Los Angeles Lakers: Will Sixers scandal impact LeBron FA decision

Could the scandal involving Bryan Colangelo and the Philadelphia 76ers impact the Los Angeles Lakers free agency plans with LeBron James?

The Los Angeles Lakers have been keeping an eye on a developing story in the NBA. In the midst of LeBron James‘ incredible playoffs run, another story has emerged that has taken over the NBA.

News coming out of Philadelphia is that General Manager, Bryan Colangelo, may be ousted in coming days. This story has taken hold of the NBA world. It has served as a distraction from the fourth showdown of the Warriors and Cavaliers.

Last week, a report was published by The Ringer. The report claimed that Sixer’s GM, Bryan Colangelo, was using fake “burner” accounts on Twitter. The accounts were used to criticize various team officials, players and former executives Colangelo had worked with.

Among these criticisms were leaks of confidential information, including players’ health. Since the revelation, the Sixers have launched an internal investigation. They even announced yesterday that they were hiring an independent law firm to investigate the claims against Colangelo.

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Colangelo was accused of running five different burner accounts. Each account was highly critical of Sixers staff and players. Many of these tweets have since been deleted, with some of the accounts being deleted now as well.

Recent updates include an emerging story-line that Colangelo’s wife was running the burner accounts. All of this could have big consequences for Colangelo himself, as his dismissal from the team is being discussed.

Meanwhile, LeBron James trails the Golden State Warriors 2-0 in the NBA Finals. Though coming back from 2-0 in the infamous 2016 NBA Finals, it does not look like James will be able to pull it off this year. The growing consensus among fans and league executives alike is that LeBron plans to leave Cleveland via free agency this summer.

Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer had this to say back in March about LeBron’s free agency plans.

"“I’ve consistently heard from multiple league sources that LeBron currently has only four teams on his list: the Cavaliers, Lakers, Rockets, and 76ers.”"

With the Sixers being a potential landing spot for LeBron, it’s curious to see if this current scandal with Colangelo will affect the King’s plans. The Sixers may believe that Colangelo’s presence hurts their chances with LeBron. If so, Colangelo’s firing might keep the Sixers in the LeBron sweepstakes.

Even though he’s in the midst of the NBA Finals, James found time to make a joke about the Sixers’ situation.

LeBron is known for being a player that likes to be involved heavily with his front office. He has had tenuous relationships in the past with ownership, most notably with Cavs owner Dan Gilbert. Though, LeBron has been at his best and thrived when he has a GM working on the same page as him (see David Griffin, Pat Riley).

If LeBron feels that Colangelo is not a trustworthy GM who LeBron can talk to candidly and privately, LeBron may pass on signing with Philadelphia if the team decides to retain Colangelo. In this scenario, the Lakers would become a very attractive option for LeBron. They are the only other team James has identified with enough cap room for James to sign a max deal outright.

Next: 10 Greatest Free Agent Signings In Lakers History

Though, July 1st is awhile from now. However, as this Sixers scandal continues to drag on, expect the Lakers’ chances to acquire James increase.