers last season. Those numbers would likely decrease on the 76ers just given the sheer number of stars, but his impact would remain strong.
The 76ers have made their major move, gotten James' attention, and actively showed him he's the priority. Now, it's up to the four-time NBA champion to decide if Philadelphia is where he wants to finish out his illustrious career.
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