Darly Morey has a busy summer ahead of him for the Philadelphia 76ers. Not only does he have the pressure of picking in the top-three of the 2025 NBA Draft, he must also re-tool a Sixers roster that fell drastically short last season.
In a recent article for Bleacher Report, Zach Buckley pointed out the Sixers’ lack of frontcourt depth as an area that urgently needs attention.
“The need for reliable reserves behind Joel Embiid is obvious given his ongoing availability issues, and they’ll be magnified if Andre Drummond declines his $5 million player option to head elsewhere,” Buckley wrote. “And while the Sixers hope to bring Guerschon Yabusele back, his unrestricted free agency could get pricey.”
Last season, Nick Nurse’s team struggled when it was forced to rely on the second unit. The clear lack of depth and talent on the bench was a major concern. As such, Morey must improve Nurse’s second unit if the Sixers want to bounce back from an embarrassing season.
Furthermore, Morey will have limited cap space to work with. Therefore, he may need to get creative if he wants to plug a legitimate gap in the team’s current rotation.
Paul George Shares Frustration With Sixers Debut
During a recent episode of his “Podcast P with Paul George,” the veteran All-Star shared his frustrations over a difficult debut season for the Sixers.
“I came in healthy,” George said. “I didn’t have any hiccups; I spent the whole offseason working on my body, getting healthy. Then I get to Philly. Preseason, I get hurt…I didn’t have my burst. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t pin what it was…So I started taking medicine to numb it up. Then I had an injury I didn’t even know about. That’s when I found out I had a torn adductor. That whole time, I just couldn’t move.”
Paul George is still an elite forward. However, the questions surrounding his ability to stay healthy are both fair and genuine. He must prove that his issues from last season are behind him. Otherwise, the Sixers may be forced to explore cutting their losses closer to the trade deadline.
Sixers Unlikely to Trade George This Summer
Trading George this summer has been floated as a potential option for the Sixers. However, his limited trade value around the NBA means Philadelphia won’t get back fair value. As such, moving the veteran would weaken the team, rather than provide scope to retool.
With that in mind, a recent article from Jake Fischer reported that Philadelphia is unlikely to pursue a trade package built around George this summer.
“Sources say that recent reports suggesting that the Sixers will be looking to explore George’s trade market in conjunction with the draft are a misread,” Fischer reported. “There have been no indications that they are looking to package George with the No. 3 pick or try to move him on his own. The Sixers surely understand that there is little-to-no chance they could optimize a trade return for the 35-year-old after his injury-riddled maiden season as a Sixer … especially with three seasons remaining on George’s max deal”
George will be under tremendous pressure to prove himself in the upcoming season. Sixers fans will likely hope that an improved front-court rotation can help position George for success. After all, when he’s at his best, there aren’t many forwards more talented than him in the league.
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