Vince Carter thinks the 76ers with LeBron James are going to be stacked.
The 76ers and LeBron James agreed Friday to the NBA’s veteran minimum on a two-year deal, capping off a major overhaul to their roster this offseason.
“That’s cheating,” Carter said one day before James was added by Philly on the show “Cousins with Vince Carter & Tracy McGrady.”
Carter clarified by saying, “That’s cheating if he goes there, because he doesn’t have to do much to still be him.”
Carter noted that the 76ers are loaded on a roster that will include Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid, Jaylen Brown and V.J. Edgecombe.
Philadelphia also added Labaron Philon Jr. at No. 22 overall in the draft while also bringing in Dean Wade, Anfernee Simons, and former Knicks center Ariel Hukporti.
The 76ers are also expected to bring back Adem Bona, Dominick Barlow, Dalen Terry, Johni Broome and Justin Edwards, who will provide depth on the roster.
Instead of asking the 41-year-old James to carry a franchise, Philadelphia can deploy him alongside Embiid, Brown, Maxey and Edgecombe.
James averaged 20.9 points, 7.2 assists and 6.1 rebounds last season with the Lakers, proving he’s still an All-Star-caliber player in production, not just in name.
James was also the Lakers’ most effective player in the playoffs last season, averaging 23.2 points, 7.3 assists and 6.7 rebounds, leading Los Angeles to a Round 2 appearance, where they were without Luka Doncic and had Austin Reaves for six of 10 games.
The Sixers now feature one of the NBA’s deepest collections of proven talent, with a former MVP center in Embiid, one of the league’s fastest young guards in Maxey, an All-NBA-caliber wing in Brown and arguably the greatest player in league history in James.
The 76ers have immediately been bet up to being one of the favorites in the Eastern Conference, along with the Knicks.
Although the 76ers will likely not have James and Embiid for portions of the season due to expected injury management and possible actual ailments, given James’ age and Embiid’s history.
James missed 22 games last season, while Embiid hasn’t played at least 40 regular-season games since 2022-23 and has often faced injuries during the playoffs, as he did this past spring.
