Veteran forward LeBron James sent Philadelphia 76ers fans into a tizzy last week when he said that his free-agency decision will boil down to “trusting the process” and that he wants to join a franchise that shares his motto.
Subsequently, a report claimed that James met with Sixers majority owner Josh Harris over the weekend, albeit only for a brief conversation.
The buzz of James potentially joining the Sixers only heightened when Andscape’s Marc Spears relayed what an NBA head coach told him recently.
“I did hear, as one NBA head coach — this is just the latest whatever I’ve heard — said Philly, Cleveland or Golden State is what they heard,” Spears said on ESPN’s NBA Today. “And that’s what I heard, the latest thing, which means nothing.”
LeBron James Free Agency: Sixers Out?
In a blunt update, agent Rich Paul urged Sixers fans to hold their horses, clarifying that James’ “trust the process” remark was by no means a hidden hint.
“That’s a negative thing. That’s not a positive thing,” Paul said of the Sixers using the “Trust the Process” motto during their tanking years in the mid-2010s.
“Trust the process wasn’t a positive thing for an organization; that’s the worst thing you could do…trust the process was a negative thing — it’s the worst thing you could do for an organization. Where’s the value in that?” he added on his “Game Over” podcast.
“That’s a negative thing. That’s not a positive thing. Trust the process wasn’t a positive thing for an organization, that’s the worst thing you could do…trust the process was a
LeBron James Free Agency Drags On
On the same podcast, Paul stressed that James was “in no rush” and remained in deep deliberation. Addressing Adam Silver’s comments about the 41-year-old delaying next season’s schedule, Paul maintained that James isn’t tied to any timeline.
“We’re not going to be rushed,” Paul said on Monday, via ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.
“We’re not going to be rushed. It’s his choice to make and when he makes the choice, he’ll make it.”
Over the past few weeks, the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat, Golden State Warriors and Sixers have all been named as favorites to land James at one point or another. Notably, the Heat surpassed the Cavs as the betting favorites this past week.
Paul addressed the flurry of reports and speculation rather bluntly.
“These people don’t know anything,” Paul said.
“I don’t know when his choice is going to be made, but it could be 48 seconds [from now]. It could be 48 minutes. I don’t know. Again, you can’t make somebody know something that they don’t know.”
Paul further dismissed the idea that James and his camp are intentionally holding free agency hostage with their deliberate pace.
“I think it’s important for people to understand: We’re not making this about attention and a spectacle,” Paul said.
“It’s not about a ‘Decision’ or anything like that. He has a choice to make. He has a business choice to make. We’re not going to sit here and decide or allow someone else to decide when he makes that decision. … It’s a business choice that he’s making. And I think as an athlete, why is it that an athlete has to rush his choice?”
Philadelphia 76ers Get Brutal News on LeBron James Free Agency