LeBron James’ connection to Mike Gansey, how the Sixers can afford him, and what happened the last time they tried to sign him
We’re not saying King James is coming to Philly, but the four-time MVP and his team are casting a wide net. And after the Jaylen Brown trade, anything seems possible.
Historically, Philadelphia has a rocky relationship with kings. That could change.
Following the team’s blockbuster trade for Jaylen Brown, it seems the 76ers could be a legit candidate to land LeBron James, who will not be returning to the Los Angeles Lakers for his 24th season. Here’s why the proposition is not as far-fetched as it may seem ...
What is Mike Gansey’s connection to LeBron?
The prospect of James coming Philadelphia was already picking up steam on social media following the Brown trade. Then, Steven Gansey, the younger brother of new Sixers president of basketball operations Mike Gansey, looked to add fuel to the fire.
» READ MORE: NBA free agency updates: What's next for the Sixers after the Jaylen Brown trade; LeBron looms large
On Wednesday, Steven posted a throwback photo of his brother (far right) alongside James (second from the right) in high school on X. He captioned the post with the eyeballs emoji, insinuating a connection.
As the photo shows, Gansey and James have crossed paths. The two Ohio natives competed in high school. Gansey, who went to have a memorable collegiate career at West Virginia, finished as the runner-up to James in the 2001 Mr. Ohio Basketball race.
Would Gansey make another splashy move?
Over a decade after facing LeBron on the court, Gansey served in a variety of roles in Cleveland during James’ second stint with the Cavaliers. In 2016, when James willed the team to a 3-1 comeback over the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals, Gansey received a ring as the team’s director of development league operations.
» READ MORE: Resetting the Sixers’ roster after their blockbuster trade for Jaylen Brown and free-agency moves
Signing James would also be in line with the Sixers president’s resume. Gansey has previously shown that he is not scared of making splashy moves — and bringing in one of the NBA’s all-time greats is a cannonball.
As the Cavaliers general manager, Gansey was part of a front office that traded for stars Donovan Mitchell and James Harden. Now, during his first offseason leading the Sixers, he executed a trade for Brown — another top-tier player. So it wouldn’t appear Gansey is too risk-adverse to add another star to the Sixers roster.
Are the Sixers actually in the mix?
On Wednesday, Rich Paul, James’ agent and longtime friend, told Game Over podcast host Max Kellerman that between 12 and 14 teams have reached out about his client. With the Sixers appearing to be all-in this season, it would make sense that the team would have interest.
James’ time-proven versatility makes him a good fit on most NBA rosters, and the Sixers are no exception.
James could easily slide into the four-spot over presumptive starter Dean Wade, a free-agent acquisition from Cleveland. Even if Embiid is banged up during the regular season, the Sixers have two high volume scorers to take the load off James in Brown and Tyrese Maxey. Last season, Brown and Maxey finished fourth and fifth in points per game, respectively.
James is more than willing to take the backseat in the twilight of his career. Last year, Lakers guard Luke Dončić led the league in points per game as James served as the team’s secondary ballhandler. At 41, he averaged 26.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 7.4 assists last season. With the Sixers, he would be asked to do even less.
James has also been linked to the Heat, the Cavaliers, and the Warriors since becoming a free agent.
Could the Sixers even afford him?
James is not looking for a big payday, which is welcome news for the cash-strapped Sixers.
ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that the four-time MVP is willing to sign a minimum contract. This report coincides with comments from Paul, who previously explained the 41-year old’s decision will be motivated by achieving “complete happiness” — not money.
As it stands, Philadelphia has the capital for James if he is willing to sign for a relatively small sum. The Sixers are currently $2 million below the luxury tax and $10 million under the first apron. On Thursday, the Sixers signed former New York Knicks center Ariel Hukporti. If the backup big’s salary is included in the non-taxpayer midlevel exception, which is expected, the team will have $2.6 million in cap space remaining alongside the $5.5 million biannual exception.
Have the Sixers ever been close before?
The last time James was seeking a new team, as a free-agent in 2018, he gave Philadelphia a look.
Although many considered James to Los Angeles to be a done deal at the time, he did consider joining the Sixers. In an interview with ESPN’s Rachel Nichols after signing with the Lakers, James mentioned that he chose the Lakers over the likes of the Sixers and the Houston Rockets — two teams that boasted more talent than LA at the time — to help cement his legacy as a great.
“I definitely thought long and hard about the possibilities of lining up alongside Ben [Simmons] and [Joel] Embiid, or lining up alongside [James] Harden and Chris [Paul],” James told ESPN in 2018. “I felt like at this point in my career, the ultimate for me — just like when I went to Miami, everyone kind of looks at me joining a super team.
“I like the challenge of being able to help a team get to some places they haven’t been in a while, and obviously the Lakers haven’t made the playoffs in a few years,” he added.
» READ MORE: Early reactions to the Jaylen Brown-Paul George trade: ‘The East offseason is crazy’
Representatives from Philadelphia met with James’ camp but James did not attend the meeting. The meeting was led by then-Sixers head coach Brett Brown, who was also serving as the team’s interim president following the resignation of Bryan Colangelo.
Leading up to free agency, Philadelphia made an all-out push for James with Embiid taking to social media to pitch his team to James. The then-24-year-old center made a plea on Twitter (now X), and even took a shot at Colangelo by referencing a now infamous line he used on one of the burner accounts that led to his exit.
Meanwhile, Philadelphia-based company Power Home Remodeling purchased three billboards outside of Cleveland to court James, who played for the Cavaliers at the time. Two of the billboards read “Philly Wants LeBron” and “Complete The Process” — referring to the Sixers’ motto spearheaded by former president Sam Hinkie. The third billboard featured LeBron’s number on the court alongside the numbers of the Sixers’ starting lineup.
The rumor mill around James joining the Sixers mainly revolved around his well-known relationship with Simmons, who was known to workout with James on occasion. Both former first overall picks, the two shared an agency in Klutch Sports. Coming out of the draft and early in his career, Simmons, a 6-foot-10 point guard, also received a hefty comparison to James because of his playmaking ability and size.
As fate would have it, Simmons recently displayed interest in returning to Philadelphia in an interview with Men’s Health. The Sixers currently have two open roster spots.