{"id":2060392,"date":"2026-07-24T20:07:37","date_gmt":"2026-07-24T17:07:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2060392"},"modified":"2026-07-24T20:07:37","modified_gmt":"2026-07-24T17:07:37","slug":"with-lebron-james-in-the-fold-the-76ers-suddenly-look-like-nba-title-contenders","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2060392","title":{"rendered":"With LeBron James in the fold, the 76ers suddenly look like NBA title contenders"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The last time we saw the Philadelphia 76ers, they were getting swept out of Xfinity Mobile Arena by the New York Knicks in the second round of the playoffs. And the Knicks\u2019 fans who took over the building added to the embarrassment, talking smack and gleefully celebrating another season of demise in Philly.<\/p>\n

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The 76ers looked stuck heading into the offseason. Joel Embiid and Paul George were on big contracts. And that meant Philadelphia seemingly had very little wiggle room for potentially improving the roster. Another year of relative mediocrity and a second-round exit from the postseason seemed to be the ceiling. Another season of durability issues, surrounded by the hope of health, looked to be on tap.<\/p>\n

On Friday morning, the Philadelphia 76ers became NBA title contenders.<\/p>\n

In a little over two months, the Sixers hired a new president of basketball operations in Mike Gansey and proceeded to turn in one of the biggest lemons-to-lemonade offseason leaps in NBA history. A team with no financial flexibility, the No. 22 pick in the NBA Draft, a few tradable first-round picks and a bloated financial commitment at the top of the roster became one of the most talented teams in the league.<\/p>\n

How did Philadelphia get to this point? How did a team seemingly stuck in the middle vault itself to the top by adding LeBron James<\/a>, who at 41, is still one of the best players in the league? The Sixers were aggressive. They refused to take no for an answer. They recruited their collective tails off. They were resilient when it came to a big trade. And then, they played the waiting game.<\/p>\n

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Why LeBron James chose the Philadelphia 76ers<\/div>\n
Joe Vardon and Jeshua Kidd<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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