The expectation across the NBA right now is that LeBron James will decline the player option on his contract for next season in order to become a free agent this summer. It is something his agent Rich Paul recently hinted at.
Many also expect James to end up re-signing with the Lakers after he opts out, one way or another. However, one can never be fully sure what he will do or what he has planned for his immediate future.
Keith Pompey, a Sixers insider, reported that James could be one player the team looks to snag in free agency just weeks from now if it strikes out on Paul George (h/t Lakers Daily).
Via The Philadelphia Inquirer:
“The Sixers do have their eyes on other lucrative-salary impact players just in case they don’t get George,” wrote Pompey. “That’s why they also are looking at potential free agents like the Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James and New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby.”
The Sixers looked to have a championship-caliber team during the initial months of this season. However, Joel Embiid’s meniscus injury torpedoed their title hopes, and they will be looking for a reinforcement or two in order to truly compete with Eastern Conference heavyweights such as the New York Knicks, who knocked them out of the first round of the playoffs, and the Boston Celtics.
George, a 34-year-old nine-time All-Star, can opt out of his contract with the Los Angeles Clippers and enter the open market this offseason.
An Eastern Conference executive recently said that if one team may look to draft James’ son Bronny this June, it would be the Sixers. It is thought that if a team takes the younger James in the draft, it could entice his father to leave the Lakers and join that team.
A few months ago, Sixers executive Daryl Morey called the Lakers in order to attempt to initiate a trade for James. However, Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka quickly rebuffed that attempt.
