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[Philadelphia 76ers]

What should Nurse’s approach be this offseason?

It’s got to be a tricky position to be in if you’re Sixers head coach Nick Nurse. Heading into a 2025-2026 NBA season where none of us really know how much the team will get out of their Big 3 — Joel Embiid, Paul George and Tyrese Maxey — how might Nurse possibly game plan for whatever wonky conundrum this has become?

The obvious parallel, not from a pure injury standpoint so much as… other reasons, brings to mind the 2021-2022 Brooklyn Nets. In their first go-round, Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving tantalized fans in Round 1 of of the 2021 NBA playoffs, taking out the Boston Celtics in just five games. But then injuries to both Harden and Irving allowed the Milwaukee Bucks to squeek by KD and co.

The next season, KD (knee), Harden (fried hamstrings) and Irving (vaccine status), could barely stack a handful of games before it all blew up. Adding Ben Simmons (mental health/career-altering back injury) sure wasn’t it.

Fast forward, and the Nets blew things up and wound up selecting a league record five total first-round picks back in June’s NBA Draft. The current Nets eventually found their direction, trading all of their All-Stars for future assets or rising stars. The Sixers on the other hand don’t yet know theirs… even if they think they do.

If Embiid can play basketball this season, he’ll be out there in some form or another… always a game-time decision, perhaps. If George can throw back the clock following a knee procedure, that would certainly do wonders for the team still light on the wing. But in mid-August, ESPN Senior Writer Ramona Shelburne offered an interesting nugget for us, on an appearance on “NBA Today:”

“I’ll say this. All the videos I see, all the word I get out of Philly is that Tyrese Maxey, and McCain, and the younger guys in VJ Edgecombe, they’ve all been in the gym all summer long,” Shelburne said. “Embiid, Paul George miss a lot of time last year. That young group, they may not wait. They may not be able to wait.”

Well, if we still don’t know if Embiid will be ready for the start of the season, as our Harrison Grimm warned us Nurse recently hinted a possibility, and we have no idea if he’ll follow up that agonizing pattern from last season (where he’d suit up then need to rest or not play at all), it would make sense for Nurse to design an offense that doesn’t rely on Joel or PG.

Our Josh Grieb pointed that out when Embiid did play last season, he led the team in usage percentage, despite comments prior to the 2024-2025 campaign that he wanted to play more of a facilitating role. He simply needed to make more adjustments he wasn’t prepared to make even as his body failed him. It was weird for both Embiid to even attempt, given how he looked, and it was arguably even weirder for Nurse to greenlight. But Shelburne’s comments that the young core may not wait for Joel and PG could become salient here.

An uptempo brand of ball certainly won’t be very conducive to Embiid’s acclimation. Nor will it be conducive to PG’s return. Yet the idea of featuring those two iso-heavy vets in halfcourt sets when it’s Maxey, VJ Edgecombe and Jared McCain, who will be healthy and in rhythm, would be pretty odd, no? I’d predict there would eventually be tension at best, if they’re even fortunate enough to have that type of stylistic dilema.

If you were Nick Nurse, what type of offensive scheme would you be considering with such massive question marks in the middle and on the wing? And how would you prepare for any potential “whose team is this?” factions? It’s all shaping up to be one unique and bizarre offseason for this team. But at least we can look forward to witnessing Edgecombe, McCain and Maxey soon enough.

Source: https://www.libertyballers.com/76er...this-offseason-sixers-joel-embiid-paul-george

 

[Philadelphia 76ers]

Editor-in-chief mailbag: 25th anniversary of 2000-01 team and camp is around the corner

Hello, friends. Took a week off from the mailbag because of the holiday, but we’re back.

On Monday, the Sixers announced plans to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the 2000-01 team. You’ll recall it was the last Sixers team to make the Finals and the franchise hasn’t even been back to the Eastern Conference Finals since. I’m so glad they’re honoring Allen Iverson and that team by bringing back the black jerseys. It’s something to be excited about despite the uncertainty around the current squad.

So hit me with whatever questions you’ve got. That 2000-01 team happened during my formative years so I love talking about them. But definitely feel free to drop in some questions about 2025-26 with media day and training camp rapidly approaching!

Source: https://www.libertyballers.com/76er...of-2000-01-team-and-camp-is-around-the-corner

 

[Philadelphia 76ers]

Report: Ben Simmons rejected minimum contract from the Knicks

Training camps open around the NBA in a few weeks, but Ben Simmons has yet to find a new home.

On Monday, Marc Stein of The Stein Line reported that the New York Knicks offered Simmons a one-year contract, but he passed on it. Stein added that he “entered the summer hopeful of securing a contract above the minimum” and that the Knicks and Boston Celtics “expressed the most serious interest in Simmons this summer.” On a likely related note, Stein reported late last week that Bernie Lee has “formally removed himself from the [NBPA’s] ledger as Simmons’ agent.”

Stefan Bondy of the New York Post recently reported that Simmons is “questioning whether he even wants to continue playing in the NBA next season.” During a recent Bleacher Report livestream, Jake Fischer added: “For any player who was making max money… it’s hard to accept that you are a veteran-minimum salary player. And that’s just where Ben Simmons is right now.”

That wasn’t the only Simmons-related nugget that Fischer dropped in his livestream, though. He also noted that the Sixers were at least open to a reunion with Simmons after the Brooklyn Nets bought him out in February.

“There had been some overtures, I would say, between Ben Simmons and the Sixers once he was securing a buyout from Brooklyn,” Fischer said. “He still has some friends in the area. I believe his brother was living in Philadelphia for a time. And there was some interest in Philadelphia at that point in time. But I can’t say I have any updated information on the Sixers’ interest in Ben Simmons there. I do think [Joel] Embiid and Ben have repaired that type of fracturing that went down behind the scenes as well.”

It’s worth noting that the Sixers do currently have their $5.7 million taxpayer mid-level exception available and have two open roster spots, although one of them is earmarked for Quentin Grimes. However, if no other team is offering Simmons more than a minimum deal, they shouldn’t dip into their taxpayer MLE to sign him.

It’s hard to believe this, but it’s now been five years since Simmons has played at an All-Star caliber level. After missing the entire 2021-22 campaign amidst his holdout from Philly and a back injury, he has played only 108 games over the past three seasons combined. During that stretch, he averaged only 5.9 points, 5.8 rebounds and 5.8 assists in 23.9 minutes per game. He also shot only 52.4 percent from the free-throw line and attempted only two three-pointers, both of which came during the 2022-23 campaign.

In theory, Simmons still could provide value as a jumbo playmaker off the bench with the defensive chops to not get targeted on that end of the floor. However, the ship has likely sailed at this point on him ever getting back to the form he showed in the late 2010s. Despite what his annual offseason workout videos might suggest, his lack of improvement as a shooter limits him to being an 82-game player. Teams can largely ignore him on offense and shade additional help elsewhere, which would make him a glaring liability in the playoffs.

Simmons’ lack of availability over the past three seasons also doesn’t help his case, particularly when it comes to the Sixers. They’re already dealing with murky health situations both with Paul George and Joel Embiid. The last thing they need is to add another player with a lengthy injury history.

While a Sixers-Simmons reunion might not be on the table, it doesn’t sound like Simmons will be heading either to the Knicks or the Celtics unless he accepts reality and realizes that he’s now a minimum-contract player until he proves otherwise.

Source: https://www.libertyballers.com/nba-...um-contract-knicks-celtics-sixers-joel-embiid

 

[Philadelphia 76ers]

Does Eric Gordon have a place in the Sixers’ crowded backcourt?

You can’t count on a magical trip to the dentist every year.

While it may have been a bit of a surprise to see the Sixers bring Eric Gordon, who’ll turn 37 on Christmas, back for the upcoming season, they really didn’t have much of a choice. Gordon’s player option for the 2025-26 season made him bound to return to the team in some form. The team convinced him to rip up that option and sign a new deal that both gave him a raise and the team a cut to their salary cap.

Like so many members of last year’s team, Gordon will be returning trying to erase a bizarre, injury-riddled season. Brought in as a sharpshooter to space the floor, his tenure as a Sixer could not have gotten off to a worse start. He couldn’t hit the broadside of a barn for the first two months of the season, shooting 27.5% from three-point range. That was a problem given that 62% of his shots come from behind the arc these days, according to Cleaning the Glass.

Then something weird happened. Gordon took some time off in December to get an oral surgery — he had to had his wisdom teeth removed. That ended up costing him more time than expected, 12 days in total, but he returned looking like a totally different player. He would go on to hit 48.8% of his threes after his return, taking 4.3 of them a game. That stretch would only last 20 games though. Gordon suffered a wrist injury in mid-February when the wheels really started to fall off. He opted for surgery and did not appear as the team would spend the rest of the season trying to lose any many games as possible.

The temperature on Gordon in this city is still fairly low despite that hot stretch. A big part of that is he wasn’t helpful to the team at the beginning of last season, the only point there was any room for hope. Even with the evidence that he did not completely fall off as a shooter, his re-signing was not super popular among the fanbase.

The additions to the backcourt also factor into this. Gordon’s season basically ended before the emergence of Quentin Grimes late last year. On top of Tyrese Maxey and Jared McCain, who look like future building blocks for this team, they also drafted another guard with the third overall pick in VJ Edgecombe. While all of those moves fit in with the shift towards youth that Daryl Morey has talked about all offseason, it’s hard to see how a 17-year veteran with an increasingly repetitive skillset fits into that.

In an ideal world, Gordon has a fairly reduced role this season as those four youngsters eat up the bulk of guard minutes. Provided he doesn’t go a two-month prolonged cold stretch like last season, he could be handy to come off the bench here and there and knock down some shots. That should be easier for him to do as opposed to the necessary floor spacer who was needed to start 13 games last season, including opening night.

The combination of that, plus some good old veteran leadership is a totally acceptable use of an end-of-bench roster spot. Gordon should be fit for the task as he has a decent amount of history with Edgecombe. They’re familiar with each other after playing for the Bahamian national team last summer. Edgecombe has talked extensively about what he’s been able to learn from a veteran like Gordon, as well as poking fun at the fact that they’re now teammates despite a large age gap.

There’s not necessarily anything wrong with using a roster spot for a guy to just be around the young guys, except that the Sixers are using two of them. Not only did they bring back Gordon, but they brought back Kyle Lowry as well, a guy who is such an extreme twilight of his career that a literal coach’s tag was slapped on him during one of the many games he missed due to injury.

While Gordon almost certainly still has more to give on the court than Lowry, neither of them playing solves the issue that this will be a very small roster going into this season. At 6-foot-3, he certainly can’t help any lineups with the young guards together make any sense. That’s not to say he’s completely washed. If a guy can make half of his three-pointers for over a month, he should be getting minutes somewhere. If the Sixers really are pivoting to their younger core, is Philadelphia the place for him?

Source: https://www.libertyballers.com/76er...-preview-kyle-lowry-tyrese-maxey-vj-edgecombe

 

[Philadelphia 76ers]

Editor-in-chief: Black jerseys, Quentin Grimes’ role, more

Didn’t get many responses in the comments section, but luckily folks on Twitter and Bluesky came through.

Let’s get right into your questions.

I’ve been saying all offseason that the Sixers are much more committed to the youth of this team than outside perception. I think those rumors mostly speak to that. Obviously, Quentin Grimes’ contract could bring the team dangerously close to the dreaded second apron. Moving either of those veterans would give the team more breathing room — which helps them now and with possible future team building.

With that said, I’m much more interested in moving Andre Drummond than Kelly Oubre Jr. If you could dump Drummond to a team like the Nets — while attaching a minor asset — it would free up a roster spot. If Daryl Morey then dives into the minimum market, it would help with the second apron situation. So, you could essentially upgrade Drummond’s roster spot and pay that upgrade less money for maybe the cost of a second-rounder.

I’m less eager to trade Oubre in a salary dump situation. Oubre has real value. If the team struggles as we approach the deadline, I think Morey would be foolish not to consider trading Oubre. But attaching an asset to get off his salary? I wouldn’t love that.

I don’t think it’s about the team believing Joel Embiid and Paul George will be healthy — or so unhealthy to the point of tanking. In the case of Drummond, if Embiid isn’t healthy, how competitive can this team really be? A play-in spot is certainly feasible in the depleted East. But is Drummond the difference between the 10th or 11 seed? Does that even matter? If Embiid is unable to play this season, it feels more much valuable to see what you have in guys like Adem Bona and Johni Broome than retreading with Drummond.

To a lesser extent, it’s the same deal with Oubre. If George and Embiid are both not playing, the team should want to get a longer look at Justin Edwards, Jabari Walker and Dominick Barlow. They should also view that as an opportunity to experiment with Grimes and VJ Edgecombe playing the 3.

If Embiid and George are healthy, there’s plenty surrounding them to win games — even if Drummond and Oubre are moved. If both aging stars are unhealthy, let the kids play and see what you’ve got.

With the lineup construction, I'd like to know from the players how they each plan to get a career best rebounds per game average this season. It feels like that will be needed to succeed. lol

— ScopeBro (@ScopeBro) September 8, 2025

Rebounding is likely to be an issue for the Sixers once again. With a healthier Embiid and Ben Simmons in the fold the Sixers were one of the better rebounding teams in the NBA. That’s what makes this recent descension really stand out. It was also massively exploited by the New York Knicks in the playoffs in 2024.

The Sixers are guard-heavy and won’t magically get bigger overnight. They have guys like Oubre, Edgecombe and Grimes who are good rebounders for guards, but the lack of true fours and so much uncertainty at center will likely lead to more issues on the glass. For as high as I am on Bona, he’s not a great rebounder. Nick Nurse’s scheme is also a factor — with guys scrambling so much defensively it takes an extra level of focus to finish possessions with rebounds.

Your only real hope is Broome, Walker and/or Barlow finding roles on this team at the four. All three guys are strong rebounders and could help, but it’s hard to know how much meaningful run they’ll get. Broome was as productive a college player as we’ve seen recently, but there was a reason why he was a second-rounder. Walker and Barlow are intriguing, but they’re on two-way deals for a reason. If one of those guys pops it should be considered a huge win for the front office.

Which are more iconic, the Iverson-era Sixers jerseys or Kelly Green Eagles jerseys?

— Bryan Toporek (@btoporek.bsky.social) 2025-09-08T20:14:40.463Z

This is borderline impossible for me.

I’m 40, so my early introduction into football was the Eagles of the early 90s. My first football memories are of Reggie White terrorizing quarterbacks, Randall Cunningham revolutionizing the quarterback position, Seth Joyner being everywhere and Eric Allen returning pick-sixes. My first football jersey was a Ricky Watters Kelly green one (he literally only wore it his first season).

But those black Allen Iverson-era jerseys just ignite something in me, man. Everyone that’s followed me here knows how I feel about Iverson. He’s my favorite athlete of all time and one of the reasons I’m doing this job. Things were so bleak for the Sixers for me as a kid. They traded Charles Barkley who went on to win MVP and take his team to the Finals the literal next season. They drafted Shawn Bradley over Penny Hardaway and Sharone Wright over Eddie Jones, who was in their own freaking backyard.

There was no Process to acquire Iverson. The team simply sucked its way into the No. 1 overall pick. Everything about Iverson made me love him when I was an impressionable preteen. His game spoke for itself. Off the court, he was unapologetic, emotional and human. He was his authentic self, and there was nothing cooler than that.

All of that to say … it depends. The Kelly green Eagles jerseys simply look cool. Yes, part of it is thinking about Randall and those Buddy Ryan defenses, but from simply a look standpoint, Kelly green wins. If we’re talking feelings and emotions evoked, I go Sixers black jerseys. Think it boils down to the Sixers were the most successful in my lifetime while wearing the black jerseys. The Eagles have won two Super Bowl in Midnight green.

Though Saquon Barkley did his backwards hurdle in Kelly green, that doesn’t quite match Iverson’s Step-Over when you consider the magnitude. It’s like asking me to choose between my children though (I only have one, so you can’t actually do that).

If and when Grimes signs, what do you envision his role will be with the influx of guards the Sixers have?Additional question — who is your favorite Sixer from the 2000-01 team not named Allen Iverson?

— Jovan Alford (@jovan10.bsky.social) 2025-09-08T20:38:31.685Z

The first part of this question I’ve touched on a bit. I expect Grimes to be the starting 2, regardless of what else the Sixers do. I also expect Nick Nurse to use three guards aplenty, with either Grimes or Edgecombe being asked to guard up. I think it will work. It might not! But the Sixers need to try it when you consider all the talent at guard.

Oh, that’s a great question! It was probably Theo Ratliff and then that turned into Dikembe Mutombo once the trade went down. A guy I’ll always have a soft spot for though: The Sheriff, Rodney Buford. He had a few nice games as Sixer. The dude could go get a bucket, something the Sixers desperately needed from someone who wasn’t A.I. Larry Brown obviously preferred his defense-first guys — which proved to be the correct strategy.

Let’s say Joel embiid wont play(tired of acting like he will) what’s the offense look like with bona and Drummond at center? Can’t be the same as Jo

— (@phiggs44.bsky.social) 2025-09-08T20:50:54.150Z

Whenever Embiid isn’t playing, I expect the Sixers to play at a breakneck pace. They have one of the fastest players in he league in Maxey. McCain and Grimes are also good in transition. Edgecombe is going to be a freaking nightmare on the break for opponents. Add in a rim-running big like Bona and the team will likely look totally different. Even 35-year-old Paul George is a good transition player.

I would expect a ton of pick-and-roll in the half-court, especially when Bona is in there. Giving these guards a lob threat like Bona is going to feel like stealing on some nights. I would also expect the Sixers to jack up a ton of threes between all the guards and a guy like Edwards. We even saw Broome firing away in the summer league. Plus the ball movement should be better with no player having a ridiculous usage rate. While Bona is just an OK rebounder overall, he’s excellent on the offensive glass, so that could wind up being very helpful.

Source: https://www.libertyballers.com/76er...-chief-black-jerseys-quentin-grimes-role-more

 

[Philadelphia 76ers]

Billy Lange reportedly accepting coaching position with Knicks

At long last, a high-profile former Villanova coach is joining the New York Knicks. No, Jay Wright is still enjoying his lower stress life hanging out at the Jersey Shore and doing studio work. Per reporting from ESPN’s Pete Thamel, current Saint Joseph’s head coach, and former Villanova and Philadelphia 76ers assistant Billy Lange, will be joining Mike Brown’s staff with the Knicks.

The New York Knicks are expected to hire Saint Joseph’s head coach Billy Lange for a role on the coaching staff, sources tell me, @jeffborzello and @TimBontemps. He was set to enter his seventh season at St. Joe's. pic.twitter.com/xfX5Ap8pmm

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) September 10, 2025

Lange was the lead assistant with the Sixers before leaving to accept the head coaching job with the Hawks in 2019. After initial struggles (Lange’s first two St. Joe’s teams went 6-26 and 5-15), the program improved to go 21-14 in 2023-24 and 22-13 last season, losing in the NIT first round both seasons. While no one expects St. Joe’s to be a perennial powerhouse (part of the reason the 2003-04 team with Jameer Nelson and Delonte West was so magical), not returning the program to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2016 will certainly be viewed as a failure of Lange’s tenure on Hawk Hill.

While everyone had their laughs at the method of the Knicks’ coaching search following Tom Thibodeau’s surprise firing, there’s no denying Mike Brown is as solid as they come. In addition to Lange, Brown has brought in Chris Jent and Brendan O’Connor, while retaining Rick Brunson (imagine firing Jalen’s dad) and Sixers legend Mo Cheeks. We can argue about New York’s ceiling in the Eastern Conference, but there is certainly a high floor both in terms of the roster and the experience along the bench.

Source: https://www.libertyballers.com/nba-...tedly-accepting-coaching-position-with-knicks

 

[Philadelphia 76ers]

What’s Andre Drummond’s future with the Sixers?

Hopefully all 10 toes and other necessary appendages can stay in tact this time.

After their defeat in the first round of the 2024 playoffs to the New York Knicks, the Sixers felt themselves wanting more Joel Embiid insurance. They used cap space to bring in a high profile backup, signing Andre Drummond to a two-year, $10 million dollar deal.

Despite Embiid not being ready for the start of the season, that insurance did not come in handy. Drummond, like the rest of the team, could not have gotten off to a worst start to the 2024-25 season. Despite being thrust into the starting lineup, his rebounds per game and block rate were reduced to half of his career averages. Things only got worse when he suffered a toe injury on Dec. 23 against the Spurs, a game that saw him get ejected for about three minutes before having that overturned.

Drummond tried to fight through the injury but was only able to play five games over the next two months. It wasn’t until he finally sat for an extended stretch that he realized how much the injury was impacting everything on the court.

So it wasn’t much of a shock when Drummond picked up his player option to return to Philadelphia this upcoming season. His role on this team is certainly less clear than it was a season a go. If Embiid is able to play basketball on a semi-regular basis, perhaps they’ll need a quality backup center to eat innings, but who is counting on that these days?

The problem Drummond faces here is that regardless of any role that could be asked of him, there is a younger center on the roster who might already be flat out better. While it didn’t result in many wins, it became clear in January and February that Adem Bona just gave them a better chance to compete. His 3.7% block rate dwarfed Drummond’s at 1.3%, while their foul rates were fairly comparable at 4.7 to 4.4% despite Bona being a second-round rookie.

Bona still posted worse rebounding rates, but that difference felt negligible as Drummond was having the worst rebounding season of his career. Drummond is far from the player winning rebounding titles and making All-Star games with the Pistons, but his drop-off last season was stark. In similar minutes in his 2023-24 season with the Chicago Bulls he averaged 8.4 points and nine rebounds per game, as well as a much more respectable block rate of 1.9%

So there is hope that Drummond is not nearly as washed as he looked last season. Like many other Sixers, a clean bill of health could do wonders in that department. If the Sixers want to, or are even forced to shift their focus around the younger guards they’ve begun to stockpile, does he have a place with them?

There’s a lot of buzz right now that Drummond could be moved before the season even starts. Jake Fischer reported recently that the Sixers are looking to move one, if not both of Drummond and Kelly Oubre Jr. in attempt to free up more money to pay Quentin Grimes. Our own affiliate, NetsDaily, reported that Brooklyn could be a potential landing spot for him.

Andre Drummond is one possibility for a salary dump, two sources tell us. Losing his $5M expiring would help 76ers get some relief under CBA. What might Nets want? Don’t know but how about a reduction in protections on that 2028 first, now protected 1-8? Nets have 19 seconds!

— NetsDaily (@NetsDaily) September 8, 2025

If that’s the asking price though, maybe not.

While that could be the right move, there are some reasons to have caution of dumping Drummond, even if Embiid is not ready for the start of the season. Even if Bona does get the starting center job opening night, he can’t play every minute every night. Someone is going to have to split that time with him. This close to the start of the season, they aren’t going to find any better options on the free agent market.

Drummond’s destiny for this season may just be a moveable, expiring contract. At this moment though, the Sixers have three centers on their roster and can only count on two to be reliably available. At some point, if a ground ball is hit to first base, someone’s got to be there to pick it up.

Source: https://www.libertyballers.com/76er...ers-nets-player-preview-joel-embiid-adem-bona

 

[Philadelphia 76ers]

Every fan should have a soft spot for the 2000-01 Sixers

Too often, fans view sports through a binary lens. To some extent, it’s fair as every game has a winner and a loser. In basketball, every field goal attempt is either going to go in or it will not. But when this mindset broadens to things like awards and championships, the waters get muddied for unnecessary reasons.

Saying things like “Joel Embiid will either win the NBA MVP or he will not” and “The Sixers will either win the NBA Championship or they will not” are not the same binary views as the team winning one game or Tyrese Maxey making a jump shot. In the former scenario, Embiid is competing against a myriad of MVP candidates and the Sixers are competing against a handful of other NBA title contenders. In the latter scenario, the Sixers are only competing against one team on the given night fans want them to win and Maxey and no one else control most of the fate of his jump shot.

In other words, it’s understandable to be frustrated if the Sixers let a game slip away and giftwrap a win for their opponent or to be annoyed if Maxey missed an open jumper. But, only one candidate can win the MVP award and only one team can win the NBA Championship each year. That does not mean all the MVP candidates that did not receive enough votes for the award had bad seasons nor does it mean the other title contenders that fell short should be viewed as choke artists.

Simply put, if you believe that in a 30-team league, there is one successful team each season and 29 failures, you’re going to deprive yourself of enjoying a lot of fun moments in every sport created by those 29 teams that did not win the championship. The 2000-01 Philadelphia 76ers are one of those teams that did not win a title, but gave their fans a ton to remember and deserve to still be talked about a quarter century later.

Much has been made of that 2000-01 season still being the last one in which Philadelphia advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals. By now, the franchise’s history post Allen Iverson is well documented. It’s a mixture of being a mediocre team no one outside of Philadelphia cared about, being one of the worst teams in the NBA and being a national punchline for continuous early exits in the playoffs.

But, it’s also worth noting that 2001 was also Philadelphia’s first time in the Eastern Conference Finals since 1985. So that means that any Sixers fan under the age of 40 has only seen the team make the NBA’s final four one time, and it happened in 2001. That’s nearly two generations of Sixers fans who never got more hope than they did in 2001 and were never prouder of a Sixers team than the one that made it all the way to the NBA Finals and held a 1-0 lead over the dynastic Lakers in the NBA Finals.

We mentioned awards earlier. Did you know that the Sixers won four of the NBA’s major awards in that 2000-01 season? Iverson was the league MVP, Aaron McKie took home Sixth Man of the Year honors, Dikembe Mutumbo was the Defensive Player of the Year and Larry Brown was the Coach of the Year. There’s an underdog mentality that gets applied to this team because of how heavy of a favorite the Lakers were in the NBA Finals and Iverson was the little guy who ripped the hearts out of the bigger guys chests all the time. McKie also being the willing sixth man who grew up in Philly, went to Temple and found his way back to the City of Brotherly Love in the middle of his career for a team that made such a deep playoff run is another one of those cute little stories that eats at anyone. Don’t forget Mutumbo coming in at the trade deadline as the thought-to-be missing piece in a move that saw the well-liked Theo Ratliff shipped south to Atlanta.

But you don’t clean up all those awards like that by accident. The 56-26 record in the regular season is still the best record for any Sixers team in the 21st century. The team finished first in the East by a four-game margin over the next closest team which was Milwaukee. Had some of their regular season dominance carried over in a bigger way to the postseason, perhaps the Sixers would have had a real chance to beat the Lakers. Instead, they had to play four out of a then-possible five games in the first round against Indiana and three of the four games were decided by five points or less. Then it was back-to-back seven-game series against Toronto and Milwaukee to get out of the East. They definitely ran out of gas when they got to the Lakers.

The Sixers lost to the Pacers in the 2000 and 1999 NBA playoffs which made getting over the hump in 2001 mean a lot for a first-round series. It felt like Toronto and Milwaukee threw everything at the Sixers and the Sixers survived a 12-round boxing fight each time. All of these twists and turns in the playoffs made the Sixers more likable and we certainly haven’t seen a Sixers team connect with the city of Philadelphia the way this one did.

We mentioned that there’s essentially two generations that haven’t seen a deeper playoff run than 2001 from the Sixers. There’s the group of people who are now in their mid 40s and therefore not quite old enough to remember the franchise’s glory days in the early 80s. Then there’s the fans in their late 20s and early 30s who have seen every other Philadelphia sports franchise have more success overall in the 21st century than the Sixers have had.

But it’s that second generation of fans in their late 20s and early 30s that I want to highlight to wrap things up because I’m part of it. I was born in December 1994. I wasn’t alive for the Buddy Ryan Eagles teams and I certainly don’t remember the Flyers teams in the 90s that were led by the Legion of Doom. If you’re my age, the 2000-01 Sixers were the first Philadelphia sports team you really fell in love with. Sure, the Eagles made five NFC Championship appearances under Andy Reid and played in a Super Bowl. We all know about the Phillies winning five straight NL East titles from 2007-11 and making it to the World Series twice in those five seasons and winning it all in 2008. I’ll even include the Flyers’ magical playoff run in 2010. But, if you’re old enough to have those other Philly sports memories of the first decade of the 21st century, you probably have at least some from the 2000-01 Sixers it was those Sixers memories that came first.

Two years ago, a documentary called “Everything But the Chip” was released to chronicle the 2000-01 season. There are championship winners every year and there aren’t documentaries made about all of them. This team fell three wins shy of a championship and about a quarter century later we’re still talking about them. I’m not implying the documentary belongs in the pantheon of sports documentaries, but it certainly speaks to the impact that the 2000-01 Sixers had on Philadelphia sports and the NBA. Between all of the awards the team won, finishing first in the Eastern Conference by a comfortable margin, and simply galvanizing the city by having such a huge cultural impact in Philadelphia, it’s going to take a lot for another Sixers team to do the same thing. It’s been 25 years and we haven’t seen any Sixers team get close since. So, yeah, they did fall short of the ultimate goal, but let’s remember the heck out of the 2000-01 Sixers this season.

Source: https://www.libertyballers.com/76er...hould-have-a-soft-spot-for-the-2000-01-sixers

 

[Philadelphia 76ers]

What are the Sixers expecting from Kyle Lowry in his 20th NBA season?

I want it on the record that everything I am about to say is with all due respect to the incredibly successful, two-decade long career of Kyle Lowry.

The Philadelphia-native and Villanova University graduate is about to enter his 20th season in the NBA. He was the 24th overall pick back in 2006 who has gone on to win an Olympic gold medal with the United States (2016), an NBA championship (2019 with the Toronto Raptors) and earned six career All-Star nods along the way. Lowry is 13th in the history of the league in career three-pointers made with 2,205.

With all of that being said and all the flowers in the world given for these past achievements, we must now look forward to 2025-26 campaign ahead of us. This season, the Sixers should hope that Lowry is nowhere near the playing floor (except maybe in the final minutes of blowouts).

The fact is simple—Lowry is no longer physically able to meaningfully compete in the NBA at this point in his career. With his 40th birthday coming up in March 2026, age has just caught up to him, taking with it the skills and abilities that allowed him to prosper for two decades in the NBA despite standing just six foot flat. The explosiveness, the movement and the endurance have given way… I guess there’s probably a reason there aren’t many players still in the association into their 40s.

The issues were clearly evident for Lowry last season. He played in 35 games total, his lowest since his rookie season in which he played 10 games for the Memphis Grizzlies back in 2006-07. He averaged just 3.9 points, shooting 35% from the floor with 1.9 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game—the lowest marks in each category he’s posted in his long NBA career. Lowry’s season essentially ended on Feb. 9 due to a nagging hip issue. It wasn’t pretty.

What did come of it, however, was the emergence of “Coach Lowry”. With the Sixers roster in shambles for the late months of last season, Lowry was seen on multiple occasions, often mid-game, coaching the rest of the squad in plain clothes. He couldn’t play for months, but he was there every night. It was a mentorship that was noted and complimented by his Sixers’ teammates.

That is much more likely what the Sixers expect of him this upcoming season, rather than making direct meaningful impact on the court.

Now, the decision to use one of just 15 roster spots on a veteran presence turned player-coach has garnered mixed reactions at best from fans. The decision to use yet another roster slot on Eric Gordon, in a similar boat as Lowry and turning 37 this December, made things even more questionable for some. I think some level of questioning of making not one but both of those moves is more than fair.

But all of this is to say, I believe the Sixers signed Lowry with the full expectation that his main contributions to the team won’t be on the playing floor. He is now a wealth of firsthand player knowledge and experience for a slew of young Sixers, something that might be in high demand on the roster if Joel Embiid and Paul George are unable to go due to their respective injury issues.

The bottom line is that, if Lowry is on the floor for any meaningful minutes for the Sixers this season, it likely means things have already completely derailed for the team…

Though, that is a possibility that can almost never be ruled out with this franchise.

Source: https://www.libertyballers.com/76er...eason-nba-philadelphia-nick-nurse-daryl-morey

 

[Philadelphia 76ers]

Could Trendon Watford go from afterthought to key starter for the Sixers?

Coming into the 2025 offseason, the Sixers weren’t expected to make much noise. They had already made their big splash the previous summer by signing Paul George, and apart from working on re-signing Quentin Grimes (still ongoing), their options were limited. Still, there was room to improve around the margins, and we saw that immediately with their first move: signing Trendon Watford to a two-year minimum contract with a team option.

Casual NBA fans might only remember Watford as a rotation player from the Damian Lillard-era Trail Blazers or last season’s rebuilding Brooklyn Nets. A former LSU Tiger, he entered the league as an undrafted player — an unorthodox path — but he has maximized every opportunity. At just 24, his best basketball likely lies ahead.

It’s no accident that Watford was Philadelphia’s first free-agent pickup. The Sixers made it a priority to reach out and bring him aboard, and on paper, it makes perfect sense. With Guerschon Yabusele, the team’s only true power forward, departing in free agency, the Sixers badly needed size, rebounding, and defensive toughness at the position. Watford checks all those boxes, but what makes him especially valuable is the versatility he adds beyond that, which helps explain why the Sixers moved quickly to secure him.

Watford is an intriguing archetype: a forward capable of handling the ball and creating for others, somewhat reminiscent of Kyle Anderson. That’s a skill set Nick Nurse will surely lean into. Last season, Tyrese Maxey was asked to shoulder nearly everything on offense — scoring at a high level while also serving as the team’s primary playmaker. While Maxey has made real strides in distributing, relying on him to carry that heavy of a load isn’t a recipe for long-term success, especially for a team with playoff ambitions.

There’s also statistical evidence suggesting that Maxey is more efficient and plays better when used off the ball. We didn’t see much of that last season, but every year before supports the trend. That’s where Watford’s value becomes even clearer. Fewer dribbles for Maxey means greater long-term success — for both him and the team.

Watford can take some of that burden by bringing the ball up the floor, without sacrificing the qualities the Sixers desperately need around their guard-heavy core: size, athleticism, and rebounding.

So, we’ve established the qualities that should keep Watford on the floor as a featured part of the Sixers moving forward. But what could potentially hold him back? It really comes down to one key area: shooting.

For his career (217 regular-season games), Watford has shot 34.9 percent from three-point range, which on the surface seems respectable. However, that number comes on very low volume — just 1.2 attempts per game in 17.6 minutes. There is some evidence, though, that he can be serviceable from deep. Last season with the Nets, he attempted a career-high 2 threes per game and converted at 33 percent. Given the lack of offensive talent around him, that’s a promising sign.

Watford is also a capable free-throw shooter, averaging 76 percent from the charity stripe over his career. At just 24 years old, there is clear room for improvement.

As many of you know, Rico Hines runs have been underway, with Watford playing a prominent role in the scrimmages. While pick-up basketball is different from regular-season games, he has consistently shown the ability to make perimeter shots and knock down threes off the dribble. This could be a promising sign for his development this season.

If Watford can maintain or improve his current shooting rate, it will be difficult to keep him off the floor. He gives the Sixers the size, athleticism, and versatility they need around their guard core and helps bridge the gap between Paul George and Joel Embiid. Don’t be surprised to see him play a significant role in the rotation, or even earn a spot in the starting lineup.

Source: https://www.libertyballers.com/76er...om-afterthought-to-key-starter-for-the-sixers

 

[Philadelphia 76ers]

Report: Sixers ‘looking to potentially move’ Andre Drummond or Kelly Oubre Jr.

We’re now roughly two weeks away from Sixers media day, and Quentin Grimes is still floating around in restricted free agency. NBA insider Jake Fischer recently suggested during a Bleacher Report livestream that there’s a chance Grimes will take his one-year, $8.7 million qualifying offer—which he has until Oct. 1 to accept—since he doesn’t see the Sixers “balking at Grimes’ asking price.”

That wasn’t the only Sixers-related news that Fischer shared, though. He added that “there has been buzz all summer long about the Sixers looking to potentially move one of, if not both, Andre Drummond and Kelly Oubre.”

Hilariously, the Brooklyn Nets might be a potential landing spot for Drummond (again!).

Andre Drummond is one possibility for a salary dump, two sources tell us. Losing his $5M expiring would help 76ers get some relief under CBA. What might Nets want? Don’t know but how about a reduction in protections on that 2028 first, now protected 1-8? Nets have 19 seconds!

— NetsDaily (@NetsDaily) September 8, 2025

Meanwhile, Oubre does not seem thrilled about coming up in trade rumors.

Kelly Oubre Jr. with a strong reaction to the trade rumors #Sixers pic.twitter.com/kcPuQo3GmD

— Ky Carlin (@Ky_Carlin) September 10, 2025

Grimes might be the main reason why the Sixers are exploring those types of trades. They currently have $185.9 million in salary on their books, which leaves them only $10.05 million below the first apron and $21.9 million below the second apron. If they spent their $5.7 million taxpayer mid-level exception, which would hard-cap them at the second apron, they couldn’t give Grimes a starting salary higher than $16.2 million without dumping salary elsewhere first.

If the Sixers flip either Drummond or Oubre for a less expensive rotation player, that’d be one thing. Salary-dumping them onto the Nets or into another team’s mid-level exception would be another.

A few weeks ago, Sixers head coach Nick Nurse told talkSPORT that he wasn’t sure whether Joel Embiid would be ready for training camp. Meanwhile, Paul George is recovering from arthroscopic surgery on his left knee that he underwent in mid-July after he suffered an injury during an offseason workout. At this point, there’s no guarantee that either one of them will be ready by opening night—no matter how many workout videos are dropped.

Drummond was underwhelming last season, although a toe injury didn’t help matters. When the Sixers signed him last summer, part of the theoretical appeal was that he could fill in as a spot starter whenever Embiid needed a night (or 60) off. That didn’t play out as expected last year, although Drummond just turned 32 in August. He’s still young enough to feasibly have a bounce-back year if he can stay healthy.

Unless the Sixers absolutely need the savings from salary-dumping Drummond to re-sign Grimes, I’d lean toward keeping him at the start of the season. (This stance has not made me popular in the Liberty Ballers Slack channel.) Adem Bona and rookie Johni Broome are the Sixers’ only two other traditional big men under contract. Until the Sixers are fairly confident that Embiid has two functioning knees, they’d be taking a massive risk by dumping Drummond and relying on two young, relatively unproven backup bigs behind their star center.

Trendon Watford, Dominick Barlow and Jabari Walker can all soak up frontcourt minutes as well, but none of them are traditional centers. The Sixers could also look to backfill Drummond’s roster spot with another veteran center on a minimum contract—Precious Achiuwa, Thomas Bryant and Charles Bassey are among the best available options—but there’s no guarantee any of them would be an upgrade over him. Would the $2.7 million in savings that they generate by swapping him out for another min-deal center be worth the cost of salary-dumping him in the first place? If that’s what gets them over the line with Grimes, sure, but otherwise…

The Sixers presumably aren’t considering an outright salary-dump of Oubre, particularly in the wake of George’s injury. While they’re loaded in the backcourt, Oubre and Justin Edwards are the only other traditional wings on the roster. However, even trading Oubre for a cheaper player would come with a clear opportunity cost as well.

Outside of Embiid, George, Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe, Oubre and Drummond are the Sixers’ next two highest-paid players at $8.4 million and $5.0 million, respectively. Since the Sixers figure to go over the first apron if they re-sign Grimes, they won’t be allowed to take back more salary in a trade than they send out. So, unless they’re trading one of their Big 3 or Edgecombe, Oubre and Drummond are their two biggest trade chips from a salary perspective. (The Sixers can aggregate contracts as long as they don’t cross the second apron, which they likely won’t do this season under any circumstance.)

If salary-dumping Drummond or trading Oubre for a cheaper player is a precursor to signing Grimes to a long-term deal, the reward might outweigh the risk. But if the Sixers are just looking for ways to trim their luxury-tax bill—as is tradition in recent years—trading Drummond or Oubre could help capsize them before they even get off the ground this year.

Unless otherwise noted, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball Reference. All salary information via Salary Swish and salary-cap information via RealGM.

Follow Bryan on Bluesky.

Source: https://www.libertyballers.com/76er...ummond-kelly-oubre-jr-quentin-grimes-contract

 

[Philadelphia 76ers]

Ready to get hurt again, Sixers fans? Team posts Embiid, PG workout videos

In true Philadelphia 76ers fashion, the team dropped a bit of a surprise last night on their social media.

Around 9 p.m. ET on Tuesday evening, the Sixers posted photos and videos of an offseason workout at their practice facility. It’s something they’ve done before to fill their socials between campaigns, but this was a little different than previous posts — this one featured participation from both Joel Embiid and Paul George.

work before the work. @PennMedicine pic.twitter.com/X4bbysC1F4

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) September 10, 2025

pic.twitter.com/cxjgowl3l4

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) September 10, 2025

(And in extremely Sixers’ fashion, they dropped it when the city was otherwise distracted by the Philadelphia Phillies beating the New York Mets and Kyle Schwarber hitting his 50th home run of the season.)

This is really the first look we’ve had at either Embiid or George as they continue to recover from injury. Though both clips are relatively short, the one of Embiid may provide a bit more insight than the one of George, who is notably working out his upper body and not on the court. Merely seeing PG there is a positive, of course, but doesn’t provide much insight on the status on his knee that underwent arthroscopic surgery back in July.

The 2023 MVP, however, is a different story. The last murmurs from the franchise were that Embiid might be ready for the team’s upcoming training camp, but that was about it. His status for that camp is still unannounced, but even a small clip of him doing on-court activities and seemingly being able to pivot comfortably is the most encouraging sight a Sixers’ fan has seen in quite awhile regarding the big fella.

Possibly the most important detail to note is that Embiid is participating and moving without a brace, sleeve or tape on his knee — something we have not seen in awhile. Seriously, when was the last time you were able to see both of Embiid’s knees when he was playing?

Now, we all know how misleading summer workout videos can be… I’m looking at you, Ben Simmons. That being said, this is probably the first morsel of positivity the Sixers have been able to celebrate regarding Embiid or George, so we’ll take it for now.

Source: https://www.libertyballers.com/76er...reseason-nba-joel-embiid-paul-george-injuries

 

[Philadelphia 76ers]

Editor-in-chief mailbag: Some trade rumors, Go Birds, Go Phils

The Eagles are 2-0 after beating the Chief at Arrowhead Sunday. The Phillies are on the verge of clinching their second straight NL East title. Life is good for Philly sports fans … mostly.

As the Sixers rapidly approach media day and training camp, there are still more questions than answers involving the 2025-26 squad, including the futures of veterans Kelly Oubre Jr. and Andre Drummond, and the ongoing Quentin Grimes negotiations.

I will do my very best to answer your questions in this here mailbag. So let it rip! (Eagles and Phillies questions are certainly allowed as well!)

Source: https://www.libertyballers.com/76er...f-mailbag-some-trade-rumors-go-birds-go-phils

 

[Philadelphia 76ers]

How much more can we expect from Adem Bona in his sophomore season?

Backup center has always been a highly discussed and important role for the Sixers. What does the team need in that spot to not completely tank their minutes without Joel Embiid? How do they survive when he inevitably misses time due to injury, as he did for most of last season? How can they improve from the ever rotating (and usually underwhelming) mix of veteran centers they’ve had in the past?

Well, last season, rookie Adem Bona was a breath of fresh air.

His playing time may have been low and infrequent over the first couple of months, but the flashes were there. Then, as his playing time increased from January, Bona started proving he can already be a genuinely viable backup center. One who could already simply be better than his veteran teammate, Andre Drummond.

Bona finished the season averaging 5.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, 0.5 assists, 0.4 steals and 1.2 blocks with 70.3 percent shooting and a passable 67 percent free throw rate. And following a quieter start to the year, from the beginning of February to the end the season, Bona averaged 9.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 0.8 steals and 1.7 blocks in his 21.6 minutes per game with 70 percent free throw shooting.

If you want one standout number to highlight some of Bona’s defensive talent and impact, he averaged a whopping 3.8 blocks per 100 possessions. That ranked him joint third in the NBA, behind only Walker Kessler (also at 3.8), fellow rookie Donovan Clingan, and Victor Wembanyama.

Entering the NBA, we knew Bona’s incredible athleticism combined with his motor gave him a host of defensive tools. Tons of bounce, a near 7-foot-4 wingspan, strength, speed, fight on the glass, explosive and rangy shot-blocking, and remarkable lateral quickness for a player of his size to shift his feet at the perimeter against smaller players. He had all the Sixers could want to make an impact off the bench at that end of the floor.

It’s this side of the floor where Bona will inevitably always leave the biggest mark, and we saw that ability often in his rookie campaign.

When it comes to improvements the Sixers can hope Bona to make in 2025-26, it centers around his offense. He clearly has a bunch of potential as a high-energy, high-flying finisher, both as a threat to run the floor in transition or burst to the rim with his power and speed as a pick-and-roll threat. He’s already started making more of impact in that way, though, as he developed through last season.

Bona has a great reputation with his coaches and teammates as a hard worker, and that’s translated to some of the simple yet important offensive developments he’s made. Whether it’s getting better at finding space through defenses as a roll man, catching teams off guard in space in the dunker’s spot, using pump fakes more often to get defenders off their feet before he hammers home dunks, or even creating a little for himself with fake dribble hand-offs.

He had a nifty fake DHO and some solid face-up drives in his best game of the year against the Bucks on Apr. 3, when he dropped 28 points on 13-of-15 shooting (plus six boards, two steals and three blocks). Building on that improving touch as a finisher and agility that not all opposing bigs can keep up with could really help Bona take his offensive game up a level.

Defensively, more experience should only help, and continuing to polish his composure and reducing his fouls would be the main benefit. In the early months of his rookie year, Bona’s fouls were frequently high — just as you’d expect for most rookie big men tasked with protecting the rim. But he improved as the year went on, allowing him to play 20 or 30-plus minutes far more often. After racking up 6.3 fouls per 36 minutes from the start of the season until the end of January, he cut his fouls down to 4.2 from February onwards. As a rookie learning on the fly, who was fairly quickly thrown into a larger role, that’s pretty good.

Increased opportunity should continue for Bona, too. Of course, the hope is that Embiid can actually put together a far healthier season. But for the backup spot, Drummond didn’t exactly lock up that role last year. Apart from having his own injury struggles, Drummond had the worst rebounding season of his career, he’s always been a limited finisher, and Bona may simply have more to offer than the 32-year-old. Whether it’s athleticism, blocking, finishing, vertical threat, or defensive versatility to switch, Bona has various advantages over Drummond. Not to mention the benefit of youthful potential (along with his tireless work ethic) to keep getting better.

Add to that the buzz that the Sixers are looking into moving one or both of Drummond and Kelly Oubre Jr. to open up more money to pay Quentin Grimes, and Bona really could be set to take on an important role next year.

He looks ready to do so, too. If Bona’s defensive IQ and reduced fouling continues trending in the right direction, and can be combined with any offensive growth, he’s going to be quite the valuable role player.

Source: https://www.libertyballers.com/76er...urkey-andre-drummond-trade-rumors-joel-embiid

 

[Philadelphia 76ers]

Editor-in-chief mailbag: Grimes’ situation lingers, Bona’s role, more

It’s no surprise that many of your questions pertained to Quentin Grimes contract negotiations and the trade rumors involving Kelly Oubre Jr. and Andre Drummond. Let’s dive right in!

Lots to unpack here. These are loosely related so I’m lumping them together.

To put it simply, I would understand attaching an asset to Drummond in order to get off his salary. You’d get his $5 million off the books, giving you more breathing room below the second apron. If you wanted to sign a vet big to a minimum deal, you’d still get some savings — and potentially a younger and better-fitting player. I like Drummond and I understood why the team signed him. But the reality is he’s 32, is coming off an injury-riddled year and doesn’t fit with the current team’s vision.

The idea of trading Oubre is much more complicated. For me, if I’m moving him, I would need to get something of value. Despite his poor three-point shooting and occasional tunnel vision, he’s a rotation-caliber wing who can go get his own bucket, plays strong defense, adds athleticism and is a strong rebounder for his position. His salary is quite reasonable. Would I look to move Oubre if things go south as the deadline approaches? Absolutely. But trading him for cost-cutting purposes is a tough look. Not a KJ Martin-level bad trade, but certainly a mishandling of assets.

As for Beasley and Leonard, both of those situations are awfully messy. It sounds like Beasley is not completely out of the woods from a legal standpoint. Even without that, I don’t think he’s a fit on this guard-heavy roster. Would the Sixers love to get Kawhi on the TMLE? Of course! Again, I think that situation has a ways to go before it’s sorted out and we know what happens. My gut tells me Leonard’s contract will not be voided, but we’ll see. My guess would also be that trading Drummond and Oubre would really only happen if it’s necessary after Grimes comes to terms. If Grimes takes the qualifying offer, those guys might simply stay put (and be trade chips at the deadline if things go horribly).

I’ll start this off by saying the mechanics of it are nearly impossible because of base-year compensation rules. It would require a third team with some funky configurations or both players signing the same exact contract and being moved when they’re both trade eligible. It seems highly unlikely.

For shit and giggles, though, it’s an interesting thought. Grimes would be a dynamite fit as the Warriors’ starting 2 next to Steph Curry. His shooting and defense are great complements between Curry and Jimmy Butler. Grimes’ ability to scale up like he did last year with the Sixers would be ideal for when the 37-year-old Curry and 36-year-old Jimmy Butler need a night off. He’s unquestionably a better fit and a more win-now player for Golden State.

Based on where they are currently, Grimes is the better NBA player, but Kuminga fits the Sixers better from a positional and age standpoint. It’s no secret the Sixers have a glut of guards and a dearth of 4s. Swapping these two players for each other would resolve that. Kuminga is also roughly 2.5 years younger than Grimes, better aligning with the Sixers’ desire to get younger and more dynamic.

Again, it’s unrealistic, but it’s interesting.

I’m as curious as anyone to see what Bona’s role will look like this season. Obviously, the health of Embiid and the status of Drummond will dictate much of it. He aligns with the youth movement quite well. He was solid for Turkey this summer, but he was also backing up the best player in the tournament, so it wasn’t a great gauge of where he is right now. I’m curious to see what he most worked on this summer.

What we know about Bona is that he’s an outstanding rim protector who seems to be just scratching the surface of what he can be defensively when you consider his length and lateral quickness. He was really just an OK rebounder and did struggle with fouls early in the season. Those are areas he’ll have to improve if he wants a bigger role.

I think there’s some untapped stuff there offensively as well. The shot isn’t broken. I would not be surprised to see him take a corner or trail three or two this season. That aforementioned quickness also makes him interesting as a downhill driver. He’s going to have an athletic advantage on most bigs. If he can use that ability to get downhill and develop a couple counters, he might offer a little more on the offensive end.

At a minimum, I think he can give this team solid backup big minutes. He did that at the end of last season, even as the roster was decimated, so that’s a reasonable expectation. Maybe I’m higher on him than others, but I think he could play a big role in certain lineups and matchups.

That lineup mentioned with Bona is one I’d like to see a whole bunch. Even more so, I’d love to see how it looks with Tyrese Maxey in there and Edgecombe sliding to the 3 with either Justin Edwards or Trendon Watford at the 4. I’m so curious to see what Watford looks like surrounded by better offensive players and how his passing could open up things for the young guards. Remember, Watford and Maxey are close friends. Sometimes those things do translate to the court.

As far as Edgecombe, if you’re a Sixers fan and you’re not excited about Edgecombe … I don’t know what to tell you. He looks like he has a chance to be a special player. Plus, he seems to have the perfect demeanor to thrive in Philly and endear himself to the fans in a hurry. I’m curious how big his role will be, but I think he’s going to force Nick Nurse’s hand.

Source: https://www.libertyballers.com/76er...s-andre-drummond-kelly-oubre-adem-bona-sixers

 

[Philadelphia 76ers]

What does a successful sophomore season look like for Justin Edwards?

Well, at least last season went well for somebody.

After going from one of the top high school recruits in the nation to an undrafted free agent in the span of one college season, Justin Edwards was not expected to see a lot of minutes for the 2024-25 season. Even after the disastrous start, it wasn’t until the calendar flipped to January that he played more than five minutes a game.

As the rest of the roster continued to dwindle though, Edwards was able to take advantage of the increasing number of opportunities that were coming his way. He would end up playing 44 games in his first year as a pro, starting 26 of them. He averaged 10.1 points, 3.4 rebounds and one steal per game playing about 26 minutes a night.

The Sixers liked enough of what they saw in him to convert his two-way to a standard NBA contract during the season, and ripped that one up again at the beginning of the summer to tack on another year and a few extra dollars.

What’s exciting about Edwards is that he does all of the complimentary role player things from the forward position. Something that’s felt rare on a team that’s roster has become increasingly top (or bottom) heavy. He can attack closeouts, he knocks down enough shots when it’s swung to him, and held his own defensively despite drawing a lot of tough assignments on the wing.

So it wasn’t the biggest shock when he didn’t look nearly as good in his second go-around in summer league. With how many games VJ Edgecombe missed, Edwards became the primary focal point of the offense. He shot just 36% from the field and only 69% from the free throw line. He couldn’t stop giving the ball away either, averaging 3.3 turnovers to 1.7 assists.

It’s a bit surprising that a second-year player, especially one who had a fair amount of success in his rookie season, doesn’t dominate summer league. It might not matter in Edwards’ case though.

Even if the Sixers aren’t completely healthy, his role will still be decreased to be that complementary wing around their guard talent. The chaotic, structureless basketball that is summer league isn’t always the easiest environment for that type of player to thrive.

The other reason is that Edwards already has a better track record of scoring consistently in NBA games than any small sample size of summer league. For the last month and a half of last season, he was either the 1A or 1B scoring option, depending on if Quentin Grimes was available.

From the beginning of March, when Tyrese Maxey and Paul George were shut down, to the end of the season he averaged 13.1 points per game. He took over 11 shots per game during that stretch and maintained an effective field goal percentage of 52.7%. His usage rate climbed to 18.7% during this time which, according to Cleaning the Glass, is above league average.

It’s possible the best development for Edwards this upcoming season and beyond is just more of the same. If he’s able to continue being a wing who can score and defend at an above average rate, it’s easy to slide that in to just about any rotation.

While his summer league effort might have thrown some cold water on this idea, there is a chance there’s even more potential to be unlocked in terms of his scoring. He really got more aggressive as a driver as the season went on, and showed that he was able to get himself past some good defenders to get to the basket. The midrange pull-up that’s also featured a lot here was something he was able to get to more and more.

Justin Edwards three-level scoring pic.twitter.com/wf4EZGMlUk

— Brett Usher (@UsherNBA) May 19, 2025

With how crowded this backcourt projects to be, those opportunities might just not present themselves for Edwards. That could be for the best — some players are better off being optimized for a specific role. How he is able to build on a pleasant surprise of a rookie season should be one of the most exciting storylines for the Sixers going forward.

Source: https://www.libertyballers.com/76er...ers-player-preview-undrafted-kentucky-imhotep

 

[Philadelphia 76ers]

How quickly will VJ Edgecombe find a role with Sixers?

It was only a few months ago that the Sixers wrapped up one of the most disappointing seasons in recent memory. Expectations were sky-high heading into the year — coming off Joel Embiid’s best season yet, signing Paul George to a massive contract, and looking ready to compete in a top-heavy Eastern Conference. But in just a few months, all that optimism unraveled, leaving the Sixers with 58 losses and nothing to show for their efforts but a trip to the draft lottery.

Fortunately, the ping pong balls bounced in their favor. The Sixers, who were at serious risk of losing the pick entirely, locked into the third spot in the draft and quickly zeroed in on Baylor’s VJ Edgecombe. Now, the crown jewel of a lost season is set to make an immediate impact. A third overall pick is no small investment, but what can Sixers fans expect from Edgecombe in year one? Where will he thrive, and what areas might he struggle in?

As a top-three pick, Edgecombe arrives with skills polished enough to translate from day one, even as other parts of his game continue to develop. His biggest strengths should shine on the defensive end, where he has said on record that he takes the most pride.

“I just hate to see people score. I love playing defense. I know that I can play on the floor if I’m not scoring. I want to be an all-around versatile player. I want to be an elite defender. That comes with grit. I just don’t like seeing other people score. I hate seeing other… pic.twitter.com/PyAGxNWuZw

— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) June 26, 2025

Edgecombe is the real deal defensively. He anticipates well, avoids unnecessary gambles, and already has a strong physical frame despite just turning 20. Much has been made about the Sixers’ crowded backcourt —especially with restricted free agent Quentin Grimes in the mix — but Edgecombe brings a different defensive brand than any of the other guards. He plays vertically, contests shots at a high level, and even averaged nearly a block per game at Baylor. At just 6-foot-5, his ability to protect the rim from the guard spot is something Sixers fans haven’t seen in a long time.

Whether paired with Tyrese Maxey or Jared McCain, his defensive skillset will be a breath of fresh air. In time, as he adds strength and size, he should even be able to hold his own against small forwards.

On the offensive side, things are more of a mystery. Since James Harden’s departure, the Sixers have been searching for a big ball-handler, and Edgecombe has the tools to grow into that role — whether this year or down the line. During Summer League, the team featured him heavily on the ball. His camp reportedly wanted him to land in a situation where he could handle more playmaking duties, and with how quickly the Sixers locked onto him in the draft process, it’s safe to assume both sides see eye-to-eye on that vision.

Still, it would be a lot to ask Edgecombe to run the offense as a rookie. To start, he’ll likely play more off-ball, possibly coming off the bench. As the season goes on, though, don’t be surprised if he gets more opportunities to initiate as he proves himself.

Shooting and pace will be the main areas to watch. Edgecombe’s jumper has good mechanics but needs refinement, especially on the move or off the dribble. If he can hit tough shots with the ball in his hands, his ceiling rises dramatically. That’s why it makes sense for the Sixers to ease him into things, letting him contribute right away as a catch-and-shoot threat while his offensive game develops.

Then there’s his athleticism, which jumps off the page. Edgecombe has a lightning-quick first step and can get to the rim in a hurry. The next step for him will be mastering pace changes. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander elevated his game from All-Star to MVP by perfecting this skill, and while Edgecombe isn’t there yet, the ability to shift speeds could open up improving his entire offensive arsenal over time.

So how will the Sixers manage their backcourt rotation? For now, let’s assume Grimes returns as a restricted free agent. Maxey is locked in as the starter, with McCain, Grimes and Edgecombe competing for the spot next to him. Grimes probably has the early edge thanks to his experience and defensive ability, especially if the Sixers commit to him with a sizable contract. If he instead takes the qualifying offer, though — the only real leverage his camp has — the Sixers may push him to the side since he wouldn’t be part of their long-term plans. McCain could make things interesting with his scoring punch and floor spacing, though pairing him with Maxey raises defensive concerns. That would leave Edgecombe starting the year as more of a bench contributor while he gets his feet under him.

But make no mistake — the future of this team runs through Maxey and Edgecombe. It may take weeks or months, but there’s a very real chance Edgecombe plays his way into the starting five this season. With his defensive impact, athleticism, and developing offensive game, the Sixers have every reason to believe he’ll become a core piece moving forward.

Source: https://www.libertyballers.com/76er...in-tyrese-maxey-quentin-grimes-2025-nba-draft

 

[Philadelphia 76ers]

How LA Clippers, Kawhi Leonard, Aspiration controversy impacts Sixers

The Philadelphia 76ers’ future draft picks are climbing in value as more information from Pablo Torre Finds Out alleges salary cap circumvention between the Los Angeles Clippers and Kawhi Leonard via a fraudulent carbon credit company.

Pablo Torre’s investigation into the company, called Aspiration, disclosed an endorsement deal between Aspiration and Kawhi Leonard, rewarding the Clippers star $28 million for doing nothing in return.

The investigation also revealed that a total of $118 million was invested in Aspiration over 18 months through a combination of Clippers owner Steve Ballmer, Clippers minority owner Dennis Wong, and the Clippers organization itself.

Simply put, Aspiration’s business model was to sell “Carbon Credits” to companies or celebrities who were told, in turn, that trees would be planted on their behalf, offsetting their personal carbon emissions.

Torre’s reporting notes how Leonard’s endorsement deal with Aspiration came just six months after Ballmer personally invested $50 million into the company in September of 2021.

Later that September, the Clippers announced Aspiration as the “first founding partner” of the Intuit Dome, hoping to offset the carbon footprint of the Intuit Dome construction. The deal was worth $300 million; in return, Aspiration would be the sponsor on the Clippers jersey patch and have a branded cover on the seats.

Fast forwarding ahead to April 2022, on the same day that Leonard’s endorsement is inked, the Clippers purchase $32 million in carbon credits.

The endorsement deal between Aspiration and Kawhi was to be paid out quarterly in installments of $1.75 million. According to anonymous senior executives at Aspiration that Torre interviewed, by the time Leonard’s first payment was almost due, Aspiration was already losing money.

In June of 2022, the Clippers bought $21 million in additional carbon credits, just over two weeks before Leonard’s first payment. Torre’s sources explained how that money came in “very quickly” and was critical in keeping the company above ground until at least Leonard’s first payday, which was already tardy. Torre revealed the document confirmation for the transaction signed by the Chief Financial Officer of the Clippers.

Leonard’s second payday was even later, as Aspiration continued to go downhill and eventually defaulted in November 2022. On Dec. 6, “Wong LLC” invests $2 million into the company. Torre details that the LLC was founded by Clippers minority owner Dennis Wong. Wong was also Ballmer’s college roommate. On Dec. 15, Leonard gets his second $1.75 million payment.

In March of 2023, Ballmer invested an additional $10 million from his personal LLC into Aspiration during a round of fundraising. Torre reveals through court filings of founder Joe Sanberg that Ballmer was the only investor during the company’s fundraising, despite asking 19 investment firms.

The statement the Clippers gave Torre before the first episode of the investigation aired said, “The team ended its relationship with Aspiration years ago, during the 2022-23 season, when Aspiration defaulted on its obligations.”

The last investment came with 14 games left in the season, but months after the company defaulted.

This suspicious timeline has prompted the NBA and Commissioner Adam Silver to launch an investigation into the Clippers for possible cap circumvention, hiring law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz from New York.

The NBA does not expect to have a resolution on the Kawhi Leonard salary cap circumvention investigation until after the All-Star Game.

The #Clippers host the All-Star Game.

— Spotrac (@spotrac) September 18, 2025

The possible punishment for the Clippers could have sweeping effects for the league, but it would drastically improve the outlook on the 76ers’ future draft picks and where they may land.

They own the Clippers’ 2028 first-round pick and swap rights for their 2029 first-round pick (top three protected) thanks to the return package in the 2023 James Harden trade.

If Silver were to believe the information made public by Torre, and the investigation supports such, there is a chance the league sets an example out of the Clippers, as the integrity of the league and its rules are at risk.

A punishment of multiple first-round picks and voiding Leonard’s contract would be on the harsh end of the scale, as it would cripple the Clippers from a team-building perspective.

An aging roster, an evicted superstar, and no draft capital would likely mean the end for this era of the Clippers, barring an illustrious free agency signing.

This would bode well for the Sixers; the worse the Clippers are in 2027-29, the better the picks, and the more valuable they become as trade chips. The only player on the roster signed through 2028 is center Ivica Zubac.

On the flip side of the token, Silver and Ballmer have historically had a good relationship, ever since Ballmer bought the Clippers from the disgraced Donald Sterling in 2014.

Torre even showed how Silver, when first asked about the company Aspiration at the owners’ meetings, said he “never heard of the company before”.

Torre sent a tweet in response. According to league rules, the Clippers and Aspiration’s “founding partner” deal in 2021 had to be approved by the league, which would assume that Silver had to have some knowledge of the company.

But @pablofindsout just obtained a copy of Aspiration’s $300M+ “Founding Sponsorship Agreement” — which “must be submitted prior to its execution for NBA’s approval and shall not be effective or enforceable until it is expressly approved by the NBA.” pic.twitter.com/pE7EhmXl2S

— Pablo Torre (@PabloTorre) September 16, 2025

When questioned on this at Tuesday’s Front Office Sports’ Tuned In Summit, Silver would walk it back.

“If I said I never heard of it, I meant in the context of the accusations here. I mean, I was certainly aware of the brand.”

In addition to Silver, Ballmer has respect across the league owners, as Ballmer is currently the Chair of the Audit Committee of the NBA Board of Governors. Ballmer is also currently the seventh richest man in the US. All of these factors make it extremely difficult to predict the punishment, as the implications span many directions.

Unless the league lets the Clippers go free, the Sixers will have a valuable stock of draft capital in their back pocket.

Source: https://www.libertyballers.com/nba-...steve-ballmer-james-harden-sixers-draft-picks

 

[Philadelphia 76ers]

Is Kelly Oubre Jr. heading for more success with the Sixers, or a sudden departure?

We all know last season was an absolute slog for the injury-ridden Sixers, so there’s no need to dig into that again. But one brighter story was the play of Kelly Oubre Jr., who re-signed with Philadelphia on a very reasonable two-year, $16.3 million deal in 2024 and went on to be a reliable starter at both ends of the floor.

Through all the injury woes and losing streaks, Oubre kept showing up. His high-flying athleticism was consistently matched with high energy, as he started 57 of the 60 games he played while averaging the most minutes of his career at 34.6 a night. For the season, he averaged 15.1 points on a 55.1 true shooting percentage and 6.1 total rebounds, to go along with career-highs of 1.6 offensive boards, 1.8 assists and 1.5 steals per game.

Of course, Oubre has his limitations. For one, his already cool three-point shooting dropped to just 29.3 percent last season (although his volume at least catches the attention of defenders somewhat). He can still take the odd ill-advised jumper, too. However, his positives clearly outweighed the negatives, and his approach at both ends of the floor has turned into something that the Sixers need on the wing.

He continued to make assertive cuts to the basket, use his solid ability as a driver to get downhill and attack the rim (either off the catch or with a few pick-and-rolls/isolations), remained highly efficient in the paint (making 70.4 percent of his shots within three feet of the basket), and run out in transition.

He had a fine defensive season too. The Sixers needed his work on the boards, he could cover both wings and smaller guards when asked to, and was fairly disruptive in passing lanes.

Despite not being an overly high-level player in any one area, Oubre can do quite a few things well enough to be a plus at both ends when he has the right approach. And for the most part last season, that was the case.

Naturally, after a season like that, you’d think Oubre should be positioned to deliver more of the same in 2025-26 and maintain an important, high-minute role…

The spanner that’s just been thrown in the works is the reporting from Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer that the Sixers are “looking to potentially move” Oubre. The likely reason being that they may need to move some salary to create more space to give Quentin Grimes a bigger contract. With $185.9 million going out in salary already, the Sixers are only $10.05 million below the first apron and $21.9 million below the second apron. Basically, spending their $5.7 million taxpayer mid-level exception would then hard-cap them at the second apron, meaning they couldn’t give Grimes a starting salary over $16.2 million.

You can’t entirely blame Oubre for being angry about the noise either. He posted a snappy response, but he did consistently compete last season when he easily could have dialled it in.

Kelly Oubre Jr. with a strong reaction to the trade rumors #Sixers pic.twitter.com/kcPuQo3GmD

— Ky Carlin (@Ky_Carlin) September 10, 2025

The Sixers have plenty of talent on the perimeter with their guards, but they don’t exactly have any true wings apart from Oubre and Justin Edwards. Dumping Oubre for a cheaper player who won’t contribute much, or moving him in a straight salary dump to clear his $8.38 million salary, doesn’t exactly help from a basketball standpoint. And as our Bryan Toporek has pointed out when digging into the numbers, there’s value in keeping Oubre as a potential player to trade down the line. His salary is one of the team’s most trade-friendly contracts, as their highest-paid player after Joel Embiid, Paul George, Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe — basically, the guys they either don’t want to move, or would struggle to move because they’re paid so much. George may not even be ready for the start of the season either, as he recovers from the arthroscopic surgery on his left knee that he underwent in July.

There’s still reported buzz that Grimes could accept his qualifying offer, which he only has until Oct. 1 to do, so we’ll find out soon if Oubre is safe in that regard or will be flipped in order to create more cap space for a larger Grimes offer.

For however long Oubre is around, though, he should continue to be a valuable role player for this team. His energy, athleticism and complementary skills at both ends of the floor are still a good fit for the Sixers’ core — and ones they need with little wing depth. There’s no reason he shouldn’t be able to produce in a similar way in 2025-26 if he stays in Philly with a chance to do so.

Source: https://www.libertyballers.com/76er...-player-preview-andre-drummond-quentin-grimes

 

[Philadelphia 76ers]

Sixers fans have every right to feel burned out heading into 2025-26

At this time 10 years ago, we were getting ready for a season that came very close to being historic.

The 2015-16 Philadelphia 76ers went 10-72, and nearly joined the 1972-73 Sixers, who went 9-73, atop the list of most losses in one NBA season. We all know what happened in the spring of 2016. Just prior to the end of that dreadful 2015-16 campaign, Sam Hinkie “resigned” from his post as General Manager. I put quotation marks around resigned because many understandably feel he was forced out by ownership who caved under the pressure from Adam Silver that “The Process” had simply become too brazen of a tank job.

We’re not writing this post to relitigate The Process or point out how many other teams in the NBA have also lost games on purpose, but we are pointing out that Hinkie’s ousting by the powers that be left a lot of Sixers fans angered. For many of them, Hinkie’s arrival in May 2013 brought about a glimmer of hope for a franchise that was trapped in NBA purgatory. Hinkie had a plan and we were all denied being able to see how he would have carried it out.

Some of that hope would quickly return on opening night in 2016-17 though when Joel Embiid played his first NBA game and finished with 20 points and seven rebounds in just 22 minutes of action against Oklahoma City. Fast forward one more year to 2017-18 and the Sixers won 52 regular season games and a playoff round. It was their first playoff series win since 2012, and before that they hadn’t advanced out of the first round since 2003. I bring up 2003 because everyone knows that the Derrick Rose knee injury in that 2012 series against Chicago is the only reason the Sixers even won that series and so it very easily could have been 15 years from 2003 to 2018 without the franchise winning a round in the postseason.

How could we ever forget what happened shortly after the 2017-18 season concluded? In late May, The Ringer reported that Hinkie’s replacement, Bryan Colangelo and others in Colangelo’s circle were linked to burner accounts on Twitter. Many of the accounts were smearing Hinkie and defending Colangelo, who was widely viewed as a nepotistic hire due to his father working for the Sixers during the 2015-16 season prior to Hinkie’s ouster, and no real search for a new General Manager conducted by ownership. Let’s also not forget the accounts that defended Colangelo’s unusually large collars on his dress shirts. At this point, I think many Sixers fans were simply laughing at the entire fiasco. The laughter stemmed from Colangelo’s sensitivity and the fact that many fans could simply say “The NBA orchestrated Hinkie’s removal…FOR THIS?!?!”

Colangelo stepped down as a result of the scandal and perplexed is probably the best adjective to describe the emotions of the fanbase after that. Philadelphia went the entire offseason without a general manager which left coach Brett Brown in charge of player personnel for about four months. Granted, Colangelo did not officially tender his resignation until June 7, 2018 and at that point the NBA Draft was only a couple weeks away so the franchise was in a bit of a tough spot. But once everyone found out in September 2018 that Elton Brand was the permanent replacement for Colangelo, I think a lot of Sixers fans were likely wondering why Brand, whose previous title was GM of the team’s G-League affiliate in Delaware, wasn’t promoted immediately in June. If Brand was running the team in the 2018 offseason, the infamous Mikal Bridges-Zhaire Smith trade made by Brown on draft night may not have happened.

The Kawhi shot to end the 2018-19 season is probably still the biggest source of disappointment and sadness over the last 10 years. Philadelphia had the eventual NBA Champions on the precipice of overtime in a Game 7 in the second round. Of course, we can’t guarantee that if Leonard’s jump shot rimmed out, the Sixers would have won the game in overtime. Even if they did pull through on that Sunday night in Toronto, there would have still been eight more wins to get to reach the top of the mountain.

From 2019 to 2022 I think nervous and edgy were the words to describe the emotions felt by a lot of fans. After back-to-back trips to the second round, fans began to wonder if the franchise could take the appropriate steps to go from good to great. Jimmy Butler sure didn’t think so as he bailed on Philadelphia in the 2019 offseason which caused Brand, an inexperienced executive, to panic and drastically overpay Tobias Harris. Was Ben Simmons ever going to develop a jump shot? Would Doc Rivers prove he wasn’t a playoff choke artist carried by a loaded 2007-08 Celtics team to his one ring? Could Daryl Morey’s management experience balance out Brand’s inexperience and bring some stability to a front office that desperately needed some? Unfortunately, the answer to a lot of the above questions was no.

But that hope that existed when Hinkie was hired and briefly during the Toronto series in 2019 would return in 2023. Ben Simmons was gone and James Harden, who arrived in the Simmons trade with Brooklyn, had a huge Game 1 and a huge Game 4 against Boston and the Sixers were deadlocked at 2-2 with a Celtics team that seemed to own them and had eliminated them from the postseason in 2018 and 2020. They then played a riveting Game 5 in Boston in which they thoroughly outplayed the Celtics on their homecourt and suddenly had the chance to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in nearly a quarter century at home in Game 6 … we all know how that ended.

Rivers was fired after the Celtics choke job and by then fans probably felt pretty frustrated. The team’s two best chances at a deep playoff run were ended by a couple of bounces on a Kawhi Leonard jump shot in 2019 and a choke job that started on their home floor in Game 6 in 2023 and ended with a Mother’s Day Game 7 blowout loss in Boston. The team’s chances to win with Joel Embiid as the franchise’s centerpiece appeared to be dwindling.

Nick Nurse’s hire may have cheered up some fans as it was unlikely they could have hired a better replacement. But with Embiid’s knee injury in January 2024 and another playoff exit at the hands of the Knicks, another Atlantic division rival, at that point, many Sixers fans probably felt resignation — and last season’s disaster surely had many fans feeling completely defeated.

So as we prepare for 2025-26, I don’t know how you should feel, Sixers fans, because you’ve felt just about everything you can feel during the last 10 years and change. Sure, there hasn’t been that pure jubilation that comes with winning a championship, and I’m not about to tell you that’s an appropriate emotion now, but there’s really nothing else you haven’t felt. If you’re holding out hope that Embiid has a few more healthy years in him, go for it. If you’re fed up to the point of barely caring, I certainly can’t blame you. If you’re one of those fans that can never bring yourself not to care but are going into the season pessimistically, that’s definitely an understandable feeling. Fans might disagree on how to feel about the 2025-26 Sixers, but I think everyone can agree that this fanbase is burned out.

Source: https://www.libertyballers.com/76er...right-to-feel-burned-out-heading-into-2025-26