The Miami Heat were viewed as the favorites to sign former Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, at least according to the NBA odds. Things took a major turn when James announced his decision to sign with the Philadelphia 76ers rather than a return to either the Heat or Cleveland Cavaliers.
What went into James’ decision to pass on a South Beach reboot? James clearly viewed the Sixers as a top potential NBA title contender, but the star passing on the Heat may have been more complicated.
Yahoo Sports’ Kevin O’Connor reported that Giannis Antetokounmpo was not making a strong recruiting pitch for James to sign with the Heat. Meanwhile, the 76ers stars like Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid and Jaylen Brown were all pushing James to join the squad.
“But I think it bodes well that these guys all recruited him and wanted him to be there,” O’Connor explained in a July 24, edition of “The Kevin O’Connor Show.” “Whereas with Miami, Giannis Antetokounmpo really wasn’t recruiting LeBron James nearly as hard.
“And so I think with the rosters, Philly’s rosters is better than Miami. (With) Miami (James) wasn’t getting recruited as much by their star player.”
Let’s dive into the latest NBA rumors and news on why James passed on the Heat.
Heat Rumors: LeBron James Preferred the 76ers Roster to the Heat’s Lineup
Chances are if James really viewed the Heat as the top team, the star would have signed with Miami over Philadelphia, regardless of Antetokounmpo’s silence. Take the Golden State Warriors for example, Steph Curry and Draymond Green heavily recruited James, both publicly and privately.
Yet, James still opted for the 76ers over the Warriors. While Antetokounmpo’s lukewarm recruitment did not do the Heat any favors, James’ decision likely had more to do with the differences between the Miami and Philadelphia rosters.
“They (Heat) lack a lot of shooting,” O’Connor added. “They need a lot more shooting for that team to have great success.
“They need more ball handling and creation as well. LeBron alone wasn’t going to help out there entirely. They needed more in that category too. And they have no draft capital.”
Giannis Antetokounmpo Surprisingly Passed on Recruiting LeBron James to the Heat Before 76ers Decision
Antetokounmpo’s lack of a recruiting push for James was not a surprise. Days before James’ announcement, the Heat’s newest superstar publicly revealed that he had no plans to speak with James.
“I don’t think I’ll pitch anything to him,” Antetokounmpo told CBS Miami’s Mike Cugno during a July 20, interview. “I feel like in his career he’s always made good decisions. That’s what the history has shown. Everywhere that he’s been, he’s won.
“If he believes that the Miami Heat organization is a good decision for him and his family, he should make that decision. He’s one of the greatest players to play this game, if not the greatest.”
Amid an NBA free agency battle that appeared to be so close, Antetokounmpo’s decision to pass on being part of the King James sweepstakes still appears to be regrettable. That is unless Antetokounmpo truly did not want to play with James.
If so, it looks like the Heat star just got his wish as Miami goes back to the drawing board.
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