LeBron in Philadelphia Chases a Record of 1,074 Wins, and Oklahoma Made Denver Pay 32 Million More

LeBron went to Philadelphia and is immediately chasing a record nobody has reached

After eight seasons in Los Angeles, LeBron James signed a two-year deal with the Philadelphia 76ers and enters his 24th season in the NBA - a record in itself. At 41, he is 27 wins from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's record for the most regular-season wins in league history: Abdul-Jabbar has 1,074, LeBron 1,048. In Philadelphia he will play with Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Jaylen Brown, wearing number 23. The effect was instant - ticket prices quadrupled, and the city is projecting around 400 million dollars in revenue. A player entering his fifth decade still moves the economy of an American city. That is no longer sport, it's an industry with one name.

Curry spoke for the first time: „That's why you don't imagine anything until it happens”

Golden State spent the whole summer looking for a second star alongside Stephen Curry and believed it had a real shot at LeBron. Both Curry and Draymond Green personally tried to convince him. It didn't work. „That's why you don't imagine anything until it happens. There are a lot of moving parts,” Curry said. The Warriors will now have to patch the roster with smaller moves - DeMar DeRozan is being mentioned - while Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody come back from serious knee injuries. Green stayed: he signed a new one-year deal worth 27.7 million dollars after declining a player option of 27.6 million. The club that dictated what the NBA looked like for ten years is now negotiating from the position of a supplicant. Cycles in sport are merciless precisely because they never ask anyone when their turn has come.

Cleveland missed on LeBron, then quickly turned back to Harden

Cleveland was in the running for LeBron's third stint and lost out, so it is now finalising talks with James Harden. According to insider Jake Fischer, the deal won't exceed two guaranteed seasons, and Harden is expected to accept a lower annual salary in exchange for more guaranteed money. He has already declined a player option worth 42.3 million dollars. The numbers behind Cleveland's interest are clear: after the trade that sent Darius Garland to the Clippers, Harden averaged 20.5 points, 7.7 assists and 4.8 rebounds over 26 games, with a career-best 43.5 percent from three. With him in the line-up Cleveland went 19-7 and reached the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since 2018.

Oklahoma made Denver pay 32 million more, without getting anything

This is a move worth studying. Oklahoma City offered a two-year, 12 million dollar deal to restricted free agent Spencer Jones, and Denver had to match it to keep him. The result: the Nuggets' tax bill jumped from around 36 to 68 million dollars, and Nikola Jokić's club became the only one in the league above the so-called second apron, with all the restrictions that follow. Oklahoma got no player, but damaged a direct Western rival without taking on any long-term commitment. Last season Jones played 64 games, averaging 5.5 points and shooting 39.6 percent from three. So much for romance - the modern NBA is played with spreadsheet calculations as much as with a ball.

Rabotnički signed Govens, and Macedonia is still building on other people's years

Here, summer has its own rhythm. Rabotnički confirmed the arrival of American playmaker Darin Govens, who comes from TFT Skopje and is billed as one of the biggest signings for the 2026/27 season. Last season he averaged 11.3 points, 4.7 assists and 3.2 rebounds across 26 games, with a career taking in Iceland, Israel, Greece, Hungary, Belarus, Russia and France. A good move for Gradski Park, no argument. But the pattern is worth noticing: every summer Macedonian clubs lift their level with an imported foreigner, and every summer the list of domestic names entering the rotation stays the same length. If we want a national team, somebody has to count on the second part too.