The Philadelphia 76ers announced today that they are parting ways with general manager Bryan Colangelo. His dismissal and the possible successor could greatly increase Philly’s chances, and decrease the Los Angeles Lakers changes, at landing LeBron this summer.
The Los Angeles Lakers and all basketball plans saw the end to a wild story this afternoon. In a surprising move early today, the Philadelphia 76ers and general manager Bryan Colangelo mutually agreed to part ways.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski was the first to report the story. Colangelo’s dismissal comes on the heels of an internal investigation the 76ers conducted. The investigation explored several Twitter “burner” accounts reportedly linked to Colangelo.
Philadelphia and Bryan Colangelo have agreed to part ways, league sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 7, 2018
Colangelo’s future with the 76ers was uncertain. Team officials expected to announce their decision on his termination by the middle of this week. It appears now that the 76ers have completed their internal investigation. They have decided to move on without Colangelo, accepting his resignation.
This is a shocking move considering the big summer the 76ers have on the horizon. Both Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons have emerged as All-star caliber players for the franchise. With both still on rookie-scale contracts, the Sixers find themselves with huge cap availability. This flexibility will serve them well with a marquee class of free agents this summer, headlined by LeBron James.
So how does this affect LeBron?
It is not certain yet if most of Colangelo’s front office team will leave with him in the immediate aftermath. If so, Philly must make quick steps to retool their staff to prepare for a busy summer.
Philly is focused on pitching their franchise to LeBron James in the coming months. However, they have six draft selections to worry about as well later this month. After that, they have a few free agents to consider re-signing, including sharpshooter JJ Redick.
To prepare for the high level of activity the front office will have this summer, the organization must quickly re-assign duties.
Following Wojnarowski’s tweet, fellow ESPN insider, Rachel Nichols, quickly put out her own tweet. She proposed a front office change that the 76ers should consider if they are truly interested in LeBron’s services this summer.
So...how quick does the David Griffin interview get set up? https://t.co/WUlWSzyEpR
— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) June 7, 2018
David Griffin is the former Cavaliers GM that LeBron worked with to win the 2016 NBA title. David Griffin and James had a very strong working relationship. Griffin helped to re-shape Cleveland’s roster multiple times to outfit James with a competitive team.
Prior to the 2017-18 season, Griffin left the team. His presence in Philly’s front office could help their chances of signing LeBron this summer.
For franchises he plays for, LeBron is heavily involved in front office decisions. Working once again with Griffin could be a very influential factor in determining James’ next team. Though Rachel Nichols was purely speculating, it is completely reasonable to expect Philly to reach out to Griffin in the coming hours.
The organization must turn-around their front office quickly to prepare for the summer. As reported by CBS Sports, Brett Brown will serve on an interim basis as President of Basketball Operations.
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If Rachel Nichols is correct to assume that the 76ers will reach out to David Griffin, then the 76ers chances at acquiring LeBron have greatly increased.