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Philadelphia 76ers: LeBron James in LA before free agency drawing early speculation

By Dan Parzych

CLEVELAND, OH - JUNE 08: LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers reacts in the first half against the Golden State Warriors during Game Four of the 2018 NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena on June 8, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH - JUNE 08: LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers reacts in the first half against the Golden State Warriors during Game Four of the 2018 NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena on June 8, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) /
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In a matter of time, the Philadelphia 76ers will know where they stand in the sweepstakes to land LeBron James.

To say the first day of July is going to be insane would be a huge understatement since teams across the NBA, including the Philadelphia 76ers, are anxious to see what LeBron James decides to do for the 2018-19 season.

After making the decision on Friday to opt out of his previous deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers, there has been plenty of speculation surrounding the Sixers and Los Angeles Lakers being two of the top landing spots if he does decide to go elsewhere.

As great as it would be to see James end up on other teams such as the San Antonio Spurs or Houston Rockets, Philadelphia and Los Angeles have the necessary salary cap space to bring the superstar on board if he were to leave Cleveland.

Related Story: 3 reactions to LeBron James declining Cavaliers option

Whether Sixers fans want to hear it or not, most analysts believe the Lakers are the likely landing spot for James if he in fact done with the Cavaliers, with the ability to recruit other stars like Paul George playing a major factor as to why.

Even though there isn’t an official decision at the moment since the new league year doesn’t begin until Saturday at midnight, Vincent Bonsignore of the Los Angeles Daily News just brought up an interesting point that is making basketball fans think.

Keep in mind this is simply just an opinion on Bonsignore’s end, but it is a valid point since James being in Los Angeles at the moment is quite the coincidence. Yes, James has a house in Los Angeles, and is known to spend a good amount of the offseason there, it’s hard for basketball fans not to view this as a sign before the madness of free agency gets underway.

Missing out on James would certainly be a crushing blow for the Sixers since fans have been dreaming about the possibility of him playing alongside Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, but at least the team would still have other options.

Next: 3 reasons Sixers signing Paul George is possible

For example, despite all of the rumors surrounding Philadelphia pushing hard for James, there have been reports as well over the possibility of Kawhi Leonard coming over through a trade. Either way, isn’t it exciting to see the Sixers in the conversation of being an attractive landing spot for big name players?