Basketball Wiretap

LeBron James has agreed to sign a two-year, $8 million with the Philadelphia 76ers. James will have a player option for Year 2.

James revealed that he was strongly considering retirement going into the offseason.

James also considered signing with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat, Golden State Warriors and Minnesota Timberwolves. James will form a core alongside Tyrese Maxey, Jaylen Brown, Joel Embiid and VJ Edgecombe. 

"I thought I was done when the season ended," said James in a statement. "I wasn't ready to announce it, and I knew I needed some time to really decide, but I was pretty sure I played my last game. I was honest at that last press conference when I said I needed to look at myself and deicide if I still love this game. I still truly love this game, and I have more to give.

"The last few weeks have really been special. I’ve never been able to have no clue what to do and take real time to just think. I’ve had an incredible few months with all the people I love trying to figure it all out. This is my last decision. I’m not going for money. I’m not going for family. What am I really playing for at this point?

"I still want to sacrifice. I still want to work. I still want to grind. I still want to compete, to win and to have a chance at the feeling of winning another championship.

"I believe I can help make the Philadelphia 76ers a championship team and I am so excited to energize a new fan base and start this incredible journey one last time.  

"Thank you LA. Miami I’ll forever love and Northeast Ohio will always home!"

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is negotiating a buyout with the Memphis Grizzlies, sources told Chris Haynes.

Caldwell-Pope intends to join LeBron James and sign with the Sixers.

Caldwell-Pope averaged 8.4 points and 2.5 rebounds last season. 

While LeBron James says he came close to retirement this offseason, he ultimately decided to continue his career and will sign a two-year contract with the Philadelphia 76ers. James could play both seasons and put off retirement until at least 2028.

"And my understanding is there's a real chance here he plays both of these years," said Shams Charania.

James said that he was leaning towards retirement when the Los Angeles Lakers were eliminated by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second round of the playoffs. 

"I thought I was done when the season ended," wrote James on X. "I wasn't ready to announce it, and I knew I needed some time to really decide, but I was pretty sure I played my last game. I was honest at that last press conference when I said I needed to look at myself and decide if I still love truly love this game, and I have more to give."

There have been conflicting reports over the years on whether James would announce his retirement plans in advance to have a farewell tour, or if it would come suddenly.

James will turn 42 in December.

The Houston Rockets have signed forward Julian Phillips. Terms were not disclosed, but it's likely that Phillips signed a one-year contract for the veteran minimum amount of $2.5 million.

The 6-foot-6 forward played the first two-and-a-half years of his career with the Chicago Bulls. Phillips was traded by the Bulls to the Minnesota Timberwolves ahead of last season's trade deadline.

In 167 NBA games over three seasons, Phillips has averaged 3.6 points and 1.5 rebounds in 11.2 minutes per game.

The Houston Rockets have signed free agent forward/center Oscar Tshiebwe.

Tshiebwe (6-9, 265) was eligible for the 2023 NBA Draft following his senior season at Kentucky.  He spent his rookie season as a two-way player with Indiana in 2023-24 and the past two seasons on a two-way contract with the Utah Jazz.  

In 49 career games with seven starts, Tshiebwe has averaged 7.0 points and 6.5 rebounds in 15.2 minutes per game.

The Portland Trail Blazers signed John Tonje to a two-way contract, sources told Shams Charania of ESPN.

Tonje averaged 2.5 points and 1.0 rebounds for the Celtics last season. 

Former NBA guard Tyrese Martin has signed with Barcelona in Spain for the upcoming season. Martin finished last season on a two-way contract with the Philadelphia 76ers.

Martin has also played with the Brooklyn Nets and the Atlanta Hawks in the NBA. In 122 NBA games, the 6-foot-6 guard has averaged 6.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game.

LeBron James' extended free agency process before choosing the Philadelphia 76ers had nothing to do with attention, drama, or any hope of teaming up with friends on rosters outside his list of suitors, according to a source close to James. James was not waiting on the Golden State Warriors or another team to trade for Anthony Davis, nor was he holding out for the Dallas Mavericks to make Kyrie Irving available.

James, 41, based his decision purely on his belief that Philadelphia gave him the best chance to win a fifth championship, the source told The Athletic. Philadelphia's stunning trade for Jaylen Brown on July 1st put the team in play to sign James.

"All of it was in the service of winning a championship," said the source. "Additionally, he's had the privilege of playing for three incredible fanbases in Cleveland, Miami, and L.A., and he's excited about playing in front of the passionate fanbase in Philadelphia."

James instructed agent Rich Paul to inform the 76ers of his decision Friday morning, shortly before the announcement became public. No one in James' inner circle knew of his choice beforehand, and the other suitors did not hear from Paul in advance either.

League sources said Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid had aggressively pursued James over the past several weeks, placing multiple phone calls in an effort to convince him to join Philadelphia. 

James is expected to view this as his final stop in the league, and sources said his basketball happiness, long cited as central to his decision, aligned directly with competing at a high level. The 76ers were not viewed by other franchises as a primary threat in the pursuit of James, but interest in Philadelphia was not new for him. A former Lakers teammate recalled James mentioning he seriously considered joining the 76ers back in 2018 before ultimately choosing Los Angeles.

Everything shifted for Philadelphia when first-year president of basketball operations Mike Gansey acquired Brown from the Celtics in exchange for Paul George and four future draft picks. Before that trade, the 76ers considered themselves longshots in the James sweepstakes.

"Now, we've got a pretty interesting roster," said a team source with knowledge of the pursuit.

Gansey previously worked in Cleveland's front office during James' second stint with the Cavaliers, spending most of that period running the team's G League affiliate before being promoted to assistant general manager in 2017. Despite that history, Gansey did not aggressively recruit James, nor did 76ers managing partner Josh Harris. Harris briefly crossed paths with James at a VIP event during Fanatics Fest in mid-July, exchanging a brief, cordial conversation without any indication of James' eventual decision.

Bronny James is expected to remain with the Los Angeles Lakers next season despite LeBron James' decision to sign with the Philadelphia 76ers.

"They are not a package deal," Rich Paul told ESPN's Ramona Shelburne. 

There are no current plan or request for Bronny to join the 76ers. The Los Angeles Lakers' coaching staff remains high on Bronny after guiding his past two seasons of development.

The Lakers picked up their option on Bronny shortly before the start of free agency.

LeBron James had been pushing for former teammate Kyrie Irving to join him in a potential return to the Cleveland Cavaliers, according to league sources. The Dallas Mavericks, however, have shown no interest in engaging the Cavaliers on a trade, and Irving is believed to be comfortable remaining where he is.

That reported effort adds another layer to James' complicated free agency decision, one that continues to weigh a possible third stint in Cleveland against a return to the Miami Heat, where he won two championships and two MVP awards from 2010 to 2014.

Cleveland's roster already features high-usage playmakers in Donovan Mitchell and James Harden, meaning James' addition alone likely wouldn't resolve the team's most pressing need. The Cavaliers' actual weakness lies up front where Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley struggled to hold ground during their conference finals loss to the eventual champion New York Knicks.

Miami, by contrast, presents a more straightforward opportunity for James at this stage of his career. The Heat recently acquired two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, and pairing James with Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo would allow him to slot into a complementary role rather than shoulder primary playmaking duties, something he last did successfully during the 2019-20 season with the Lakers.

A former teammate told ESPN that James, soon to turn 42, no longer needs this final stretch of his career to be defined by another championship.

"To be the GOAT, you got to win championships, etc. Now that's settled," said the former teammate. "Now it's about his joy, his happiness. If it ends in a championship, great. But he won't be defined by how this ends."

That same source suggested Miami would allow James to focus purely on playing basketball without added pressure.

"He can play freely," said the source. "He can be Tom Brady late in his career, not worrying about being the hero."