The Denver Nuggets obviously weren't the only team hoping to land LeBron James. In fact, one of the favorites to land LeBron was fellow Western Conference rival, the Minnesota Timberwolves. Thankfully, that won't be happening because LeBron chose to go east and sign with the Philadelphia 76ers. And honestly, that's close to the best-case scenario as it gets for the Nuggets, as their dream of landing the generational talent drifts off into the sunset.
Without LeBron in the Western Conference, the West is at least a little bit easier to navigate. And not signing with the Timberwolves is the cherry on top of that. So at least there's that, right?
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, 2026
Shams Charania broke the news that LeBron will be signing a two-year, $8 million contract with the 76ers. It's a tough blow to the Nuggets' hopes to massively upgrade the roster, but at least it's softened by LeBron returning to the Eastern Conference. One less superstar in the West isn't such a bad thing. The San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder will be difficult enough to get past on the way to the Finals.
The Nuggets lost a great chance to upgrade. Back to the drawing board
LeBron would have been a massive upgrade to the Nuggets roster. He could have backed up Jamal Murray when Murray was off the court, providing better ball control than any option the Nuggets had when Murray was off the court last year. As it stands, it looks like another full plate for Murray again this season, too.
The pick-and-roll with Nikola Jokic would have been amazing to watch. Not to mention watching them work the passing game together. James would have done nothing but help the Nuggets find more open shots in a lineup that was full of open shots last year. And his downhill, athletic game would have helped overcome a deficiency in an area the Nuggets could have greatly used against the Timberwolves in the first round of the playoffs.
Now what? Will the Nuggets decide to make a trade, or are they going to just continue with the same core and a few different fringe changes? It seems like the fringe changes are going to be all we get. The Nuggets haven't made Cameron Johnson available, but they are listening to big offers for a Peyton Watson sign-and-trade.
But that would only likely restock draft capital, and it wouldn't improve the Nuggets next year. With LeBron off the board, the options to upgrade are bleak. At least the Nuggets wouldn't have to face him in the playoffs until the Finals now. It's a silver lining even though the Nuggets missed out.
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