RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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The Philadelphia 76ers’ offseason business isn’t over, and their status as title contenders after acquiring LeBron James is affecting their remaining negotiations.
The 76ers seem to be the biggest winners of the 2026 offseason, adding Jaylen Brown and LeBron James to a roster that pulled off a 3-1 series comeback in the first round of the Playoffs.
Brown made them contenders, but James makes them among the favorites. As a result, the 29 teams around the NBA are wary of any deal that might help the 76ers.
LeBron James’ addition has put the 76ers in a negotiating problem
The 76ers still need to open up a roster spot to complete their acquisition of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, which they’re trying to do by moving Johni Broome in a trade.
However, the price for a salary dump is much higher now for Philly, as they’re bonafide contenders, according to The Stein Line’s Jake Fischer .
“I’ve been warned by multiple rival teams that Philadelphia might find the price of sweeteners that would need to be added to offload Broome to be steeper than it hoped after the whole league watched the Sixers land James on a league-minimum salary.”
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Not finding a satisfactory trade for Broome might force the 76ers to release their second-round pick from last year, who suffered a torn meniscus in his rookie season.
It could also lead to the 76ers releasing rotational forward Jabari Walker, but Fischer notes that the 76ers seem to be unwilling to do that.
Landing James on a minimum contract is arguably the best bargain signing in NBA history, with James averaging 20.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 7.2 assists last season.
The 76ers will be made to pay a price for that boon in any trades they attempt this season. Their best course of action is to release either Walker or Broome to sign KCP, and then sign the released player to a two-way contract to keep them around the franchise.
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