With the Boston Celtics cakewalking their way to the NBA Finals, one can’t help but reflect on the seven other playoff teams that couldn’t make the cut in the decimated Eastern Conference. The Pacers and Magic, both brimming with youthful potential, still need reinforcements. The Cavaliers and Knicks, both plagued by injuries, were always more pretenders than contenders. The Heat and Bucks, both victims of aging rosters and injury woes, find themselves in need of something fresh.
And then there’s the Philadelphia 76ers. Yet again, they crumbled in the first round, marking the seventh straight season they have reached the playoffs but lost in the first two rounds. But this season felt different, didn’t it? Joel Embiid was outperforming his MVP campaign from a year before, Tyrese Maxey emerged as an All-Star, and Nick Nurse’s system had the team on a blistering 66-win pace when Embiid and Maxey were healthy. But Embiid’s meniscus injury derailed everything, and he and the Sixers never fully recovered.
We’re in the middle of the conference finals, and the Sixers are sitting at home again. How can they get over the hump to play this time next year? Or are they destined to restart the Process?
What Do the Sixers Need?
For all the talk about how superstars win titles, good health and quality depth are also crucial components of the equation. Even great players like Jayson Tatum and Luka Doncic needed the right pieces around them to maximize their potential. Dallas has won every trade in recent years, acquiring Kyrie Irving in an all-time-great buy low before last season and adding P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford at the most recent deadline. Boston has assembled a roster of high-caliber players so deep that it can withstand the loss of an All-Star like Kristaps Porzingis. Yes, the Celtics have benefited from the fact that their playoff opponents lost their best players: Jimmy Butler, Donovan Mitchell, and Tyrese Haliburton. Their path has been easy, but it speaks volumes that they’ve managed to waltz through three rounds despite the loss of their starting center.
Contrast that with the Sixers, who plummeted without Embiid this season, playing at a miserable 30-win pace in his combined absences. As good as Maxey was all year, he couldn’t help the Sixers stay afloat by himself. Even more support will be needed in the years to come. (Sorry, Buddy Hield isn’t getting it done.) Embiid, now 30, adds to his list of injuries nearly every year. The Sixers can’t just aim to build a solid roster around Embiid; they must construct a team capable of thriving without him, whether it’s because of an absence or load management. Otherwise, they’ll just keep risking low seeding and grueling paths to the playoffs.
To support Tatum and Jaylen Brown, Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens shrewdly targeted undervalued assets like Porzingis and Derrick White. Then he nabbed Jrue Holiday, who surprisingly became available last summer after the Bucks reshuffled. Stevens executed the classic championship strategy, much like Milwaukee once did with Holiday and Denver did with Aaron Gordon: build a robust supporting cast for your stars by turning other teams’ starters into star role players. This is the blueprint for any team aspiring to be a title favorite, but no team with an MVP talent has the flexibility the Sixers will enjoy this summer.
The Sixers can create more than $60 million in cap space this offseason; plus, they can deal up to four first-round picks and two pick swaps. With this type of arsenal, Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey is positioned to dramatically reshape the roster around Embiid and Maxey. The question is whether he’ll be able to capitalize on this golden opportunity.
Plan A: Get Paul George
Last week on The Bill Simmons Podcast, I shared that sources around the NBA believe the 76ers have a real chance of signing Paul George this summer. Although George just turned 34, he’s still a tremendous scorer, facilitator, and defender. As The Ringer’s Chris Ryan aptly described him: “The Robin who plays like Batman, he’s capable of MVP-like play, as well as a myriad of complementary contributions.”
Spot-on. One night, George plays like an MVP. The next, he’s an elite 3-and-D role player. This type of versatility is exactly what the Sixers need. They’re looking for another star, but they also need players who can fill various roles. PG-13 is both, which is why sources familiar with Philly’s strategy say he is the team’s plan A in free agency.
I was floored by some of the responses on X and Instagram to my BS Pod appearance: George is the next Tobias Harris. Sign Kentavious Caldwell-Pope instead. George is washed! There will never be a consensus on anything, but I’m surprised Philly fans aren’t over the moon about George’s possibility. He’s never played with a star like Embiid, and the last time he played with a speedy guard like Maxey, he turned in the best basketball of his career in Oklahoma City. Or maybe it’s more simple: Sixers fans are just traumatized by previous failed acquisitions during the Embiid era. But let’s get real—Harris has never been a top 30 or maybe even top 50 player. George, on the other hand, has been one of the league’s best players for a decade and remains a top 25 guy today.
Even if he played a reduced role in Philly’s offense, his knockdown shooting ability is invaluable. George shot 45.4 percent on catch-and-shoot 3s last season, per NBA Advanced Stats. That’s a higher percentage than Harris (36.5) even though George has put up way more attempts per game and faced a higher degree of difficulty; he’s taken a diverse array of shots off movement and garnered more defensive attention than a standstill shooter.
From Roy Hibbert to Steven Adams to Ivica Zubac, George has never played with a center possessing the offensive versatility of Embiid. Together, they could form a potent two-man combination, much like Embiid and Maxey did this past season. George has a deep bag coming off actions like handoffs, off-ball screens, and pick-and-rolls.
George’s demeanor could be an asset in Philadelphia, too. He’s always been willing to defer, whether it was to Kawhi Leonard or Prime Russell Westbrook. In Philly, Embiid is the man. Maxey is the energizer. George could be that chill presence who offers steady buckets on a nightly basis but can also go off on any night he’s feeling it or has the best matchup. Since he is capable of offering so much as a shot creator himself, he could also support Maxey when Embiid is resting or sidelined.
Sure, there’s a possibility that George could go into decline by the end of his next contract. But the Sixers can’t afford to worry about that possible downside. The time to win is now, before Embiid ages further into his 30s and potentially faces the same decline that many players of his height and weight have historically experienced.
George’s Options This Summer
The Sixers can offer George a deal of up to four years and $212 million this summer. The Clippers can give four years and $221 million, but league sources say they haven’t offered George a dollar more than what they paid Leonard: three years, $152.4 million. The annual salaries of the potential Sixers and Clippers contracts are similar; the big difference is the additional year. If the Clippers insist on keeping Leonard as their highest-paid player while retaining long-term cap flexibility with a shorter-term contract, then he would be in the right to review his options and look for more leverage.
So why Philly? So much has been made of location throughout his career. When George wanted out of Indiana, he asked to go to the Lakers since he is a native of Palmdale, California. But the Thunder jumped in and acquired him. And then when it was time to leave OKC, he still wanted to return to Los Angeles. But in the five years since the Clippers first acquired him, life has changed. George is now married, and his wife was born and raised in New York. A move east could be more appealing than it was when he was younger. But would he be willing to move across the country for one additional guaranteed year on his contract?
I’m reminded of a classic quote from Dave Chappelle on whether he regretted leaving Chappelle’s Show and his large Comedy Central contract: “I don’t have $50 million or whatever it was. But say I have $10 million in the bank. The difference in lifestyle is minuscule. The only difference between having $10 million and $50 million is an astounding $40 million. Of course, I would have liked to have that money.”
And George probably would too. It’s possible that the Sixers are being used as leverage by George’s agency, CAA, to secure a longer deal from the Clippers. But if the Sixers do end up putting a huge offer on the table, would Clippers owner Steve Ballmer, one of the richest people on the planet, really balk at George’s asking price as he opens a new arena with no other assets to improve the roster? Would he really let George leave for nothing? I doubt it. George could help L.A. pursue a title, even if he’s more expensive than the front office would prefer. The Clippers could also always re-sign George and trade him down the line, just like they did with Blake Griffin seven months after telling him that he’d be a Clipper for life.
Then again, maybe family, money, and location aren’t the only motivators here. After all, even though he didn’t want to land in Oklahoma City, George did end up re-signing there. Perhaps now, it’s about chasing a championship. If that’s the case, then the argument is in Philadelphia’s favor. George would fit seamlessly alongside Embiid and Maxey, without the positional overlap he has with Leonard. Next season, Embiid (30) and Maxey (24) will be much younger than Leonard (33) and James Harden (35). The Sixers have far more assets, including some of L.A.’s own picks, to bolster the roster, too. And in a much weaker conference, George would have to feel better about his title odds.
Life is certainly good in Southern California, but George must make a decision that will not only write the next chapter of his life but could also define the story of his entire career.
Plan B: The Trade Market
It’s a weak free agent market after George. Unless a surprise is coming, LeBron James is expected to remain with the Lakers. League sources say that OG Anunoby is also expected to remain with the Knicks, although he doesn’t provide the type of scoring punch the Sixers are seeking anyway. Maybe DeMar DeRozan or Miles Bridges would make sense in Philly? Realistically, if George falls through, the Sixers would start looking at trades.
Aside from the pipe dream that Kevin Durant or Jimmy Butler would ask to be dealt directly to Philly, sources familiar with the Sixers’ thinking say that Brandon Ingram is the primary fallback plan. Ingram would have to be acquired in a trade from the New Orleans Pelicans since he’s under contract for $36 million with a 15 percent trade kicker through the 2024-25 season. But the Sixers could absorb him without sacrificing any salary, a major benefit to the Pelicans, who could then operate with cap space and receive draft picks from the Sixers.
For the same reasons the Pelicans are even considering moving Ingram, he would be an imperfect fit for the Sixers. He brings his own set of durability concerns, defensive shortcomings, and offensive inconsistencies. If there’s any “next Tobias Harris” for Philly, it’s Ingram. But he does provide go-to scoring ability, and maybe Embiid and Maxey, two uniquely talented teammates, could unlock him.
Ingram is excellent coming off handoff and screening actions, but the Pelicans don’t have the personnel to feature him at a high frequency in that way like the Sixers could with Embiid. And if Nurse could get him to embrace a shot profile with more 3s and fewer midrange jumpers, then his scoring efficiency could improve.
If both George and Ingram fall through, the Sixers would have to get creative or hope for unexpected opportunities. What if the Timberwolves are looking to escape the second apron and move on from Karl-Anthony Towns? If the Hornets draft a point guard, what would that mean for LaMelo Ball? Is there a way to overpay the Spurs for Devin Vassell? Maybe the Nets would move away from Mikal Bridges, who could return home to Philadelphia and the team that originally drafted him. Or how about making the Jazz an offer for Lauri Markkanen that they can’t refuse? These scenarios might sound far-fetched, but they illustrate the level of creativity the Sixers must employ if they whiff on George. They’re also all pretty random. The roster is empty, and anyone can work with Embiid and Maxey. The Sixers just need talent.
And if a trade for a key player isn’t available to Philadelphia, then league sources expect the Sixers to target players on one- or two-year contracts, like the Indiana Pacers did with Bruce Brown last summer. Brown (along with other assets) was later dealt ahead of the deadline for Pascal Siakam, who helped guide the Pacers to the Eastern Conference finals. Brown’s deal featured a team option in the second season, a structure that enabled the Pacers to remain flexible, which is precisely what the Sixers would be looking for if they go this route. Then, using that hypothetical player’s salary and draft picks, Philly could be the team that trades for the next All-Star who becomes available.
Morey and Nurse are signed through the 2027-28 season, so the Sixers have a lot of time to make this work. But they need to feel urgency because of Embiid’s lack of durability and because of the opportunity that all of this cap space gives them. But after all the hype about retaining cap flexibility and the possibility that they could pursue a star like George, if they stand relatively pat this summer, it would probably cause a riot in Philadelphia.
In the end, what truly matters is how Embiid feels about the Sixers’ future. From what I’ve gathered, he has always wanted to be like Kobe Bryant or Tim Duncan, playing his entire career with one team. But as situations evolve, so do perspectives, and the Sixers need to move fast to arm their future Hall of Famer with the strongest supporting cast he’s ever had—especially as they watch the Celtics effortlessly own a battered East. The pressure is on Philly’s front office to make something happen. The time to win is now.
