LeBron James boldly chose to leave the Los Angeles Lakers to chase another ring with the Philadelphia 76ers — one of the most hostile sports cities in the country. On paper, it might look like the perfect fit, but if it doesn't work out, this could go down as one of the biggest blunders of James' career, and a rough way to close out his legacy. While it's easy to chalk this up to James simply seeking a new challenge, there may have been more behind the decision than we realized.
According to Law Murray of The Athletic, there was some "internal conflict" last season between James and fellow Lakers star Austin Reaves. "Covering LeBron James last season, he had an internal conflict going on with how much he had to defer to Austin Reaves (even Bron understood that Luka was the top dawg in any circumstance)," Murray wrote. "Bron was very pleased with being able to still be the lead option in a postseason setting, particularly a winning one against the Rockets." Murray also pointed to why the situation could look different for James in Philadelphia.
"The ball is still going to be brought up primarily by Tyrese Maxey, but Maxey already is used to sharing the rock and being effective off of other ball-dominant players," Murray added. "He started his career with Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid. He worked with James Harden for two seasons.
Even last year, VJ Edgecombe got touches as a rookie. So Maxey will be sharing playmaking duties with James, without James having to ever over-handle the basketball. It should help everyone in that offense, especially Jaylen Brown, get to a point where they are all efficient and get the ball in places where they can maximize damage." More news: Mike Vrabel Reveals Real Reason Behind Kayshon Boutte Trade More news: Jerry Jones Drops Eyebrow-Raising Comment on Cowboys’ Future Reaves is coming off his best season yet with the Lakers, averaging a career-high 23.2 points, 5.5 assists, and 4.7 rebounds in 34.5 minutes per game, while shooting 49% from the field and 36% from three.
He emerged as Luka Doncic's clear co-star and should have made an All-Star team. But when Doncic sat out the playoffs entirely, Reaves appeared in just six games, and James took over the offense — leading the team in scoring at 23.2 points per game while helping eliminate the Rockets in the first round. Even so, it became increasingly clear the franchise was building its future around Doncic and Reaves, not James.
The Lakers agreed to sign Reaves to a four-year, $180 million extension right before free agency opened — shortly before James decided to leave for Philadelphia. More news: Jayden Daniels Goes Silent on LSU Beef: ‘I Said Everything I Needed To Say’
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