2024-2025 Sixers Season

[xogfog]

The Sixers next season begins next week with the NBA Draft on June 26-27. As of now, the Sixers have the 16th and 41st picks.

ESPN Mock has them taking Jared McCain, PG, Duke at 16 and Pelle Larsson, SG, Arizona at 41.

Free Agency begins on June 30th. The Sixers have only two players under contract (Embiid and Maxey) and they will be trying to add a third star, either through free agency or by trade. They are openly rumored to be interested in Paul George. I'm not opposed to George, there are some problems in that he is often injured (more that Embiid) and he will be 34. However, he might be the best available free agent, and he costs only money. I would be more interested in trading for someone like Mikal Bridges, a younger quasi-star to complement Embiid and Maxey.

As for the 76ers own free agents (Hield, Lowry, Oubre, Covington, Bamba, Harris, Martin, Payne, Batum, Melton), it might depend on who they acquire via free agency or trade as to who they will bring back. I would like Oubre back if the cost is not prohibitive. I have some interest in bringing back Lowry, Payne, Batum and Melton. Obviously Hield, Harris and Bamba are gone. Reed and Counsil, Jr. are on non-guaranteed contracts.

[Austinfan]

The three star model is obsolete, two stars and a strong supporting cast is the way to go given the cap, and the age of most available stars. What they need are athletic role players who can play suffocating defense, spread the money around.

[xogfog]

I agree with you, but your third best player has to be really good, way better than Tobias. The Celtics had Porzingis and Holiday, both probably better than Tobias.

[Patchmk88]

And Derek White too. Celtics are just insanely loaded and got there by ripping team after team off in trades.

I know the three star model doesn't really work anymore, but man if the 76ers could work PG and still have enough room to get another 4 good role players, than I think they have something. Its hard to find three stars that would compliment each other better than Embiid, Maxey, and George.

I say all this from the outside looking in as the 76ers are the one Philly team my family could never convince me to get into. I was a Knicks fan when I was very young, mostly because I shared a first name with Patrick Ewing. Around the early 2000s, I found that I didn't enjoy the NBA as much so didn't religiously watch it or have a favorite team. Then Donovan Mitchell got drafted out of my alma mater and I've become a stan of his and root for whatever team he plays for.

[xogfog]

The Athletic mock draft also has the Sixers taking McCain with the 16th pick.

[bkeich]

I believe they don’t even have Maxey signed. I believe he is a RFA, but we can match any contract offered to him. That is one of the reasons we have so much cap space is it is assumed we will sign someone and then go flying by the cap by signing Maxey via Bird-rights.

Paul Reed is signed for next year.

Dowtin (who?) and Council are also signed, but neither are more than 15th-20th players.

[zambonir]

Yeah Maxey's cap hold will remain small until he's actually signed. They can also waive Reed with no consequences if they need to, his deal only became guaranteed if the Sixers had gotten to the second round.

I agree that while neither Porzingis nor Jrue are a "third star" per se (and technically the Celtics cut loose the guy who was) they are still a lot closer to that than not.

But an equally pertinent question is whether Embiid and Maxey are actually a good enough duo compared to the teams they need to be better than. That's the reason you might need a third star, both still have enough limitations to where merely building the right group around them may not be enough. That's why Butler's still appealing (even despite his own limitations).

[bkeich]

The biggest problem seems to be that Embiid needs to miss the 30-40 games in the middle of the season, not at the end. Somehow they still need to get a top 2 seed and someone else needs to eliminate the Celtics, that the Sixers have no chance of beating in a 7 game series unless the Celtics lose multiple players.

Basically they need to not gift the Celtics the best picks in 2 drafts and have nothing to show for 2 #1 overall picks.

Yea, Time Machine. Need a Time Machine.

[zambonir]

I mean, yeah. All they can do is try but what third player or overall roster actually does get them to "better than Boston" or possibly even "better than the Knicks" (assuming a healthy Randle and they re-sign OG and make their own moves)? And there are plenty of other teams on the Sixers' level too.

My guess is the ultimate answer, assuming George stays in LA and Butler and Bridges aren't traded, is someone else entirely different at the deadline or next year. But it's also possible the right mix of players and a great coach gets them where they need to be to at least compete, assuming Joel doesn't break.

And meanwhile, Joel is extension-eligible in July. Think he'll be quiet about it?

[allentown]

There is nothing they can do to make themselves better than Boston. That is not a realistic goal for this off-season.

[BostonRoss]

Yeah, the Celtics are loaded and mostly pretty young. Only Horford and Holiday are over 30. Why don't we get players like that? Getting Holiday was a steal for them, and while they actually gave up something for Porzingis, that was a perfect fit.

[phillychuck]

If (big IF) Embiid is healthy, they can compete with Boston. Boston doesn't have an answer for Joel. It will be interesting to see who they put around Tyrese and Joel. I think they could win if the combo is right and they are healthy, but that is, as I said , a very big if.

[xogfog]

Boston does have an answer for Joel, they triple team him and dare someone else to beat them, when Simmons was on the team that strategy worked. I think Joel is a better passer now, but we still need people that can make teams pay for double and tripling Embiid. I thought that would have been Hield last year, but not so much...

[phillychuck]

We never saw Heild with a healthy Joel and a chance for them to figure each other's games out.

[zambonir]

There is nothing they can do to make themselves better than Boston. That is not a realistic goal for this off-season.

Is that a realistic goal for the remainder of Joel Embiid's current contract?

[xogfog]

I think the goal for this coming season will be to put a team in place that the main pieces will be together for the next 3-4 years and will have the ability to congeal and become a championship contender and maximize Embiid's window.

[jimbomill]

George, there are some problems in that he is often injured (more that Embiid) and he will be 34.

For those reason, I would pass on George, expecting him to get a lucrative offer from somewhere. I'd be hesitant about a 2-year deal let alone the length he'll be getting.

[zambonir]

Well, yeah only because they have no other choice. Giving up on Joel won't make them better and you'd have to let Maxey go to if you really wanted to rebuild.

But Joel's window right now is only two years if they don't extend him. If he's still at a good enough level they'll have to extend or trade him then anyway, and if he's not he'll pick up the third year player option. So it might be better for the Sixers' cap management and planning to get it done in July. Once the other pieces are in place.

Things change and surprises happen. Maybe the Sixers can still end up like the Phillies. Not many of us thought they could contend after 2020 and 2021, and saw a rebuild coming.

[zambonir]

There's just likely not a better option than George, at least not in the summer probably. It's a given he will get the longest and largest deal the Sixers can offer him (which will still be less than the Clippers can technically give him, though if they were eager to do so he wouldn't be perceived as available).

Jimmy Butler, same issues. But Joel's window makes everything short-term.

There are scenarios where if the Sixers whiff on these kind of names they end up repeating the Tobias mistake with an overinflated deal for a merely above average player.

(Edit: missed this yesterday)

The Philadelphia 76ers' interest in pursuing Paul George has significantly waned in recent days, and the franchise is expected to be aggressive elsewhere with its salary cap flexibility and draft capital leading into next week’s NBA Draft, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium .

— Shams Charania ( @ShamsCharania ) June 20, 2024

[VoteForKalas]

Sad to see the Celtics win the ring and come full circle on how badly Harris and father/son Colangelos ruined the process, damaging the 76ers in ways we still have not overcome.

However it plays out with Embiid, Maxey & Co., we are working with a flawed hand due to Harris' continued ownership and bad decisions.