RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 1 sourcesThe LeBron James sweepstakes unfolding while Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey" debuted in movie theaters is amusing and worthy of a chuckle.
It took James 25 days to choose the Philadelphia 76ers as his landing spot in NBA free agency, yet, with the fast and furious release of podcasts and the madness of social media, those three-plus weeks felt closer to the 20 years Odysseus spent fighting in the Trojan War and making his way back to Ithaca.
One key difference between James and Odysseus, though, is the heroic graybeard who hails from Akron is not returning home .
So, why did the 41-year-old James decline a third tour with his hometown Cavaliers ?
LeBron James signs with the Philadelphia 76ers to pursue fifth NBA title
The 76ers, Cavs, Miami Heat and Golden State Warriors were the finalists in the James derby, agent Rich Paul confirmed July 24 on the "Game Over" podcast he co-hosts with Max Kellerman.
Shortly after Paul had informed the Los Angeles Lakers on June 30 of James' plan to leave LA and sign elsewhere, Paul said on his podcast "happiness" would be the NBA all-time leading scorer's priority in free agency, not money.
When James announced on July 24 he would join the Sixers, he explained in a series of tweets an opportunity to win his fifth championship drove his decision. In other words, the allure of a title largely defined the "happiness" he sought.
"This is my last decision," James tweeted. "I’m not going for money. I’m not going for family. What am I really playing for at this point?
"I still want to sacrifice. I still want to work. I still want to grind. I still want to compete, to win and to have a chance at the feeling of winning another championship.
"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."
Paul explained the Sixers were not the wire-to-wire leaders for James' services.
"I think that every one (of the top suitors) was at some point leading the race," Paul said.
James didn't finalize his decision to join the 76ers until roughly "1 in the morning" on July 24, Paul said. Counting June 30 and July 24, James' odyssey to Philly took 25 days.
James signed a two-year, $8 million contract on Sunday, July 26, ESPN first reported, and the 76ers announced the completion of the deal on Monday, July 27. The contract is a massive bargain for the Sixers. It includes a player option for the 2027-28 season and a 15% trade kicker.
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Would LeBron James have picked the Cavs if they still had Darius Garland?
With James' selection and explanation, he essentially told the world he has more confidence in the 76ers as a title contender than the Cavs, Heat or Warriors.
On the "Game Over" podcast, Paul said the presence of point guard Tyrese Maxey on the Sixers was a factor as well. Like James, Maxey is a prized client of Klutch Sports Group.
"When you add LeBron, everything changes, and I really mean this," Paul, the founder and CEO of Klutch Sports Group, said on July 24. "That's why it's not easy for someone who is [deemed] to be a star player on the team. When he comes, he kind of shows you how big or little of a star you actually are.
"It takes a special kind of person mentally to embrace that, and I think that the familiarity with him and Tyrese, you don't have to worry about that with Tyrese because they know each other, they embrace each other, they've been working out together for the last five years, so you won't have any pushback. You can't pay for that. You can't put a value on that."
Former Cavaliers point guard Darius Garland is another Klutch Sports Group client, and Paul said on a July 3 episode of the "Game Over" podcast he considered Garland no longer being in Cleveland a knock against the Cavs in their pursuit of James. The Cavs traded Garland in February to the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for point guard James Harden.
"The negative is, and this is no offense to Harden, no Garland because [James] loves Garland like he loves Maxey," Paul said on his famous whiteboard episode of the "Game Over" podcast .
The trouble with selling (or buying) Garland's absence from the Cavs as a true deal-breaker for James is what the 2003 St. Vincent-St. Mary High School graduate said in February about the Garland-Harden trade on the "Mind the Game" podcast his co-hosts with Steve Nash.
"They're going for it," James said of the Cavs on Feb. 17 the episode of his podcast . "They felt like they needed another playmaker, someone that's been there, kind of been in this situation before, and they added James [Harden], perennial All-Star who's still putting up All-Star numbers. [Harden] gives Donovan Mitchell another, like, ball handler guy who can make shots late in the game.
"Those pickups that they got from [the Sacramento Kings] as well, you know, [backup point guard Dennis] Schroder, a former teammate of mine, you know that's going to compete every single night, and Keon Ellis, the guy's going to compete, make shots. Like, those guys are going to be, I think, really, really good for that team, especially in the East, where it's a lot of bulk. You've got to have some dogs in there, so I think they added a lot."
LeBron James news: Cavaliers roster and depth chart breakdown after the kid from Akron picks 76ers
Then there's also the time Paul said on a Feb. 4 episode of the "Game Over" podcast he told Garland the 2025-26 season would be his last with the Cavs.
"Prior to this year, this upcoming season, I sat Darius down, and I expl...
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