A three-time champion believes LeBron James should avoid the Philadelphia 76ers.
The Philadelphia 76ers' biggest concern entering next season should not come as a surprise to anyone.
It remains the health of Joel Embiid. Despite trading for All-NBA wing Jaylen Brown, Embiid's availability, especially in the playoffs, will still be crucial to the 76ers' success.
Embiid's lack of reliability could also deter free agent LeBron James from signing with Philadelphia, at least that's what analyst Shannon Sharpe believes. Sharpe ranked the top four destinations for James as follows:
1. Miami Heat
2. Cleveland Cavaliers
3. Denver Nuggets
4. Minnesota Timberwolves
"There's too much uncertainty with Embiid based on his history. If we get 55 games, that is the absolute best we could hope for," Sharpe said on 'Nightcap.' "Here's the thing: what do we see in the postseason? He plays one series, and then what?"
It's a fair argument from Sharpe, as Embiid has not appeared in more than 65 games since the 2022-2023 season. But his availability concerns preventing James from potentially signing with the 76ers is a different point to make.
Let's say Embiid plays zero games next regular season, a core of Tyrese Maxey, V.J. Edgecombe, Jaylen Brown, and James is still easily a top seed in the Eastern Conference. Not to mention, James' ties to the 76ers are mostly centered around Maxey and President of Basketball Operations Mike Gansey.
He was teammates with Embiid during the 2024 Paris Olympics, so the former Los Angeles Lakers superstar does know what 'The Process' is capable of at full strength.
The Paul George-Brown swap turned Embiid into more of a luxury than a necessity, so James should still consider the 76ers a serious contender even without the 2023 MVP in the mix at all times.
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