The LeBron James sweepstakes has officially come to an end with the 41-year-old signing a two-year, $8 million deal with the Philadelphia 76ers. Not only does King James landing in Philly immediately add another reason for the Detroit Pistons to pay close attention to the Sixers in the Eastern Conference, but it puts Cade Cunningham in a tough position entering next season.
James' fit on the 76ers is intriguing for several reasons. Aside from the fact that he'll immediately alleviate the offensive pressure for all three of Joel Embiid, Jaylen Brown, and Tyrese Maxey, the veteran's versatility alone will help elevate the play for everyone around him
Maxey, who landed on Third-Team All-NBA this past season after the league's exception of the 65-game rule for Cade Cunningham paved the way for the Pistons' star to land on First-Team All-NBA.
With the addition of James in Philadelphia, Maxey is perfectly up to take a major step that will only help the playmaker unseat Cunningham from his spot on First-Team All-NBA.
LeBron could help Tyrese Maxey get his payback on Cade Cunningham
Maxey landing on the All-NBA Third Team can't solely be blamed on Cunningham, given many voters had him pinned to land on one of the Second or Third Teams.
In the same breath, though, the league's exception to allow Cunningham to receive All-NBA honors despite only suiting up in 64 games after a collapsed lung forced him to miss time opened the window for the Sixers' star to slot on the All-NBA Third Team.
The addition of James will give Maxey a reliable co-star to depend on, which even Embiid or Brown couldn't necessarily offer, given LeBron's proven history serving as a viable facilitator, which will allow the guard to thrive off-the-ball,
On top of it all, a leap from Maxey alongside arguably the best starting five in the NBA only makes the Sixers more dangerous than they already were, making the lack of urgency from the Pistons to improve this offseason look even worse.
Pistons fell asleep at the wheel while other teams made it a point to improve
Trajan Langdon's lack of a big move has been touched on numerous times this offseason, and the lack of recruitment efforts from Cunningham has even been mentioned.
Regardless of who's more at fault isn't important now, but instead it's become a problem that Detroit will be forced to face the consequences of.
The Miami Heat landed Giannis Antetokounmpo, Philadelphia replaced Paul George with Jaylen Brown and LeBron James, while the New York Knicks are the reigning NBA champions are set to mostly run it back.
For a team fresh off the No. 1 seed in the East, which fizzled out in round two due to clear roster concerns, the dedication to only improve around the margins could come back to haunt Detroit this season in more ways than one.
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