Dear King James,

For your happiness’ sake, I hope this decision is the right one.

As you and Rich Paul were white-boarding potential destinations for where you’d take your talents this off-season, I was of the mindset that if you wanted to win another NBA championship before retirement, you needed to take your talents back to South Beach. Or team up with Wemby and join the young Spurs. Although, if you did decide the latter, you’d have naysayers questioning your legacy and calling you a ring-chaser. Also, I’m not sure how you’d have felt about the coaching situation, either. Sorry, Mitch, you deserve a lot of credit for taking this squad to The Finals, but none of us can forgive you for Game 4.

The Heat may not have the most complete roster as of yet, but when comparing them to your other options, LeBron, they would have been the best option if a fifth ring was truly the “happiness” you were after. Mainly for one key reason, which I’ll touch upon in a bit. If you’re not convinced, let’s go through the other teams that were in the running for the LeBron James sweepstakes and see how each compare to the 76ers.

The Golden State Warriors

Might as well call ’em The Golden Girls Warriors, am I right? This would have been a train-wreck. I know you and Steph are a dream duo, but both of ya’ll need some young blood to run up and down the court. Jimmy’s knees and Draymond’s back ain’t gonna hold up for 82 games.

The Cleveland Cavaliers

This would have been a storybook ending for you, King. Coming back home to where it all started. Problem is, your home now has a resident no-show in the playoffs. Mr. “Dribble Dribble Dribble” himself. We all know James Harden doesn’t play a winning-brand of basketball, and his antics get even further exposed during the playoffs. Him and Donovan haven’t really gelled in their time together in Cleveland, and even though they have some solid pieces like Allen and Mobley, I didn’t see you winning another chip back home, so I’m glad this wasn’t where you ended up.

The “Heatles” Part II

Now, let’s talk about South Beach. First of all: Giannis. ‘Nuff said. Second of all: Bam, a.k.a the man who broke Kobe’s record on a random Tuesday. A lot of people talk about spacing, but you and I both know you can play the point any day of the week. Add in a few 40%-from-beyond-the-arc shooters like Wiggins, Davion Mitchell, Bobby Portis, and Hardaway Jr. and you would have been averaging 15 assists a game. The roster isn’t complete, I’ll give you that. The Heat still need some perimeter defense, a pure shooter, and someone with some play-making ability. But these pieces would have been somewhat easy to figure out.

Now, I know you may still harbour some ill will against Pat Riley, LeBron. The man did take away your cookies, after all. But for as much as I like Nick Nurse, he’s no Spo. Getting the band back together and having “The Heatles” make a come-back would’ve been a dream.

The Philadelphia 76ers

But, you’re not taking your talents back to Miami. You’re going to the Philadelphia 76ers. On paper, I get it. This looks like the most promising lineup. Embiid, Maxey, Edgecombe, and now Jaylen Brown? Adding a LeBron James almost seems unfair. However, the biggest question I have for this lineup is the big-man at the top—Joel Embiid. A player who’s never played 70 games in a season for the decade he’s been in the league. The last time Embiid played more than 40 was in 2023. Furthermore, I’m just not sure if Embiid plays winning basketball, or has a winning mentality. Granted, I am biased when I say this—I’ve never liked Embiid, either on or off the court. There’s just something about the man that rubs me the wrong way, and he’s a far-cry from Giannis.

Nevertheless, Maxey and Brown are all-stars, and Edgecombe has some serious potential. Not to mention bringing a chip to Philly for the first time in almost 30 years would definitely be something. Just rest the crybaby big-man until the playoffs (or even the second round), and maybe this team will have a chance.

Sincerely,

Your biggest bandwagon fan