According to ESPN's Dave McMenamin, the Boston Celtics pursued LeBron James in free agency before he ultimately joined the Philadelphia 76ers.
"There were surprising suitors along the way. The Boston Celtics, James' consistent nemesis through the years, expressed interest, sources told ESPN," McMenamin wrote.
Even though he's 41 years old, James can still play, and he should be great with the 76ers as a connector. And while he wouldn't have been a perfect fit in Boston's system (he isn't much of a two-way player anymore, isn't a sharpshooter, and doesn't fill a positional need), the team still would have benefited from having him around.
The 22-time All-Star is still an elite playmaker, and he would have greatly complemented Jayson Tatum and Paul George. Plus, his ability to play every position would have made him valuable in Boston. (And, as we saw last season, James doesn't have to be a No. 1 or even No. 2 option anymore to make an impact.)
Celtics will still be solid without LeBron James, but not true contenders
While I personally don't believe they're going to be title contenders next season (the East has changed greatly since they won it all in 2024), the Celtics should still be a decent team.
They should be in for possibly the best season of Tatum's career, and while the way he got to Boston may not have been ideal, George should be a great fit next to him. Plus, players like Payton Pritchard, Hugo Gonzalez, and Baylor Scheierman should take a big leap, and the Celtics made some good pickups in free agency (mostly Mitchell Robinson) and the draft (Chris Cenac Jr. and Dillon Mitchell).
And while last season ended in disappointing fashion, the Celtics were still the No. 2 seed and remain a good team on paper.
Adding someone like James, who obviously has championship experience and is arguably the greatest basketball player of all time, could have moved the needle for the Celtics. He wouldn't have been a long-term asset, but he would have boosted the team's immediate championship window.
But now, the Celtics will have to deal with James in Philadelphia, alongside old friend Jaylen Brown, Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid, and VJ Edgecombe. Whether the new-look 76ers can live up to expectations or not remains to be seen, but either way, they just sent the Celtics home in the playoffs, and they are in a completely different tier right now.
Add us as a preferred source on Google