The Philadelphia 76ers landed the biggest name in basketball on Friday when LeBron James announced he would sign a two-year, $8 million deal with the franchise, capping an offseason that has already reshaped the Eastern Conference.
Rich Paul, CEO of Klutch Sports Group, confirmed the terms to ESPN. James, who turns 42 in December, will enter his 24th NBA season after spending the last eight with the Los Angeles Lakers.
“I believe I can help make the Philadelphia 76ers a championship team and I am so excited to energize a new fan base and start this incredible journey one last time,” James wrote on X.
The signing comes weeks after Philadelphia acquired five-time All-Star Jaylen Brown from the Boston Celtics in a trade that sent Paul George, two first-round picks, and two second-round picks to Boston. ESPN’s Shams Charania first reported the deal, which became official July 6.
Brown arrives in Philadelphia after a career year — 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game — while carrying the Celtics through Jayson Tatum’s absence. Tatum missed most of last season recovering from an Achilles tear suffered in the 2025 playoffs. Brown, the 2024 Finals MVP, had reportedly felt underappreciated in Boston, particularly after learning the Celtics had included him in trade discussions when Giannis Antetokounmpo was on the market.
“Nobody has won more combined regular-season and playoff games since I entered the league 10 years ago,” Brown posted on social media. He was right — the Celtics won 523 games with him in the lineup over that span, six more than Denver won with Nikola Jokic.
For Boston, the return is Paul George, who is 36 and coming off one of the worst stretches of his career. George averaged 16.7 points across two seasons in Philadelphia, missed significant time with knee and adductor injuries, and served a 25-game suspension last season for violating the NBA’s anti-drug program. He was still owed two years on a four-year, $212 million contract.
That’s the part that has people scratching their heads about Brad Stevens. The Celtics’ president of basketball operations traded a 28-year-old All-Star in his prime to a division rival for a declining veteran on a max deal and four draft picks. You don’t need a spreadsheet to know that math doesn’t add up — though the picks might soften the blow if Boston hits on them. The film doesn’t lie, and the film says Boston got the short end of this stick.
In Philadelphia, the moves have transformed a team that went 45-37 and was swept in the second round by the eventual champion New York Knicks. The Sixers now project a starting lineup of Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, Brown, James, and Joel Embiid — a group that, on paper,