76ers: Convincing the King

LeBron​ ​James​ ​will​ ​become​ ​a​ ​free​ ​agent​ ​after​ ​the upcoming​ ​season,​ ​here’s​ ​four​ ​reasons​ ​why he​ ​should consider​ ​the​ ​76ers.

While no one actually knows LeBron’s true intentions, reports have recently surfaced that the King may be on his way out of Cleveland after 2017-18.

So what could convince LeBron to give the 76ers a look?

1. Staying​ ​East

Many have assumed, and rightfully so, that LeBron James has the Lakers atop his list of possible destinations in 2018. He has a home in Los Angeles, is friends with President Magic Johnson, and would undoubtedly ascend into a higher stratosphere of stardom. But Hollywood will always be there, whereas his peak-level performance will not be, as father time will eventually catch up.

LeBron going to the Western Conference would not be the smart basketball move to make here, as his playoff opponents would include the likes of Durant, Curry, Harden, Chris Paul, Westbrook, Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, etc. Those are problems that the soon-to-be 33-year old LeBron shouldn’t wish to bring upon himself. Staying in the Eastern Conference would almost assuredly guarantee a spot deep into the playoffs, if not the Finals, where he has spent his summers for the last decade.

2.​ ​76ers​ ​young​ ​core

While they haven’t played a single game together yet, the 76ers have one of the most promising, high-potential cores in the league. Joel Embiid, the rookie of the year snub from last season, has already proven he can play on the big stage when healthy.

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Rookies Ben Simmons and Markelle Fultz will have every opportunity to shine in 2017. We have already gotten a glimpse of what they can do via the Summer League, as Simmons displayed an extraordinary passing ability while Fultz confirmed his ability to get buckets.

As LeBron sits back and evaluates each team, the 76ers will surely pique his interest, especially if the talented trio proves to be a formidable one this season.

3.​ ​Money

Piggybacking off the previous reason, a young core provides more than just youth and athleticism. The most talented 76ers players are still on rookie deals, giving the team one of the best “value” rosters in all of the league. JJ Redick’s 23-million dollar deal will come off the books after just one year and while Embiid will be up for an extension, his injury history will get the 76ers off the hook from giving him a max deal.

All of this means they will have plenty of cap space to provide a King’s ransom to accommodate the King himself. Unless LeBron pulls a Kevin Durant and decides to take less, he will most likely command north of 30 million dollars annually, a steep price, but a price worth paying without question. The 76ers should have no problem accommodating him if it came down to talking money.

4.​ ​Culture

This may be the most pivotal factor in LeBron James’ decision. Team chemistry seems to be extremely important to James, hence the reason this whole Kyrie-wants-out situation has thrown everything into utter chaos. Throughout his career, LeBron has had teammates that are very loyal to him.

Now whether that’s because he is such a good friend, or that they are just ring chasing is up for debate. But nonetheless, friendship has always been very important to the James. He brings the entire team out for dinners. He lobbies to get his friends paid. He has other players taking less money to play with him. He values team culture.

Now, we already know that LeBron James has had private workouts with Ben Simmons this summer, as well as had multiple Twitter exchanges.

That may not mean much, but it at least means something right? In the spirit of “reading too much into things LeBron does”, and looking through optimistic-glasses, one could conclude that they are indeed pretty good friends, because who gets up early in the off-season to workout with someone who isn’t one? and sends personal birthday invites? equipped with multiple emojis!

Coincidence? I think not.

So let’s just assume that LeBron and Simmons are in fact very good friends. And we do know that Joel Embiid and Fultz have already made their acquaintances with Simmons as well. Whether it’s workout pictures or twitter back-and-forths, the 76ers core seems to already be forming a bond.

This bond is operating under the umbrella of the “Process” upon which others have been drawn to as well. Redick had many suitors this off-season, but chose the 76ers to be a part of their culture. Even non-basketball sports stars like Mike Trout and Carson Wentz have tweeted out praise to what the 76ers are building.

The 76ers are not just a bunch of free agents patched together trying to make it work, but rather a cohesive unit collectively focused on bringing Philadelphia basketball to prominence. One would be naive to think LeBron isn’t taking note of what’s going on.

As LeBron watches the Warriors continue to dominate the NBA, he is certainly aware that their culture is a big factor for their success. Sure, having four all-stars on the floor helps too, but what truly makes their engine “go” is having 15 guys all buying into building something special. The 76ers surely seem to be on the right track to building something special of their own.

Next: Five most important games with Fultz

So in the summer of 2018 maybe, just maybe, the 76ers can convince LeBron James that he should come to Philadelphia and Complete​ ​the​ ​Process​.