Landing LeBron means that the 76ers need to make this trade

Wow. After weeks of speculating, we finally know where LeBron James is going next. And man, did nobody see this one coming. For his final destination, James will be executing his swan song with the Philadelphia 76ers, despite it seeming like he was leaning more towards either the Miami Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors.

There is so much to unpack from this transaction. James chose the 76ers rather than returning to his old stomping grounds in Miami or Cleveland, or teaming up with Stephen Curry in Golden State. He took an insane paycut (which, too be fair, many people expected he would do).

However, for the sake of this post, I want to focus on one specific element of this transaction: the deal the 76ers need to make now that they have The King.

The 76ers need to trade Joel Embiid

Many people will look at this deal and immediately think about all the star capital the 76ers now wield. Along with James, their current projected starting lineup includes: Tyrese Maxey (an All-NBA guard), VJ Edgecombe (a burgeoning two-way force), Jaylen Brown (an NBA Champion and Finals MVP), and Joel Embiid (a former MVP).

But what I see is a team of offensive-first players who, when all together, don't give you all the little things that you need to win an NBA championship. Namely, spacing, defensive versatility, and scrappiness.

As the New York Knicks showed us last season, you can't win a championship (which is ostensibly this team's goal after making this move) without lineups that balance each other out. Yes, they had stars like Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns. But they also had a strong cast of role players in OG Anunoby (who may also be a star at this point), Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart, Mitchell Robinson, Landry Shamet, etc., to fill in the gaps for those two.

Looking at the 76ers, they have some of those guys (Dean Wade, Ariel Hukporti, Dominick Barlow, Adem Bona), but none of those players are good enough to truly warrant closing a game with over one of those five players. So, what the 76ers need to do is trade one of those five players to give themselves more of those soft skills and opportunities for achieve perfect lineup cohesion.

But who do they trade? Maxey and Edgecombe are young enough to represent the 76ers' present and future. Meanwhile, Brown and James just got here, so no way either of them is going to be moved. That leaves Embiid -- the longest-tenured member of the team, and the man who basically gave rise to The Process all those years ago.

Embiid was once one of the very best players in our league, and when he's healthy he's still capable of reaching a version of that in spurts. However, he is hardly ever healthy anymore (failing to reach the 40 games played mark in each of his last three seasons). Besides, even when he is on the floor, his style isn't what this team needs.

This team needs a big who is capable of finishing plays around the rim when the other four guys are getting touches in the paint. Embiid has never really been much of a lob guy, preferring to operate out of face-ups in the mid-post or on the block against weaker opponents. Over the last few years, he's learned how to play more out of dribble handoffs, but that isn't really Brown or James' forte.

On defense, Embiid is still one of the better paint protectors in the game, but his loss in mobility prohibts him from being a defense unto himself, and sometimes it can even make him a target against squirly guards.

The 76ers need a low-usage, high-energy five man to round out this lineup. And that simply is not what Embiid is, even when he is healthy. Therefore, they need to find a way to trade him to a team in exchange for a player who better fits that description (a flawed 3-and-D wing would also be a nice throw-in).

There is one big issue with that, though. Embiid has arguably the worst contract in basketball. So, finding a potential suitor will be tricky. Fortunately, the 76ers did not have to give up any assets outside of money to get James -- giving them a little more leeway to maneuver a deal like this.

It is also worth noting that there was some reporting prior to this that James would not come to Philadelphia unless Embiid was traded, meaning that maybe something is already in the works. But then again, no one actually thought he was going to the 76ers before today, so who knows what information we can trust anymore.

Will the 76ers actually part ways with their franchise icon? If I had to bet, I'd say probably not. The box office appeal of all those guys playing together is too much to pass up without at least giving it a chance.

But one thing is forsure, if the 76ers want to win big this season, they need to find a way to get Embiid on a different team.

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