Once the Lakers lost in the playoffs, the entire focus shifted to LeBron James. He has the choice of either re-signing with the Purple and Gold or choosing another destination to set camp. All reports pointed at the King staying in the City of Angels. Right then, a photo went viral. From the looks of it, he was sitting with the Philadelphia 76ers head coach Nick Nurse and Daryl Morey. Everyone widely assumed that they attempted to make a home run play with James, as they have been linked in the past. But was he really there?

The WIP Morning Show was among the first to talk about the image. It saw Nurse, Morey and another staff member with someone who looked a lot like the 20-time All-Star. As it turns out, that indeed isn’t the Lakers forward, as confirmed by Spike Eskin. And the radio host didn’t leave much room for speculation. “The photo that the @WIPMorningShow is talking about with Daryl Morey is not him with LeBron. It is Daryl, Elton Brand, Nick Nurse and Josh Harris at the Four Seasons. Per source with knowledge of the situation. I am 100% confident”, he wrote on X.

It isn’t at all shocking that LeBron James didn’t meet any representatives. It would go against the league’s tampering policy as the NBA Finals still haven’t concluded and most importantly, the free agency period hasn’t begun. No talks with free agents can be held until the day after the postseason is finished. If found guilty, the player could face a suspension and a team could have to pay hefty fines.

The Philadelphia 76ers have been penalized for this offense in the past. They had spoken to PJ Tucker and Daniel House before the window began in 2022. As punishment, Adam Silver stripped them of their 2023 and 2024 second-round draft picks. There was also speculation that it was the same case when the franchise resigned James Harden, however, there was no “wrongdoing” in that deal.

Morey has been trying to recruit LeBron James for a long time!

If the presented image had LeBron in it, this isn’t the first Hail Mary that Morey has attempted in his efforts to acquire James. His latest efforts came during the NBA Trade deadline. There were reports of Bron feeling unrest in LA at the mid-season. Morey has been behind the 4x MVP for years. So when an opportunity came to unite him with Tyrese Maxey with Joel Embiid injured, he didn’t hesitate.

He picked up the phone and called Rob Pelinka. His inquiries were cut short by the Lakers GM. Pelinka reportedly asked for Embiid in exchange, putting an end to the conversation.

Currently, the Sixers are among the teams with ample cap space to offer LeBron James a max contract. Brian Windhorst believes Daryl Morey will push the gas on his pursuit of James. “Daryl Morey has been trying to sign LeBron for a decade now, multiple different opportunities. And of the teams that have a chance to win the championship next year, the only team with cap space that could offer LeBron a max contract is the 76ers. Other teams could do sign-and-trades, but the Lakers wouldn’t have to cooperate,” he claimed.

Windhorst concluded by saying the Sixers remain “threats”.