LeBron James finally made up his mind. One of the best players in history will sign with the Philadelphia 76ers after taking a substantial amount of time exploring his options. The free agent do-it-all forward also considered the Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat, going by his announcement, but decided Philly was his best chance at competing for a championship.
James is not the best player in the world anymore, but the NBA was awaiting his decision to finalize free agency, which shows he’s culturally
relevant. Despite his decline, he’s also still good enough to change the landscape of the league. With that in mind, let’s explore what his signing means for the Spurs.
LeBron wanted nothing to do with the still scarier Western Conference
There are probably multiple reasons why James picked Philadelphia. Unlike Cleveland and Miami, the Sixers had a glaring hole at power forward that James can plug immediately without having to worry about fit concerns, as he would have playing next to Giannis Antetokounmpo or Evan Mobley. As we learned from the infamous Rich Paul whiteboard podcast, he loves Tyrese Maxey. Even if Joel Embiid misses time, which is a given at this point, the addition of Jaylen Brown gives them enough firepower to survive the regular season and likely be a high seed.
There’s a lot to like about the on-court fit and the team’s chances to compete. Especially in the East.
Had he landed with the Cavaliers or Heat, it would have been unfair to suggest James’ decision had anything to do with the power imbalance of the conferences. After all, he has a history with both franchises. Nothing tied him to Philadelphia, however. Rich Paul also had the Timberwolves and Nuggets on his whiteboard, as well as the Warriors, but they were quickly dismissed as long shots as LeBron focused on the three finalists, despite all three Western teams also having top-tier talent and two of them having a more recent record of ultimate success than their Eastern counterparts.
Now, the Knicks won the championship by coming out of the East and only took a small step backwards. The Pistons could be as dangerous as they were last season if they bring back Jalen Duren, and the two teams LeBron spurned will also be tough outs. The Pacers could be back in contention now that Tyrese Haliburton is healthy, and the Celtics and Kawhi-led Raptors are dangerous. The conference is deep and talented. It also doesn’t have the Thunder and Spurs, arguably the top two teams heading into next season.
James going East to a team he had no previous ties to seems to confirm what any rational observer suspected: The West is still the tougher conference, and the Thunder and Spurs are the scariest opponents. If other stars feel that way going forward, we might see others also move East, where the path to the Finals feels more realistic.
LeBron signing for the minimum could start a trend that could help cash-strapped contenders
Because James waited so long, there were not a lot of realistic landing spots that could offer him a high-dollar amount. He expressed that he was fine with signing for the minimum with a contender, even though he’s still clearly good enough to command a higher salary under normal circumstances. He went through with it, signing a two-year minimum deal with a player option, giving the 76ers a major injection of talent for cheap.
In the era of the repeater tax and the second apron, getting quality players on below-market-value deals is a necessity to field a contender with depth. The best way to do so is to rely on players on rookie deals. The Thunder and the Spurs are doing exactly that. Still, it’s hard to know which young players are going to be ready to contribute in the playoffs. If veterans who can still play take a page out of LeBron’s book and are willing to sign for the minimum or close to it to contend, there would be another source of cheap, productive talent to fill out the rotations of the championship-level teams that struggle with the limiting rules of team-building the collective bargaining agreement has established.
Now, it’s important to note that LeBron is a special case. Very few players will reach age 41 while still being as productive as he still is, and none have made as much money over their career as James has. It’s not like LeBron was giving the Lakers discounts when he was 37. But the biggest star of the last 30 years, and founder of an agency known for always going for the max payout, removing the stigma of being a minimum player on a team that can give him minutes and the chance to contend, could lead others to make similar decisions. If LeBron’s decision results in success, maybe guys like Kevin Durant and Jimmy Butler follow suit next offseason.
Would either of those guys, or others, as they age out, pick the Spurs? Who knows. It might feel like extreme ring chasing to join true contenders, but guys with a slightly lower pedigree could make the choice, helping bring depth to teams that are almost forced by the rules to sacrifice top-end salary for it.
