A couple of days after LeBron James‘ blockbuster announcement that he is headed to Philadelphia for his 24th NBA season, the NBA world is still buzzing. Here is the latest fallout from LeBron’s decision to head to the City of Brotherly Love.
Stephen Curry found out about LeBron’s decision from a fan while on a golf course, which somehow feels appropriate.
But what did Curry really think? Curry was asked that Saturday while attending a youth basketball camp run by fellow Warrior Moses Moody, reports Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic.
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“That’s why you don’t envision anything until it happens. There’s a lot of moving parts.”
Golden State was where a lot of people — including people inside the Lakers‘ locker room — expected LeBron to land. It would have been a nostalgic run with him, Curry, Draymond Green and Steve Kerr drinking good wine and having fun playing basketball, and eventually next season Jimmy Butler would join and this team could be pretty good. But not a contender — and the winning is what mattered most to LeBron.
The Warriors looked to make major offseason upgrades. They called about Jaylen Brown but didn’t have the trade return the Celtics wanted (it likely would have been the injured Butler headed East). The Warriors also called Washington about Anthony Davis, but Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints called the Wizards‘ asking price “unreasonable.” If LeBron’s agent Rich Paul could have assured the Warriors that acquiring Davis meant LeBron was guaranteed to choose them, then maybe Golden State would have paid the price, but that kind of assurance was never on the table. LeBron really was thinking through what he prioritized, and that informed his decision.
Why the Warriors were hesitant to go all-in on Davis is also tied to a bigger picture, according to long-time Bay Area sports writer and podcaster Tim Kawakami on The TK Show (hat tip Real GM).
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“What (team governor Joe) Lacob wants to do, and this might get Warriors fans mad. He wants to build the next team after Steph Curry. I don’t know how possible that is, but Lacob has a very keen interest in… this organization’s going to show what it can do with Steph Curry and then after Steph Curry.”
After Curry comes an inevitable rebuild — something that is now harder to do, likely will drag out longer, and involves a lot more luck because of the NBA’s new lottery system.
What drove LeBron’s decision?
In choosing Philadelphia, LeBron went against the narrative, the ones that would have been familiar and comfortable storylines for the documentary he is making about his last season (or seasons) in the league. Golden State with Curry is close to home and nostalgia. Cleveland was going home and he could compete at a high level. Miami would put the ball in his hands on the court, and he’d get to play with Giannis Antetokounmpo in a setting where he is comfortable.
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Instead, he went with a place he has never been before and the reason was the chance to win, something sources confirmed to Dan Woike of The Athletic.
Sources close to James told The Athletic on Friday, on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly, that the reason he picked Philadelphia wasn’t a part of some complicated decision matrix. It was, simply, the place James thought he could go and have the best chance to win a championship. Looking back at James’ time in Los Angeles, the winning always made things better.
LeBron’s fit in Philadelphia
LeBron James is not pulling a 76ers jersey over his head next season if the team doesn’t acquire Jaylen Brown first. That seemed pretty obvious, but LeBron’s agent and friend Rich Paul confirmed it on his “Game Over” podcast with Max Kellerman.
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“Ultimately, Philadelphia makes a move and then boom! Now you got Jaylen Brown. Now hold on, wait a minute now. This looks a lot different.”
Paul also gets into why LeBron is a fit on the court in Philly.
“I think he helps everybody on that team. When you talk about a secondary playmaker, if he’s your secondary playmaker, you have the best secondary playmaker in the league. He helps Tyrese [Maxey] in terms of pick-and-roll action…
“When you add a LeBron, everything changes. That is why it is not easy for someone who is to be a star player on a team, when he comes, he kind of shows you how big or little of a star you actually are. It takes a special kind of person to mentally embrace that. The familiarity with him and Tyrese, you don’t have to worry about that with Tyrese. They know each other, they embrace each other, they have been working out together for the last five years. So you won’t have any pushback.”
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How Brown and Embiid adjust is another question, but if the 76ers are winning, things will smooth over quickly. When the bumps in the road inevitably come, it’s going to be interesting to see how Nick Nurse handles things.
