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LeBron James chooses 76ers over Warriors, ending free agency saga LeBron James has signed with the Philadelphia 76ers after weeks of free agency speculation, despite a friendship with Golden State Warriors stars Stephen Curry and Draymond Green.
The Warriors, who were considered to have an advantage due to that relationship, now must adjust to life without the marquee acquisition as they deal with injuries to key players Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody.
Curry's friendship with James's was, from the outside, considered a leg-up for the Warriors in the league-wide Bron sweepstakes.
| USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connectfor his 24th season in the league, bringing an end to a weeks-long free agency frenzy that garnered interest from around the NBA.
The Warriors were among the teams hoping to enlist the Kings services, and at points during the recruitment were believed to have had a bit of a leg-up in the sweepstakes considering Jamess friendship with stars Steph Curry and Draymond Green, both of whom are also inching closer to retirement and looking to go out on the high note that has eluded them for a few years now.
But, in the end, it was the improving Sixers who caught Jamess eye.The 41-year-old superstar will now join a roster that boasts former Finals MVP Jaylen Brown, 2025-26 Rookie of the Year candidate VJ Edgecombe, breakout talent Tyrese Maxey and excellent big man Joel Embiid as the team looks to make it over the championship hump that has haunted it for years now.
Speaking at Dubs guard Moses Moodys youth camp on Saturday, Curry opened up a bit about his thoughts on Bron joining the Sixers, before sharing some insight around the upcoming season for Golden State.And now, with a splashy and potentially season-altering acquisition off the table, the 38-year-old guard has again turned his attention toward the reality of his roster as it stands, with Moody recovering from a torn patellar tendon and Jimmy Butler recovering from a torn ACL.The through line, Curry went on, which is hard on anybody in this situation, especially with us keeping this thing together, is knowing that when Jimmy got hurt and Moses got hurt, the whole calculus of everything changes.
How do you get through their absence and still stay at a certain level? And then how that goes into this year.
Its the same deal.So, Im a realist on that.And you hope that they both come back healthy, and we can play at a level that keeps us relevant and competitive and builds a foundation so that we can figure out what it looks like.
But that is the situation.
We dont live in any alternative universe.
Indeed, nobody in Golden State is getting any younger, and the franchise needs to figure out a plan for when Green and Curry retire.Had LeBron joined the team, the front office could have kicked that can a bit further down the road, but that's just not what happened.
Now, thebut to grapple with their fragility in hopes that, like Curry said, they can get some answers for the upcoming campaign and beyond.
Lets hope they can figure it out.
Brigid Kennedy is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated.Before joining SI in November 2024, she covered political news, sporting news and culture at TheWeek.com before moving to Livingetc, an interior design magazine.
She is a graduate of Syracuse University, dual majoring in television, radio and film and marketing managment.
Offline, she enjoys going to the movies, reading and watching the Steelers.