Philadelphia 76ers: Is it LeBron James or bust this summer?
The Philadelphia 76ers will clearly target LeBron James this summer, but what if they swing and miss big on the best player in the world?
The Philadelphia 76ers have trusted the process for the last five seasons. It all culminated, this season, with a trip to the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Even in defeat, they were impressive. But now that their feel-good season is officially over, the Sixers now need to figure out how to turn their feel-good into a title contender. Right now, even if they get better this summer, the duo of Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid is probably not enough to compete on the same level with the likes of a healthy Boston Celtics and any LeBron James team, much less the Golden State Warriors.
Question is, how do the Sixers get from feel-good to title contention?
Well, if you ask head coach Brett Brown, it’s pretty simple. In his words, it’s not calculus.
Brett Brown: "I think another high level free-agent is required [to win a championship]. I think we have the ability to attract one." #sixers
— Derek Bodner (@DerekBodnerNBA) May 11, 2018
Brett Brown on potential targets who might take the #sixers to the next level: "We don't have to turn this into calculus. It's quite clear."
— Derek Bodner (@DerekBodnerNBA) May 11, 2018
It’s pretty clear who Brown is hinting at in a potential target for the Sixers this summer.
LeBron James.
LeBron is an unrestricted free agent and will likely take a meeting with the Philadelphia 76ers. After the season they just had, with the young talent on their roster, it would dumb for him not to, at the very least, entertain the idea of signing in Philly.
But what happens if LeBron James elects to re-sign with the Cleveland Cavaliers, or sign with his friends in Houston? What happens then?
Well, for one, would the Sixers make a panic move and try to overpay for another lower tier type of free agent? That’s what Philly fans should be afraid of, in fact.
Instead, if the Sixers miss out on LeBron, they should continue to trust the process and play the long game. If all else fails this summer, the Sixers will still have two of the best young players in the game and a potential wildcard in Markelle Fultz – plus another top 10 pick in this year’s NBA Draft.
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The Philadelphia 76ers are on the rise and don’t need to rush it. Their time will come, with or without LeBron James.