EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsThe Philadelphia 76ers already made one surprise star addition this summer, so why not a second?On Friday, LeBron James announced his intention not to return to Cleveland or Miami, but instead to "energize a new fan base and start this incredible journey one last time." He'll do so in Philadelphia, where he'll reportedly sign a two-year, $8 million veteran's minimum deal with a second-year player option, and where the 76ers have rocketed from play-in team to championship contender in the span of a single month.ESPN insider Zach Kram is examining the signing from every angle, grading Philadelphia's latest player acquisition coup and analyzing James' fit with his newest team.Jump to a section:Grading the tradeLeBron James signs two-year, $8M dealGrade: A+ Lakers officials engaged in an unusual thought experiment last season. As ESPN's Dave McMenamin reported, "An onlooker was asked to observe [LeBron] James play for a stretch, disregard his name and age and evaluate his play to come up with a salary number that 'anonymous' player would deserve next season."So let's play that game ourselves, using advanced stats to help. According to the DARKO projection system, here are some star-level forwards whose current per-possession impact is in roughly the same range as James', along with each of their 2026-27 salaries:Two key takeaways stand out from this chart. The first is that, while James is by far the best old player in NBA history, he has still clearly declined as he's aged. The rough comps here are generally second and third bananas, rather than the best players on championship-level teams, and that's the role best suited for 41-year-old LeBron, too.The second is that even as a supplementary star rather than a No. 1 option, James will be ludicrously, ridiculously underpaid in Philadelphia. All but one of these forwards will earn at least $40 million next season. And LeBron will make the veteran's minimum of $3.9 million, which is less than one-tenth the amount that most of the other forwards in his talent range will earn.Philadelphia registers an A-plus grade for that value alone. James -- who doesn't need the money, given that he was the first active NBA player to become a billionaire in 2022 -- is still close to an All-NBA level, and he'll be only his team's seventh-highest-paid player.How James fits in a new-look, star-studded lineup in Philadelphia, meanwhile, immediately becomes one of the most fascinating questions in the NBA.On the one hand, James averaged 20.9 points per game last season, tied with his rookie campaign for the lowest of his career. His 27% usage rate was his lowest ever, and his time of possession was by far his lowest in the tracking era (since 2013-14): James handled the ball for 3.8 minutes per game in 2025-26, a 37% drop from his previous low of 5.3 minutes. He also averaged just 15.5 picks per 100 possessions as the ball-handler, a 40% drop from his previous low.Yet on the other hand, James was still productive and efficient by any measure, and he settled much more comfortably into a secondary offensive role -- which he'll presumably occupy once more in Philadelphia -- as the season continued. His 59% true shooting was right in line with his career average (also 59%) and his mark across eight seasons with the Lakers (60%). And he averaged 7.2 assists per game, generated gobs of free throws and played 1,989 minutes, which was the third-most on the Lakers.Moreover, when he was forced to step back into a primary role when Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves suffered late-season injuries, James was able to summon enough of his old magic to win a playoff round as an underdog against Houston. The Lakers' loss in a sweep against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second round showed the limitations of that approach, but now that he's sharing a team with Tyrese Maxey, Jaylen Brown and Joel Embiid, it's unlikely that LeBron will ever be the lone healthy star in Philadelphia.Notably, those three co-stars all play a different position from James, which makes him an ideal positional fit on his new team. With new 76ers Brown and Dean Wade sharing the floor with him, along with rising sophomore VJ Edgecombe, James will often be able to hide on defense -- though not completely, because of Maxey's defensive limitations -- which is a key way to keep him healthy and rested in his 40s.James ranked in the 6th percentile last season in shots defended per 100 possessions, according to Second Spectrum tracking. And out of 582 players in the NBA, he ranked 579th in average speed on defense -- which is somewhat normal for a star conserving energy for the offensive end, but also indicates his preference not to chase elite scorers and shooters around the perimeter.(As an aside, Donovan Mitchell ranked 572nd in average defensive speed while James Harden was dead last in 582nd place, which suggests that the Cavaliers would have encountered immense defensive struggles if LeBron had returned home once more. Philadelphia is a much cleaner strategic fit.)On the other end, James' 3-point accuracy fell to 32% last season, though it was as high as 41% as recently as 2023-24. Where he falls in that range could be crucial for an offense that ranked just 23rd in 3-point percentage last season and added another shaky high-volume shooter in Brown, who was at 35% last season and hasn't been above average from distance in half a decade.But make no mistake: LeBron will make Philadelphia's offense better, both by adding his own skills and supplementing what their incumbent stars already do well. In particular, while the other 76ers starters all range from average to good in their playmaking, none is a truly elite passer -- but James is, and has been for decades. He'll help lubricate an offense that might otherwise grind down into too many one-on-one battles.When he plays with Embiid, meanwhile, the 76ers should dominate opponents inside and at the free-throw line. And the James-Maxey pairing should be potent both in transition and the half court. Last season, James (5.7 points per game) and Maxey (5.5) ranked first and third, respectively, in fast break points, and pick-and-rolls involving the duo -- either in the traditional alignment or inverted -- could torment opposing defenses.Just about the only concern about James' fit in this lineup is whether all of Philadelphia's stars will be happy sacrificing their usage rates and counting stats to give everyone the touches they need. But James demonstrated his deference to Reaves and Doncic last season, and Brown has already posted a welcome message of "#throwtheballup" on X.It's easy for everyone to remain happy and sacrifice for the cause when a Finals berth is in sight. And that's now a realistic vision for the 76ers, with both Brown and James aboard.
