The Bright Side Of LeBron James Not Signing With The 76ers

PHILADELPHIA, PA — Whether you love or hate LeBron James, one of the greatest basketball players in the history of the planet has had a cascading domino effect on the entire NBA each time he's moved in his career. On Sunday he announced a four year, $154 million pact with the Los Angeles Lakers, bringing an end to a year's worth of speculation that he could join the Process in Philadelphia.

It's obviously a disappointment for the Sixers, at least in the short term. James in Philadelphia would have made the Sixers favorites in the East, and possibly in the Finals. But there is a silver lining.

For the first time in his 15 year career, James, 33, is a Western Conference problem.

Now it's time to crown a new king in the east.

After the Lakers and maybe the Sixers, the next most likely option would have been for James to opt-in to his contract extension with the Cavaliers. Of course, this would have made things worse for the Sixers. It would've made the Cavaliers - regardless of what else they did or didn't do for the rest of the offseason - contenders yet again. It would've made the East harder to win.

The same point is relevant to James not signing with the Celtics, which truly would've been a nightmare scenario for Philly.

Furthermore, as great as James would have undoubtedly made the Sixers for the next year, he will be 37 when his contract expires. He hasn't shown signs of slowing down, but regression is impossible to predict, even in greats. His signing would have prevented a lot of other significant free agency adds in the near future.

And while they would've made it work, there is no getting around the fact that James is a similar player to reigning Rookie of the Year Ben Simmons. Simmons would probably still run the offense; would that have diluted LeBron's impact?

Finally, the Process is, in part, so notorious because of how it came about. The Sixers paid for Simmons and Joel Embiid in years of blood, years spent miring in the pit of the league. Their success this past season had an air of redemption to it. Of vindication. Embiid and Simmons have only ever been Sixers. They saw the team through it's darkest hours. It's only fitting they headline its resurgence, alone. LeBron would've made it easier, but different. A Finals win with Embiid and Simmons as the main faces of the franchise may be more satisfying.

With James in the West, the Sixers can now focus their attention squarely on the Celtics as they look to improve on their defeat in the East semifinals this spring.

They took a step in the right direction Monday by bringing guard JJ Redick back in the fold. The veteran sharpshooter signed a one year deal between $12 and $13 million, league sources told ESPN. Redick would've been by far the most significant offseason loss from this year's roster.

The biggest way the James signing could impact the Sixers, actually, is if it impacts the Kawhi Leonard sweepstakes. The Spurs star is probably the next biggest piece of the market, and both the Sixers and the Celtics, along with the Lakers, are said to be after him. Numerous rumors have stated that the Spurs want three first round draft picks and two players from the Sixers. The Sixers have reportedly taken only Simmons, Joel Embiid, and Markelle Fultz off the table.

The James signing will feel like an afterthought if the Sixers can land Leonard. A starting five of Simmons, Redick, Leonard, Robert Covington or Dario Saric, and Embiid would be dominant.

Leonard reportedly wants to join James in Los Angeles now, but the multiple reports note the Spurs would prefer to trade their star out of the conference.

Regardless of where Leonard ends up, LeBron heading to the West Coast has made one thing abundantly clear: the Sixers vs. Celtics playoff matchup in May was the beginning of a new generation's rivalry.

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