The Philadelphia 76ers shocked the NBA world when the team won the LeBron James sweepstakes this offseason. In the aftermath of that decision, the 76ers saw their championship odds rise, as NBA fans started dreaming on what could be a dominant starting lineup.
But one important voice doesn’t view the team as the favorite to win it all. That would be James’ own agent Rich Paul, who believes there are other teams out there better equipped to win a title this season.
Paul is … not wrong. Even after the James addition, three other teams still had better odds to win the championship. The New York Knicks, Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs are all bigger favorites than the 76ers.
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While Paul nailed it, it’s still surprising to hear him downplay his biggest client’s decision. That’s not what happens in baseball, where Scott Boras is often his clients’ biggest fan before and after the free-agent process.
How did LeBron James decide on the 76ers?
That wasn’t the only tidbit to come out about James’ free agency Wednesday. In a wide-ranging piece at ESPN, it was revealed that James eventually settled on five finalists for his services. Those five teams were the 76ers, Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat, Golden State Warriors and Minnesota Timberwolves.
Two other teams who pursued James were the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Clippers, the latter of which reportedly offered James over $20 million to stay in Los Angeles.
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Ultimately, the 76ers won out, with Paul sending out a group message to the team’s most important personalities that read: “Congrats. Sixers it is,” per ESPN.
What really sold James on the 76ers was the team’s pursuit of a title, which is something that’s been consistently reported since James made his decision. It helps that 76ers center Joel Embiid told both James and the team that he’s healthy this offseason. Embiid has missed significant patches of time during his career due to injuries. If he’s fully healthy and back to form, the 76ers will be tough to stop.
But they won’t necessarily be the favorites to win it all, at least coming into the season. Despite James choosing the franchise due to its proximity to another title, work needs to be done if the 76ers are truly out to prove they should be the favorite.
As of late July, even James’ agent isn’t convinced that’s the case … yet.
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