Executives around the NBA believe the Philadelphia 76ers will attempt to sign LeBron James in free agency.

James is widely expected to become a free agent in 2018 though his eventual destination remains a speculative mystery. While James has also been linked to the Los Angeles Lakers, signing with the 76ers would give James the opportunity to stay in the Eestern Conference and avoid teams like the Warriors, Rockets and Spurs.

The 76ers could fairly easily create enough salary cap space to sign James to a max contract starting at $34 million.

The 76ers would give James the opportunity to play with a talented young roster anchored by Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid.

James and Simmons share an agent in Rich Paul.

“The organization has done a great job believing in Brett Brown’s system, believing in what he wanted to do and they gave him time,” James said before the Cavaliers beat the Sixers 113-91 on Monday.

Ben Simmons suffered a sprained ankle in Monday's loss by the 76ers to the Cavaliers.

Simmons' x-ray of the ankle came back negative and he will be reevaluated on Tuesday.

Simmons finished the game with 10 points, eight rebounds and two assists.

“I’m not going to back down from anybody," Simmons said before the game about playing against LeBron James. "I’ve got a lot of respect for him, but at the end of the day I’m just going to play my game.”

Jahlil Okafor continues to wait for a trade from the Philadelphia 76ers so he can resume his NBA career. Okafor last played on Nov. 7th as Brett Brown has declined to play him during garbage time out of respect for his situation.

"I would like for them to just send me somewhere where I can get an opportunity," Okafor told ESPN. "I've done everything they've asked of me and I would just like to get an opportunity to play with a trade or a buyout. I just hope something happens quickly.

"This is my third year in the NBA, and I know it's a business. I don't know if it's fair or not, but in talking to other people in the NBA, talking to retired players, one thing I've heard them say is that what's going on with me isn't right and they've never seen anything like this before.

"I know it's business, but in my eyes, I don't know if it's good business."

Bryan Colangelo has continued to work the trade market for Okafor but hasn't found anything. The 76ers are seeking a second round pick as Colangelo has dropped his previous asking price of two first round picks and then one first round pick and a solid player. The 76ers declined any trades that would use up their cap space before extending Robert Covington.

"We appreciate the effort that [Okafor] has put forth, and other than a little frustration expressed recently, he's been patient waiting for an opportunity to play," Colangelo told ESPN. "I continue to explore opportunities with both Jahlil and [agent] Bill Duffy to find a more suitable spot for him."

Philadelphia declined Okafor's $6.2 million fourth-year option for 18-19.

While many teams have interest in Okafor as a long-term project, none are inclined to give up a second round pick. Bill Duffy and Okafor are pushing hard for a buyout. Colangelo is holding out the possibility that Okafor's $5 million salary could be packaged as part of a bigger deal before the Feb. 9 trade deadline, even if he can't find a singular move involving Okafor.

"This really sucks," Okafor told ESPN. "I want to play ball."

The Philadelphia 76ers lead the NBA in passes per game this season, just as they did in 16-17. Philadelphia was ranked third in the category in 15-16 and fourth in 14-15 as sharing the ball has been a central tenant of Brett Brown's offense.

“It’s the single thing in my opinion that can erode a locker room, erode sort of the fabric of a team,” Brown said of the Sixers’ passing. “Because it creeps into defense as much as it is blatant in offense. When you don’t share the ball, it’s a feeling that we all feel. In the locker room, they all play the game, they feel it deeper than we do.”

Brown has frequently repeated the phrase "the pass is king" during his tenure with Philadelphia.

J.J. Redick had admired the way the 76ers shared the ball on offense even before he signed with the team this offseason.

“It’s probably one of the main reasons I wanted to come here was because of how they played in the past,” Redick said. “Sometimes with the intention of sort of not trying to win at times too, but I liked how they played. I just kind of envisioned myself enjoying sort of playing in this atmosphere.”

Tony Wroten lobbied on Twitter to return to the Philadelphia 76ers as one of the original members of 'The Process'.

Wroten played for the 76ers from 2013 until 2015.

Wroten is currently in the G League with the Rio Grande Vipers.

Miss all my guys. Love how they putting it together. They looking good. I’ll be back hopefully. It’s only right the “Trust The Process” founder returns. #SixersAreFamilyREGARDLESS https://t.co/X56REsakPz

— Tone Wroten (@TWroten_LOE) November 24, 2017

Joel Embiid was asked to evaluate how good he can become on the defensive end of the floor.

“Not to be cocky, but I think I’m the best defensive player in the league right now,” Embiid said.

“I’m still getting better,” Embiid added. “My blocks are a little down [compared to last season].  I’m a better rebounder this year.”

Embiid underwent knee surgery in March and isn't quite 100 percent healthy yet.

“It’s not all the way there but I think it’s getting better,” Embiid said. “I’ve still got to work on a lot of things, but it’s getting there. I can’t wait to be at a hundred percent.”

Host Danny Leroux (@DannyLeroux) and Derek Bodner of The Athletic (@DerekBodnerNBA) break down the Philadelphia 76ers’ strong start.

They discuss Joel Embiid’s dominance, Ben Simmons’ rookie season, the Embiid/Simmons/Covington trio, Markelle Fultz’s place with the team and much more.

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Joel Embiid is not concerned that his trolling and trash talk will make him a target of other players.

Embiid had a recent run-in with Donovan Mitchell and Kyle Kuzma attempted to dunk on him last week.

“Oh, no,” Embiid quickly answered. “I’m not worried about that. I mean, if those guys, they want to get their feelings hurt, if they’re not strong mentally, that’s not my fault. I think when it comes down to it, if we’ve all got to square up, I mean, I’m 7-foot-2 and I’m a big dude. So I don’t think you want to try me. And I’m African, too.”

Embiid has one of the NBA's most prominent social media presences. 

Markelle Fultz is making progress with his shoulder injury but will miss another two to three weeks.

Fultz was examined Sunday by Dr. Ben Kibler, the medical director of the Shoulder Center of Kentucky at the Lexington Clinic, for soreness and scapular muscle imbalance in his right shoulder.

Fultz's soreness is dissipating and the muscle balance is improving.

Fultz will continue with physiotherapy and begin progressing toward full basketball activities.

Fultz played in four games before he was shut down.

Joel Embiid's 46-point, 15-rebound, seven-assist, seven-block game is the first such line in NBA history. The NBA didn't record blocks before 73-74.

"It feels great. I love L.A. I love the Staples Center, so I wanted to come out here and put on a show and I did," Embiid said after the 76ers defeated the Lakers 115-109.

"Too bad there wasn't any trash-talker out there," he said with a smile. "But I still had fun and I got going. I just wanted to be aggressive. That's my new mentality. I can't wait to keep the same momentum."

Embiid went 14-for-20 from the field.

"Joel is special in so many ways," Sixers general manager Bryan Colangelo told ESPN. "When he does finally round himself out into complete shape -- he's still catching up to a slow start to the season where he wasn't with us in September -- but everything that's now happening and coming together for him is a function of him building. We've been building him up for what he's doing now, but he's still not at 100 percent. Once he is there, it's going to be very, very encouraging."