VJ Edgecombe was ‘shocked’ by the Jaylen Brown trade, and loves the Sixers’ pursuit of LeBron James

LAS VEGAS — VJ Edgecombe was in the middle of a spa day in his native Bahamas when he missed a call from Jameer Nelson, the 76ers’ executive vice president of basketball operations.

Then Edgecombe missed another call. Then he saw Nelson’s text message asking to call him back as soon as possible.

“I was like man, it’s free agency, why [are] you calling me so much?” Edgecombe recalled Monday morning. “I thought I was gone.”

Nelson actually wanted to give Edgecombe a heads-up that the Sixers were about to trade for All-NBA wing Jaylen Brown, a blockbuster deal that would surface publicly about an hour later. Though Edgecombe was initially “shocked” by the move, he said he is excited to play alongside Brown at the “peak of his career.”

» READ MORE: Nick Nurse discusses Sixers’ ‘really good’ offseason, next steps for Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe, and more

And what about the Sixers’ still-ongoing pursuit of LeBron James, one of Edgecombe’s basketball idols with whom he swapped jerseys after their first matchup in his rookie season?

“I like it,” Edgecombe said with a grin while visiting the Sixers’ Summer League practice in Las Vegas. “It’s LeBron James. At the end of the day, despite how old he is, he’s still, to me, the greatest player of all time. If I get to play alongside LeBron, that would be amazing.

“Obviously, we know the goal — if we get LeBron or not — is a championship. So if we do get him, I’m happy. If we don’t, I’m still happy.”

Edgecombe called the trade for Brown “bittersweet” because of the quick rapport he built with the outgoing Paul George. Yet a reason the Sixers executed the all-in move is Edgecombe, who last season averaged 16 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 1.4 steals while logging heavy minutes as an instant-impact rookie on both ends of the floor.

Edgecombe said he has spent his offseason working on his shooting — he went 43.8% from the floor and 35.4% on 5.6 three-point attempts per game as a rookie — and ballhandling as a lead guard in an effort to take pressure off All-NBA third-teamer Tyrese Maxey. Coach Nick Nurse added during a Saturday conversation with local reporters that he wants to see Edgecombe extend that beyond-the-arc range, and to use his dazzling athleticism to go coast-to-coast more often when he gets the ball in transition.

“Instead of two of those a game, I’d like to see 10,” Nurse said from the team hotel in Las Vegas. “Or at least try. I just think there’s a little bit more pace he can add to his game offensively.”

Before this visit to Las Vegas, Edgecombe played for the Bahamian national team during FIBA World Cup qualifiers, an honor he calls “one of the best things in the world.” He now has graduated from Summer League participant to being a resource “to show love, show support” to this year’s players.

He praised the “prolific scoring” and “underrated” defensive effort of first-round pick Labaron Philon Jr., whom Edgecombe matched up against (and went 2-0, he said) as high school prospects.

“He’s a great fit,” Edgecombe said of Philon. “I love the pickup. Just [adds] depth to the team, [adds] depth to the guard room.”

Justin Edwards also visited the Summer Sixers Monday, after playing with that squad entering his first and second NBA seasons.

The 6-foot-7 wing recognizes he now heads into “a really important year” personally, because it is the last with guaranteed money in his contract ($2.4 million). The Philly native has a $2.6 million team option in his deal for 2027-28.

“I don’t really want to think of it like that,” he said, “because I’m pretty sure I’m going to have pressure on myself regardless. So I just got to be able to just go into the season and do what I can do to help this team.”

Edwards is part of the Sixers’ forward group that this offseason lost George and Kelly Oubre Jr., but added Brown and versatile defender Dean Wade. The 22-year-old Edwards was an early-career success story after going undrafted in 2024. While getting heavy minutes as a rookie during the Sixers’ disastrous 2024-25 season, he turned his initial two-way contract into a standard deal.

Though Nurse regularly reiterated some version of “I love Justin” last season, he was not an entrenched rotation player. He averaged 6 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in 64 games, with a knack for shot-making early in his stints off the bench. He also is a sound decision-maker and a willing perimeter defender.