The Golden State Warriors just lost the LeBron James sweepstakes to the Philadelphia 76ers, and in doing so were taught a brutal lesson on the need to be aggressive and take risks in order to be an attractive destination.
The 76ers weren't immediately viewed as a possible landing spot for James, but that changed when they took a chance on Jaylen Brown at the start of the month in a blockbuster trade with the Boston Celtics.
Jaylen Brown trade may have won 76ers LeBron James sweepstakes
Philadelphia weren't just willing to give up two first-round picks and Paul George for Brown, but they were willing to gamble on paying him over $180 million across the next three years which caused his trade value to be significantly lower than many presumed.
Paying Brown that kind of salary might be worthwhile anyway given he just finished sixth in MVP voting, yet it's even more justified now given the 76ers were able to land James on a measly two-year, $8 million contract.
Led by Mike Gansey and former Warrior general manager Bob Myers, Philadelphia were bold and have just been rewarded for their approach, beating out the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat and the Warriors who were all seen as favorites to land James at different points over the past four weeks.
The 76ers weren’t seriously considered by LeBron until they traded for Jaylen Brown — LeBron believes the Sixers have a better chance to win a title over Miami and Cleveland.
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) July 24, 2026
(via @ShamsCharania, h/t @APH00PS) pic.twitter.com/NJPBLdOZ7V
There's still a chance that there's too many mouths to feed and that this blows up in the 76ers' faces to some degree. For now, it's nothing short of a huge win and a reminder of how one move can have a ripple effect not just on the team, but the league as a whole.
Warriors chose to stand pat during LeBron's free agency
In stark contrast to the 76ers, the Warriors (and also the Cavaliers) have stood pat this offseason hoping that what they had was enough to convince James. Cleveland could at least make that argument considering they've just come off the Eastern Conference Finals, but Golden State always needed another move to bolster their roster and give James the impression they were a legitimate contender.
What if they had traded for Brown themselves? What if they'd gambled on Anthony Davis as had been in the rumor mill over recent weeks? These are the hypotheticals of what the Warriors could have done, yet not for the first time in recent years they weren't bold enough to actually take a risk.
By trading for Brown and signing James, the 76ers have shot to absolute championship contention. The Warriors, meanwhile, continue to do Stephen Curry a disservice and appear headed for the Play-In Tournament once again.
