Jan 28, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James warms up before a game against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Sixers Cited as Potential Trade Partner for Lakers Star LeBron James

Originally posted on Philadelphia 76ers on SI
By Kevin McCormick | Last updated Jul 22, 2025 8:48 AM ET

Long before he took over in the Philadelphia 76ers front office, Daryl Morey built a reputation for constantly pursuing star talent. As the offseason rages on, they've been connected to one of the most talked-about players in the league this summer.

Since he opted in to his player option for next season, there has been endless chatter about the idea of LeBron James being traded. With Luka Doncic in the mix, the LA Lakers have a superstar talent to build around for the foreseeable future. As an aging star who is now playing on an expiring contract, many believe LeBron could be on the move.

As this discourse continues, the people at Fox Sports listed a handful of the best landing spots for LeBron if he were to be traded from the Lakers. The Sixers, armed with high salaries and draft capital, were among the teams cited.

Put James with star guard Tyrese Maxey and Philadelphia's compelling young core, and the 76ers should be at least a top-eight seed in an Eastern Conference reeling in injuries (e.g. the Indiana Pacers with Tyrese Haliburton and the Boston Celtics with Jayson Tatum). Plus, if Embiid can return at some point during the season, Philadelphia then has a three-headed scoring monster in Embiid, Maxey and James and is a legitimate threat in the East. This is a franchise built to contend right now. Of course, that potential being realized is heavily reliant on health.

Pursuing James would mean having to part with Paul George to make things work financially. This could be seen as a positive, as it would allow the Sixers to get off of his long-term contract. However, seeing that the team has made it clear they want a larger sample size of their big three in action, a move of this magnitude seems unlikely.

Bringing in LeBron would certainly up the Sixers' chances of contending in the East. That said, the chances of it happening are incredibly slim. Recent reports have stated that LeBron and the Lakers have not entertained the idea of a trade or buyout at this point in time.

This article first appeared on Philadelphia 76ers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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