A look at which team the Philadelphia 76ers should root for in the LeBron James sweepstakes other than themselves.
If LeBron James decides against signing with the Philadelphia 76ers, what is the best-case scenario for the team?
The other rumored suitors for the 22-time All-Star are the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat, Minnesota Timberwolves, Golden State Warriors, and Denver Nuggets.
Right away, the Cavaliers and Heat can be eliminated from this conversation, as the 76ers would need to face either team en route to the NBA Finals next season. So that leaves either the Timberwolves, Warriors, or Nuggets as the team the 76ers should root for James to sign with if not Philadelphia.
Let's take the Timberwolves out of contention, as James would be surrounded by the perfect complementary pieces in Minnesota. LaMelo Ball is a playmaking-first guard, Anthony Edwards is a debatable top-10 NBA player, and Jaden McDaniels and Rudy Gobert are elite defenders. That is a team that could give Philadelphia a lot of trouble if they met in the NBA Finals.
It really comes down to the Warriors or Nuggets, and each team has a compelling argument for why 76ers fans should root for them in the sweepstakes.
Golden State's biggest weakness would be age. James is 41, Stephen Curry is 38, Draymond Green is 36, and Jimmy Butler is unlikely to even suit up next year. The Philadelphia fanbase could rely on each of these key pieces regressing significantly in the 2026-2027 season to the point where the Warriors are unable to even reach the biggest stage.
The alternative is, however, the front office finding a suitor for Butler to land another star while Curry and James bulldoze their way through the Western Conference.
Denver may just simply lack star power. Outside of Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, the Nuggets lack uber-talented pieces. The forward tandem of Cameron Johnson and Aaron Gordon is respectable, but nothing that the 76ers couldn't handle.
The Nuggets would, however, be home to two of the greatest playmakers in league history: Jokic and James.
With those arguments in mind, the 76ers should be rooting for the Nuggets to land James if they miss out on the four-time NBA champion.
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Anthony Pasciolla is the publisher of 76ersRoundtable. He can be reached via email at [email protected] or followed on X @AnthonyPasci.
