LeBron James snubbed a second return to Cleveland to close his career after joining the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday. The four-time MVP signed a two-year $8 million contract, picking arguably the most stacked team in the Eastern Conference.
The Cavaliers were reportedly among the finalists, but James felt his best chance of winning another championship was in Philadelphia. As many were surprised by James’ rejection of the Cavaliers, NBA insider Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson reported on Sunday that he would have chosen his former team if they had traded Donovan Mitchell instead of Darius Garland.
“The bigger structural question mark for James’ inner circle remained in the backcourt,” Robinson wrote on his website. “As confidants of LeBron James previously shared with me, there was widespread surprise among his circle that star guard Donovan Mitchell remained on the Cavaliers’ roster and had not been moved.
“As one respected league fixture bluntly put it regarding Mitchell’s ceiling as a franchise anchor: ‘Donovan Mitchell is not a number one. He’s a number one in Cleveland, he was a number one in Utah. If the Cavs still had Garland in Cleveland and moved Donovan in a trade to Jaylen Brown, there’s a good chance that LeBron James would be in Cleveland today next to Garland, Jaylen Brown and Evan Mobley.'”
The Cavaliers traded Garland for James Harden. Garland, like 76ers All-Star Tyrese Maxey, is a Klutch Sports client. James’ agent, Rich Paul, mentioned on his podcast that the new 76ers star “loves” Garland and Maxey. It was one of the first hints that James may have his reservations about a reunion with the Cavaliers.
This summer, Cleveland signed Donovan Mitchell to a four-year $273 million extension and didn’t make any significant roster moves despite stars like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jaylen Brown and Kawhi Leonard hitting the trade market.
On the other hand, the 76ers acquired Brown, which was a major swing factor in James’ ultimate choice to land on a new team for the fourth time in his career. There were several fit and roster balance issues with the Cavaliers, especially in a backcourt led by Donovan Mitchell and James Harden.
They are offense-first players, and at this stage of his career, James is better off with players who can impact both sides of the court. Brown does that as well as anyone on the perimeter.
LeBron James’ decision to join the 76ers wasn’t easy: Rich Paul
LeBron James went through an “emotional roller coaster” before choosing the 76ers as his next landing spot. According to Rich Paul, the 76ers, Cavaliers, Heat and Warriors led the race to sign him at different junctures before his client came to a conclusion.
All four teams presented enticing opportunities. A reunion with Cleveland would have been a fairytale ending to his career. Joining the Heat would have seen him link up with Giannis Antetokounmpo, making it one of the most formidable frontcourt duos. The Warriors had Steph Curry, who struck an excellent partnership with James during the USA’s Gold Medal run at the 2024 Olympics.
However, the 76ers won the sweepstakes and it isn’t surprising to see why. The team is arguably the most star-studded roster James has played on and with another championship or two on his mind, it made complete sense for him to join a talented roster.
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