LeBron to 76ers: Harden, Green, top RFAs now in play
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- LeBron James chose the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday after a 24-day free agency stretch that included multiple live shows and nearly a dozen podcasts from agent Rich Paul with no public update until the announcement.
- The 76ers had emerged as a serious contender for James after trading for Jaylen Brown earlier in the summer, while the Cavaliers, Heat and Warriors were all described as receiving a 'painful snub.'
- Draymond Green is expected to sign a new deal in the $28 million range — close to the player option he declined — while James Harden is positioned for a long-term deal likely worth less annually than the $42.3 million option he turned down, both players having waited to facilitate a potential James signing.
- Jalen Duren, Peyton Watson and Bennedict Mathurin now become the top names on a restricted free agent market frozen by the James delay, with the Lakers' Walker Kessler sign-and-trade (two unprotected firsts and two pick swaps to Utah) setting the benchmark price teams are demanding for sign-and-trade talks.
- The Pistons are 'daring' Duren to find a better offer with no sign of letting him go; the Nuggets are setting Watson's sign-and-trade price at the Kessler package; and the Clippers face an awkward dynamic with Mathurin as they simultaneously eye Watson.
- DeMar DeRozan, Jonathan Kuminga, Bradley Beal, Gabe Vincent, Russell Westbrook, Bruce Brown, Nicolas Batum and Kelly Olynyk are among veterans whose market should reopen now that the James suitors who missed out — Warriors, Cavaliers, Heat — pivot to Plan B targets.
- Philadelphia will likely claim opening night and Christmas Day slate spots with James in the fold, and the NBA can now begin building the 2026-27 schedule after James' decision had held up league-level planning for over three weeks.
Why it matters: Harden and Green sacrificed guaranteed money on player options specifically to leave room for LeBron, so they're now in line for new long-term deals — but with diminished leverage. The Cavaliers, Heat and Warriors must pivot to a thin Plan B market where the Lakers' blockbuster haul for Walker Kessler has set an extraordinarily high price floor (two unprotected firsts and two pick swaps) for any sign-and-trade involving Jalen Duren or Peyton Watson.
