One day after swinging a shocking trade for superstar wing Jaylen Brown, the Philadelphia 76ers have entered the mix for unrestricted free agent LeBron James and are attempting to pitch him, league sources told ESPN's Shams Charania on Thursday.
The Golden State Warriors, Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat are the other known suitors for James, who is expected to take his time before deciding on the next destination to continue his historic 23-year career, sources told Charania.
The Sixers pulled off a blockbuster Wednesday, when they agreed to trade veteran wing Paul George, two first-round picks and two second-round picks to the Boston Celtics for Brown, sources told Charania. Brown, 29, finished sixth in MVP voting this past season, averaging 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists in 71 games.
The Brown addition -- along with the free agency agreement with scoring guard Anfernee Simons on Thursday morning -- is the type of roster upgrade that could help lure James, who has made it clear that he desires happiness but also a legitimate chance to win at the highest level with his next team.
The Warriors, meanwhile, have been given indications from James that they remain on his short list, but team sources have expressed a recent belief that they aren't necessarily at the top of that short list, as James continues to survey the landscape.
The Warriors still have pathways to clear enough space to get James the $15.1 million non-taxpayer midlevel exception, though the math is increasingly tricky after their recent signings of Kristaps Porzingis and De'Anthony Melton.
The Cavaliers, meanwhile, might need to offload midtier contracts, such as Max Strus' and Dennis Schroder's deals, to free more money to give to James. The Sixers are currently limited to offering James the veteran minimum, which is around $3.9 million.