Jason Kidd on Philadelphia: ‘Could be the best team in the East’

Of all the moves that reshaped the NBA this offseason, Jason Kidd believes LeBron James joining the Philadelphia 76ers will ultimately prove to be the most consequential.

The Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer and NBA champion ranked Philadelphia’s acquisition of James slightly ahead of the Miami Heat’s blockbuster trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo.

“I think the one that’s going to stand out—and the one everyone is talking about—is LeBron going to Philadelphia,” Kidd told me during his visit to Manila for NBA House Philippines.

“It automatically puts Philadelphia in the championship conversation. They could be the best team in the East.”

James joins a Philadelphia roster that was already crowded with high-end talent. Joel Embiid remains its interior centerpiece, while Tyrese Maxey averaged a career-best 28.3 points last season and emerged as an All-NBA player.

VJ Edgecombe earned All-Rookie First Team honors after an encouraging debut campaign, while the Sixers also acquired former Finals MVP Jaylen Brown from the Boston Celtics earlier in the offseason.

That gives Philadelphia a potential closing group of James, Embiid, Maxey, Brown and Edgecombe, four established stars surrounding one of the league’s most promising young guards.

“And that’s him at 41 years old, turning 42 during the season,” Kidd said of James. “He still has that power, which is a credit to him. But it’s also a credit to Philadelphia because they have a young backcourt that’s very exciting to watch in Maxey and VJ.”

He averaged a career-low 20.9 points in 2025–26, along with 7.2 assists, and 6.1 rebounds. His 26.2 percent usage rate was also the lowest of his career.

That reduced statistical load, however, may be more encouraging than alarming for Philadelphia.

The Sixers do not need James to score 30 points every night. They need him to organize the offense, create easier opportunities for their scorers, and provide the experience necessary to navigate difficult playoff situations.

Maxey, Brown, and Embiid can carry the scoring burden. Edgecombe can continue developing without being asked to create everything himself. James can spend more possessions operating as the connector between them.

Kidd, one of the greatest playmakers in NBA history, sees that ability to read the game as the part of James’ brilliance that has endured most clearly.

“I would say my game is probably closest to LeBron’s, even though his game is at a different altitude,” Kidd said. “His ability to make plays for his teammates, his basketball IQ, and his understanding of what is going to happen before it happens are all extremely high.”

Embiid’s health has repeatedly shaped the team’s postseason ceiling, and James is entering an unprecedented 24th NBA season. Head coach Nick Nurse must also establish a hierarchy that keeps several high-usage players involved without allowing the offense to become stagnant.

Those are legitimate concerns, but they are also the type of problems contenders would rather have.

Philadelphia has not reached the Eastern Conference finals since 2001. The Sixers were eliminated by the eventual champion New York Knicks in the second round last season, extending a frustrating run of promising teams that could not break through.

James has reached the conference finals 12 times, played in 10 NBA Finals and won four championships. Even at this stage of his career, his presence gives Philadelphia something its recent contenders have lacked: a player who has experienced almost every possible postseason situation.

The Heat surrendered Tyler Herro, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kel’el Ware, Kasparas Jakučionis, and a package of draft capital to land Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis from Milwaukee. They can now build their frontcourt around Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo, giving head coach Erik Spoelstra two of the league’s most versatile defenders.

Antetokounmpo averaged 27.6 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 5.4 assists last season. He also recorded career highs in effective field-goal percentage and true-shooting percentage, continuing to overwhelm defenses around the rim even as Milwaukee missed the playoffs.

Miami has since added Klay Thompson, whose shooting should help create the space Antetokounmpo needs to attack. Portis also provides another capable scorer and rebounder in the frontcourt.

The concern is whether the Heat have enough perimeter creation after surrendering Herro and several young rotation players. Pairing Antetokounmpo with Adebayo could produce one of the NBA’s most punishing defensive units, but Miami must find the correct balance of shooting and ball-handling around them.

That uncertainty may be what separates Kidd’s “1B” from Philadelphia’s “1A.”

“So I think they’re the team,” Kidd said of the Sixers. “That’s the move, that’s 1A. 1B would be Giannis going to Miami. That also puts Miami in the championship conversation.”

Kidd has evaluated James from almost every possible perspective. He helped the Dallas Mavericks defeat James and the Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals, then later coached him as a Lakers assistant and won another championship alongside him in 2020.

Asked whether he ever teased James about the 2011 Finals while they were together in Los Angeles, Kidd said he preferred to let James raise the subject.

“I would never bring that up unless I had to get him upset,” Kidd said. “He would bring it up. I would let him bring it up.”

James’ version of that series was simple: Dallas got lucky.

“And I would just agree with him,” Kidd laughed.

Fifteen years later, Kidd is no longer trying to stop James from winning a championship. He now believes James may have chosen the team best positioned to win the East.