LeBron James picks the 76ers: Grading The King’s ‘last decision’

For the fourth time in his NBA career, LeBron James is changing teams. After weighing pitches from the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat, Minnesota Timberwolves and Golden State Warriors, arguably the greatest player in NBA history has elected to play for… the Philadelphia 76ers.

It’s an outcome that would have felt almost inconceivable a month ago, but represents the culmination of a brief yet very effective roster facelift from new head of basketball operations Mike Gansey. The 76ers turned Paul George and two first-round picks into Jaylen Brown in a stunning trade with Boston last month. They split their mid-level exception across Dean Wade and Anfernee Simons.

Now, they land James for a minimum contract. That’s a no-brainer on their end, but what about LeBron’s? Does Philadelphia really make sense as his final NBA team? Below, the CBS Sports NBA staff will grade LeBron’s self-described “last decision.”

LeBron James picks the 76ers: Staff grades

Brad Botkin: B+

Five teams were in the hunt for LeBron. If we assign a letter grade to each, I believe the Timberwolves, from a pure basketball and championship-viability standpoint, were the A. I believe in Rudy Gobert‘s durability more than Joel Embiid‘s for obvious reasons. I like Minnesota’s shooting better. Anthony Edwards would’ve been right there with Giannis Antetokounmpo as the single best teammate available to James, and personally, I would give Edwards the edge. 

But no question the Sixers are stacked. And pretty deep. The first thing I think about is the regular-season leeway that this provides. Injuries are huge part of the regular-season equation, and having even one more All-Star-level player insulates a team like the Sixers exponentially. Nobody has to get leaned on too much — that’s huge for a 42-year-old LeBron and clearly for Embiid.

So now, hopefully, the Sixers don’t have to tap their tank just to go into the playoffs through the play-in. Now, once we get to the postseason, it will be all about Embiid’s health and Nick Nurse’s ability to balance the touches and creative opportunities within a five-man starting lineup full of 1A scorers, which he has a full season to figure out with, again, more room for trial and error. Nurse is nothing if not creative, and LeBron looked pretty damn good in a selectively supplementary role alongside Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves last season with the Lakers. His passing will connect Philly’s score-heavy roster, too. Again, I think the Wolves would’ve been the best basketball team of the five suitors, but that’s certainly debatable. The Sixers look awesome on paper. Now we see how it transfers to the court. 

John Gonzalez: A+

This works both ways — for the player and the organization. In LeBron’s announcement, he mentioned that he thinks he can make the Sixers a championship team. He’s right. The Sixers had a LeBron-sized hole at power forward before he decided to take his talents to Philly. Now he joins a team with a young, dynamic backcourt of Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe, along with newly acquired Jaylen Brown and former MVP Joel Embiid. How much they get out of Embiid during the regular season and playoffs is obviously critical to the team’s title aspirations, but having James to pick up some of that slack as needed will help mightily. The Knicks are the champs and should still be considered the favorites in the East until unseated. And the Celtics have proven time and again that they’re perennial contenders. But for the first time in a long time, the Sixers will be right there with their two main rivals, challenging for eastern conference supremacy. That’s a huge win for the franchise, and at this late stage in his career, that’s the best James could hope for. 

Robby Kalland: B+

As everyone else has noted, this is an absolute home run for the Sixers, given the caliber of player they’re getting for the cost. LeBron was the best player in a playoff series win three months ago and now becomes a supporting starter for Philly on a veteran minimum deal. As for LeBron, I think it’s a solid and understandable choice, but there is some risk he’s taking on.

The upside here is tantalizing. The Sixers are going to be an unbelievably good offensive team. Maxey, Brown, Embiid, Edgecombe and James is a dynamic starting five, with all five players capable of applying rim pressure and stressing a defense. Even in the times when Embiid is out, this is a team built to score with anyone in the league. Defense is going to be a bigger question mark, with so much hinging on Embiid’s health. Brown and Edgecombe give them strong versatility on the perimeter, but LeBron isn’t going to help much with rim protection at this point in his career and they will be reliant on Embiid to be near his best on that end if they’re going to hit that title ceiling. 

Cleveland or Miami would’ve been easier retirement tours with less pressure to deliver, given he’s already won titles in both spots, but to James’ credit he’s going to the one place where his reputation could take a hit if the season goes south. Nick Nurse will have to walk an incredible tightrope in terms of ego management in this new-look Sixers locker room with the additions of Brown and James, and there’s certainly combustible potential with that group if things don’t click. Still, James saw what New York was like after snapping a drought and decided that upside was worth the risk. From the outside, it’s going to be entertaining no matter which way things go. 

Sam Quinn: B

For the Sixers, this is an A+. It’s one of the great value signings in NBA history. James may no longer be a max-caliber player, but for the minimum, the degree of surplus value he generates is still mind-boggling. The 76ers have All-Stars at point guard, small forward and center. They have a No. 3 overall pick coming off of a great rookie season at shooting guard. And now, they have arguably the greatest player who has ever lived at power forward. They have a real chance to win the championship. On their end, it’s a no-brainer.

On LeBron’s, it’s a bit iffier. The upside is obviously considerable. Four players in NBA history have won titles with three different teams, but James is already the only player to lead three franchises to championships. If he goes four-for-four (something no player has ever done), that’s a legitimate feather in his “greatest of all time” cap, something he can hold up to Michael Jordan’s six-for-six Finals record. He will have a chance to end a 44-year championship drought in Philadelphia. Considering how interested he seemingly was in ending New York’s drought, joining a similarly historic franchise obviously makes some narrative sense. But boy, is he taking a risk here. We’ve been saying “if Joel Embiid is healthy…” for a decade now. If he isn’t, Philly probably doesn’t have the frontcourt depth to really do this. And if it goes poorly, those Philadelphia fans aren’t known for their restraint. This could go very, very well. It could also be a sour ending to a legendary career.

Cameron Salerno: A-

I would give it an A+ grade if LeBron didn’t take multiple weeks to make a decision. From a basketball perspective, Philly gives him the best chance to win a title. But the other part of the equation is how good the Eastern Conference is now. This offseason seems like the tipping point of the Eastern Conference overtaking the West as the best and deepest conference in the league. LeBron won’t have to be the first or even second option on a given night, which will be great for his longevity throughout the season. The 76ers will be must-watch TV this season. I really, really like the fit.