The Philadelphia 76ers have been the clear winners of the offseason after finding a way to acquire Jaylen Brown from the Boston Celtics before then setting things up to land megastar LeBron James in free agency. Despite entering year No. 24, James is still among the best players in the league and is able to make a real difference on the floor.
As James heads to Philadelphia, the expectations are obvious. He and Brown will look to help push the Sixers over the hump and help them get to the mountaintop in the league. A 4-time champion and the league's all-time leading scorer, James has a wealth of experience and knowledge that can be passed on to a Sixers team that hasn't been past Round 2 since 2001.
Sixers legend Julius Ervingtalked with Action
Network and gave his thoughts on James joining Philadelphia:
"I think the role for him is not to be the leading scorer, not to be the leading rebounder, and not necessarily the leading assist guy, but to be a factor in all those areas statistically," Erving said. "And then what he brings to the game that doesn't show up on the stat sheet, that's going to be as valuable as anything else."
A 4-time MVP, James will not have to carry such a heavy load for the Sixers in the coming season. He has the ability to throw Philadelphia on his back should he need to, but when flanked by Brown, Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and VJ Edgecombe, the future Hall of Famer won't have to average the 20.9 points he did in 2025-26 for the Sixers to succeed. It could lead to a much fresher James when the playoffs roll around in mid-April.
This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: 76ers legend gives thoughts on team adding LeBron James in free agency
