Kevin Durant Shares Honest Thoughts on LeBron James Joining the 76ers as His 4th NBA Team in 24 Years

LeBron James is heading into Year 24 on a fourth NBA team. He left Los Angeles, passed on going home to Cleveland, and signed a veteran-minimum deal in Philadelphia. Kevin Durant has now offered his verdict on what that choice creates.

Kevin Durant on how the 76ers are going to be with LeBron James.

“He understands how to put a winning basketball team together. He’s been in the league for 24 years. He should know how to understand how to do that,” Durant said on Boardroom (h/t) NBA Courtside. “And then he knows how to put himself in position to be successful. And I feel like for him to take a minimum says a lot about his mindset and how he’s going to come into the team.”

Durant’s second point was about roles. Philadelphia already has Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Jaylen Brown. VJ Edgecombe is in the mix. That group cannot run four isolation first options every night.

“They need a connector of guys… somebody that understands like, all right, everybody’s not going to average 25 points on this team," he added. "But it’s going to be nights you going to be the man. It’s going to be nights where you got to be the second guy, but it’s going to be moving parts throughout the whole season. Everybody’s role is going to change. And I think LeBron understands that.”

The move is James’ fourth stop after Cleveland, Miami and the Lakers. The contract is the smallest of his career relative to his stature, a two-year veteran-minimum pact that cleared cap space and sent a message about hierarchy.

Durant also placed the Sixers move against James’ earlier experiments at stacking talent. He noted that some of those rosters were broken up and still reached the Finals.

Embiid’s health and Maxey’s usage have often pulled the offense in two directions. Brown’s arrival added another high-usage wing. A veteran who has already won as the first option, the facilitator and the closer gives the coaching staff an organizer when those roles collide.

Kevin Durant Says LeBron James’ Minimum Deal Shows How the 76ers Will Actually Work

Durant predicted that James will organize the usage. Embiid still needs the paint. Maxey still needs the ball. Brown still needs two-way minutes. James’ value, as Durant described it, is knowing when to take over and when to become the second or third option without any locker room division.

That is why the minimum deal matters. A 24-year veteran joining his fourth team could have chased the largest remaining check or the easiest reunion. James took the smaller number. Durant said that choice tells you how he plans to walk into the building.