Nets miss out on Sixers' LeBron James, but will face him more often

The Brooklyn Nets began the 2026 NBA offseason with the goal of improving the team as much as possible following a 2025-26 season in which they finished with a lowly 20-62 record. Brooklyn likely had some lofty goals, such as hoping future Hall-of-Famer LeBron James would choose them to be his next team, but the good news is that the Nets will be seeing James more often anyway.

>ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania reported on Friday that James signed with the Philadelphia 76ers on a two-year, $8 million deal with the second year being a player option. James, who left the Los Angeles Lakers this offseason as he was looking for a different team to potentially end his accomplished career after spending the past eight seasons with the Lakers.

>James, 41, is coming off a 2025-26 season in which he averaged 20.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 7.2 assists per game while shooting 51.5% from the field and 31.7% from behind the three-point line. While that was technically James' worst statistical season since his rookie season, he still finished the campaign with being named an All-Star for the 22nd straight time in his career.

>Throughout most of James' free-agency, the reporting around the league suggested that James was willing to consider any team given that he was looking for the best opportunity for him to win to end his career. While the Nets were likely far down the list for James given that Brooklyn is still in the early stages of its rebuild, there was some hope that he would spend the final days of his career playing at Barclays Center.

>With James signing with the 76ers, Brooklyn should be able to face James four times over the course of the 2026-27 campaign, meaning that Nets fans, along with all other fans, have at least two chances to see him play in person. In the end, James may have never been seriously considering the Nets, but even with his choice to join Philadelphia, Brooklyn will now have to prepare to face him more often than usual.

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BREAKING: LeBron James is signing with the Philadelphia 76ers on a two-year, $8 million deal with a player option, Klutch Sports Group and Klutch CEO and Game Over show host Rich Paul tells ESPN. pic.twitter.com/ALOlTkgdAV

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 24, 2026This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: Nets miss out on Sixers' LeBron James, but will face him more often