Updated

Updated · PhillyVoice.com · Jul 28

LeBron James’s NYC-Philly Helicopter Commute Could Cost $804,000 a Year on $8 Million Sixers Deal

Updated

Updated · PhillyVoice.com · Jul 28

LeBron James’s NYC-Philly Helicopter Commute Could Cost $804,000 a Year on $8 Million Sixers Deal

Q: How will the 76ers slash their roster to clear hard cap space for LeBron's bizarre transit-heavy contract?

The 76ers’ practical fix is to cut or move a small salary, not dismantle the roster. The hard-cap issue is narrow: LeBron James’ reported two-year veteran-minimum deal counts at his full first-year salary, about $3.9 million, because the NBA’s veteran-minimum reimbursement applies to one-year minimum deals, not this two-year structure. Philadelphia is already hard-capped at the first apron after its offseason moves, including using the non-taxpayer mid-level exception and taking on more money in the Jaylen Brown trade. That left the team only a few million below the apron, so adding James as structured would have pushed it slightly over the line. The cleanest path, widely identified in cap reporting, was waiving Dalen Terry, whose roughly $2.6 million contract was fully non-guaranteed. That move alone created enough room to fit James under the apron. That is in fact what happened: the Sixers waived Terry, and James’ signing was later reflected on the league transaction log. If Philadelphia wants more breathing room afterward, Jabari Walker is another lever because only a small portion of his deal is guaranteed. The club could also explore a minor trade or leave the 15th roster spot open, then fill it later with a prorated minimum contract during the season. So the answer is that the Sixers do not need a major roster purge for James’ unusual, commute-heavy arrangement. They needed a modest cap-clearing move, and Terry’s waiver was the obvious and executed solution.

3 articles · Updated · PhillyVoice.com · Jul 28

$804,000 is the estimated regular-season cost if LeBron James commutes by helicopter from New York to Philadelphia for 41 home games and 26 home practices.
That estimate assumes 67 round trips at about $12,000 each on a charter service that says a one-way flight starts at $6,000 and takes 40-50 minutes.
The expense would equal roughly one-fifth of James's $3.9 million first-year salary under the two-year, $8 million veteran-minimum contract he signed with the Sixers.
Weather delays, tax costs and local opposition to nonessential helicopter traffic could complicate the plan, even though James could also buy a helicopter or split time between New York and the Philadelphia area.
The commuting debate remains speculative: NBA insiders have said James may live outside Philadelphia, and his first official Sixers appearance is not expected until media day in late September.