It’s been eight years since any portion of the month of July has been occupied by conjecture, angst, or bewilderment over a LeBron James career decision, so for the last couple weeks, as James reportedly pondered his next steps, it felt like King James was trying to make up for lost time.
Heading into Friday morning, James had spent the better part of the previous three weeks dangling about a half dozen fan bases on a string. After announcing he wouldn’t be returning to the Lakers on June 30, the odds boards and social media platforms went into speculation hyper-mode. At various times, Golden State, Miami, and Cleveland were leaders in the clubhouse to land James’ services for what m ost expect to be his final seaosn or two.
In the end, it wasn’t a made-for-TV informercial (like 2010) or a Sports Illustrated article (like 2014) as the vessel for James’ announcement. It was a simple, multi-tweet string announcing that he would be joining the Philadelphia 76ers next year on an ultra-modest two year, $8 million deal.
Now, the rest of the dominoes league wide can fall into place, and we can get on with the seaosn, a season whose schedule release was being held hostage by James’ decision, because even at age 41, James is still big box office, and commissioner Adam Silver wants him on television as much as possible, especially in a new, fresh environment.
With that all said, let’s address the follow up questions for what is expected to be LeBron James’ final free agency/future employment reveal:
Rich Paul thinks LeBron James beating the Rockets last year without Luka Doncic is what led him not to retire
“That series in my opinion, convinced him to keep playing. I truly believe that. I think if they somehow got swept or lose 4-1 in that series, it could be different. I…
— SleeperRockets (@SleeperRockets) July 25, 2026
Are the Houston Rockets really responsible for all of this?
They might be! It would be nice if the Rockets were a consideration for James’ services, but that’s not the case. Instead, the fact that James was able to lead a ragtag bunch of Lakers, sans Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, evidently was a catalyst for his thinking that he could do this for at least another year:
Hey, speaking of the Rockets, has anyone checked on Daryl Morey?
Morey was let go by the Sixers after this past season. He’d been the President of Basketball Operations, and tried in multi[el different ways to create a title contender. If you’re a Rockets fan then you know that Morty’s M.O. was to try his best to acquire three All Stars. I can only imagine how damaged he feels knowing that this no former team acquired Jaylen Brown and then greatest player of all time in the same offseason.
So, are the Sixers a real contender?
Well, let’s look at the odds. The top two contenders are the top two teams in the west — San Antonio (+250) and Oklahoma City (+260). After that, it’s a major toss up, with the Sixers (+700) leading the way, even over the Celtics, defending champ Knicks, and the rest of the Western conference. For what it’s worth, the Rockets are roughly 50 to 1 to win the title.
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