2023-24 record: 47-35; lost in the first round
Added: F Paul George (four years, $212M); G Eric Gordon (two years, $6.7M); C Andre Drummond (two years, $10M); F Caleb Martin (four years, $35M); G Reggie Jackson (one year, $3.3M); G Jared McCain (first round, 16th pick); F David Jones (two-way); 2031 second round pick (acquired from Dallas)
Lost: F Tobias Harris (signed with Detroit); F Nicolas Batum (signed with Clippers); F De’Anthony Melton (signed with Golden State); C Paul Reed (fired); G/F Buddy Hield (sign-and-trade to Golden State); F/C Mo Bamba (signed with Clippers)
Retain: G Tyrese Maxey (five years, $204M); F Kelly Oubre (two years, $16.3M); G Kyle Lowry (one year, $3.3M); F Kenyon Martin Jr. (two years, $16M); G Jeff Dowtin (two-way)
Extended: No
Back from injury: No
The skinny one: I’m at it again! I’m falling for the Daryl Morey Carnivale! He’s doing his Wizard of Odds thing, and I’m swooning like a Swiftie at an Eras Tour concert. And here I am again, after the Sixers convinced George to come back east to try his hand at Joel Embiid and Maxey and another retooled supporting cast. I’m certainly not giving Philly the No. 1 spot this offseason, like I did in 2020 (when they hired Morey and Doc Rivers) or 2022 (when they signed Melton from Memphis and P.J. Tucker from Milwaukee and gave James Harden a two-year, $68 million extension. Good times.) But it’s a close call.
And yet I still remember what Embiid said after the Sixers were eliminated in the first round by the Knicks, when asked about the coming summer, now that Philly had $50 million in salary cap space.
“Every year, it’s always been like that, somebody comes in, the next year they’re gone,” Embiid said at the time. “The same thing happened the last couple years. … All of (the recent 76ers teams) lasted one year. That’s the problem. Who won (in 2022-23)? Denver. … Jamal (Murray), Nikola (Jokić), they’ve been together for, what, eight years, something like, seven? You look at some of the teams that won. Golden State Warriors. They’ve been together a long time. I can’t remember the last time you put a team together and hoped it would go well for one year.”
So, is this built to last — especially with the injury histories of both Embiid and the 34-year-old George? Can Caleb Martin repeat his big postseason moments in Miami, replacing Batum? Can McCain break into the rotation? Will Oubre continue to make the leap he did last season with a prove-it deal?
I don’t know. I’m too busy looking at the shiny watch Morey just pulled out of his pocket.
