Boston Celtics GM Brad Stevens made the Philadelphia 76ers a better team when he traded Jaylen Brown to them, but he may have officially made them the NBA's next juggernaut/superteam.
Not even a month after landing Brown, the 76ers have further bolstered their roster as they have won the LeBron James sweepstakes, signing him to a two-year, $8 million deal. This move will team the four-time MVP up with Brown, Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid, and VJ Edgecombe in what might be the most star-studded starting lineup in the Eastern Conference, if not the entire league.
another championship.
— LeBron James (@KingJames) July 24, 2026
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.
Thank you LA. Miami I’ll forever love and Northeast Ohio will always home!
🙏🏾🫡👑
Signing LeBron James makes the 76ers an even bigger threat
The 76ers just beat the Celtics in seven games in the first round of last season's playoffs, took Brown away from them, and are now comfortably in an even better situation than they are next season.
Even though there are some concerns about Philadelphia's new-look team (everybody in the starting lineup excels in the midrange or paint and isn't much of an off-ball player, they don't have great depth, and the jury is still out on whether Nick Nurse is the right head coach for them), there's no denying the star power they have.
Plus, in James' case specifically, he already has a recent history of being more of a connector and playing third-option ball, which he did a lot last season with Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers. Adding him to this core could help all of them take it to the next level.
The Celtics should be very concerned about the 76ers
Well, if we're being honest, they should be concerned about their general standing in the East, but they should especially be concerned about the 76ers, given their offseason and what happened last postseason.
As things stand, it's hard to confidently put the Celtics above the 76ers, the New York Knicks (reigning champions), the Toronto Raptors (reunited with Kawhi Leonard... maybe?), the Cleveland Cavaliers (were just in the conference finals), the Indiana Pacers (last time Tyrese Haliburton was healthy, they were one win away from a championship), and maye the Detroit Pistons (they were just the No. 1 seed but lost Tobias Harris and might lose Jaren Duran).
Boston still has a solid roster, and there are a lot of things to be excited about with the team. But their title window, in my opinion, has closed. And with all the moves happening across the league, it's hard to believe otherwise.
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