July 07, 2026
The Sixers, Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat are the three teams atop the "hierarchy" in the sweepstakes for 41-year-old free agent LeBron James, according to a report from Shams Charania of ESPN which also mentioned that James is taking the Sixers' pitch "really seriously."
The Miami Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers, and 76ers appear to be the top 3 teams in the LeBron sweepstakes, per @ShamsCharania
— Heat Central (@TheHeatCentral) July 7, 2026
“When the Sixers got Jaylen Brown I did some research and he (LeBron) is taking their pitch very seriously. When I talk to teams now I have a hierarchy of… https://t.co/8oRWqPV2Bb pic.twitter.com/zuAqeQdcVo
Charania described the Sixers, Cavaliers and Heat as the strongest contenders to land the NBA's all-time leading scorer before listing other teams as "on the periphery" – including the Golden State Warriors, once thought to be the frontrunners to land James' services.
According to Charania, the Sixers' stunning acquisition of five-time All-Star Jaylen Brown from the Boston Celtics was what allowed them to enter the running to land one of the greatest athletes in the history of American sports.
Given their current salary-cap standing, the Sixers' offer to James would almost certainly be a veteran's minimum salary, which would pay him about $3.9 million but carry a cap hit around $2.4 million. While some would argue that swapping Paul George for Brown has made the Sixers a potential force in a packed Eastern Conference, adding James at a negligible cost would certainly make them a top-flight championship contender.
