While LeBron James had the chance to sign with any team during free agency last year, his choices seemed to come down between the Philadelphia 76ers, Houston Rockets, and Los Angeles Lakers. While he did eventually choose the Lakers, the thought that he could’ve been on another team, or could even be traded somewhere in the offseason, is an interesting one.

During today’s episode of First Things First with Nick Wright and Cris Carter, Wright brought up the small chance that James is traded in the offseason. While rumors have been circulating that James would be better off if he was traded, Wright’s thought is that he’d be better served on a team like the Sixers.

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Of course, getting James to the Sixers now would likely cost a lot, and with that, some possible scenarios have popped up, including moving point guard Ben Simmons for James. While Wright mentions that the trade would be absolutely amazing for James thanks to how talented Joel Embiid is, he does think that it doesn’t really seem plausible.

For one, the Lakers would have to approve any trade, and dealing one of the greatest basketball players of all-time is a tough thing to do, no matter how dysfunctional the organization seems at the moment. Secondly, Simmons has come under fire as of late for his lack of offensive ability, and dealing for someone like that could result in even more fans getting angry at the top brass of the Lakers.

At the end of the day, James could have had a chance to play alongside both Simmons and Embiid, but chose the bright lights of Hollywood and the Lakers instead. While their first season went about as bad as it could, there’s still hope for the team that they’ll turn things around and contend for an NBA championship sooner rather than later.

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