NBA rumors: LeBron meets with 76ers owner, Trey Murphy trade waiting on LeBron

Most of the NBA's offseason business is in the rearview mirror, but the league is still capable of interesting transactional dynamics. In fact, the Atlanta Hawks moved former No. 1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher on Sunday in a three-team deal that also saw a title contender shed salary when the Oklahoma City Thunder shipped out Lu Dort in exchange for draft capital. Beyond that, the league is still waiting on LeBron James, which brings us to a trio of rumors to dissect.

LeBron has an interesting meeting

In a piece published on Sunday, NBC Sports Philadelphia reports that Philadelphia 76ers owner Josh Harris "had a brief and friendly conversation with James on Friday, July 17, during a VIP event at the Fanatics Fest in New York." It is notable that this was not a specifically set aside meeting in another venue, but the 76ers are widely understood to be one of the real players in the LeBron sweepstakes.

Beyond the interaction with Harris, NBC Sports Philadelphia also notes, via a source, that "Harris — along with Sixers players Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid and Jaylen Brown — have all let James know that they would love to have him join the team and that the city of Philadelphia would welcome him with open arms." This comes as no surprise given that James would (still) make any team better in 2026, but one of the potential concerns in Philadelphia would be a perceived lack of on-ball involvement for James. This could assuage those concerns, and Philadelphia's healthy starting lineup would be quite formidable if James was added to it in the coming days.

Could a Trey Murphy trade be waiting on LeBron?

In the days leading up to the 2026 NBA Draft, there were loud whispers about the New Orleans Pelicans taking calls on Trey Murphy. In the end, the Pelicans held onto the talented forward, in part because of a rumored sky-high asking price for Murphy, who has three years of team control remaining. However, John Hollinger of The Athletic wrote over the weekend that "chatter about a Trey Murphy trade, while lessened, hasn’t vanished and is one of many potential pieces of league business that could resurface once LeBron James’ next destination becomes clear."

Part of this could be simply be that a lot of league business is "on hold" for LeBron at this stage, but there is also a school of thought that a team that does not get James could then turn to Murphy. Obviously, James and Murphy are very different players, but they are at least positionally similar and Murphy would fit almost anywhere given his shooting prowess and relatively modest contract.

Daniel Gafford could still be on the move

The Dallas Mavericks made an interesting splash in adding former No. 1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher, and they didn't have to give up much to do so, instead taking him into a trade exception. Dallas could be close to "standing pat" with a crowded frontcourt, but the Mavericks are also "still fielding offers" on veteran center Daniel Gafford, according to the latest reporting from Marc Stein.

Gafford is a solid, starting-caliber center, but he is under contract for three years and $54 million. Plus, the center will be 28 years old when the season begins, and there is at least a reasonable argument that he may have more valuable to a different team than he does to the current construction in Dallas. At the same time, Gafford isn't a huge value on his current deal and, in previous transaction cycles, the Mavericks have asked for first-round capital in exchange for Gafford before being rebuffed at every turn.

Dallas recently matched an offer sheet on Moussa Cisse, keeping him as a third center behind Gafford and the oft-injured Dereck Lively. The Mavericks also have a recent lottery investment in combo big Morez Johnson, to go along with Santi Aldama, Risacher, and, of course, Cooper Flagg.

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