By any and all measures, the Philadelphia 76ers had a terrible season. And yet the Sixers were intending to have a competitive one.
After dismantling the James Harden-driven team and fallen out of the 2023-24 NBA playoffs at the first round stage, Philadelphia cleaned out its salary cap situation and prioritised the pursuit of a player the team’s front office had long since coveted – Paul George. But after finally landing their man, George – belaboured with injury – fell off a cliff. The career 20.6 points per game scorer managed only 16.2 points a night in his first year with the Sixers, played only half of their games, and looked a shadow of his former self.
Furthermore, while upstart rookie Jared McCain was scoring at a historic rate and provided some much-needed fresh legs, his season was also ended prematurely through injury, while Joel Embiid was leggier than ever. What was supposed to be a competitive roster ended up having its plugged pulled, and falling all the way down to third-last in the Eastern Conference with a 24-58 record.
They needed the draft lottery to save their season. And it did.
Talent Is On The Way – But Not Necessarily Youth
Last week, although they did not win the ultimate prize, the Sixers did win the bronze. The balls bounced their way, allowing them to move up to the #3 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, and providing a much-needed infusion of talent for a team that needs some rejuvenation.
Reports say, though, that the pick might not stay with them for long.
In one of his first mock draft pieces after the lottery, Jonathan Givony of ESPN reports that the 76ers are expected by some around the league to trade the pick, rather than keep it. And be it to unburden themselves from his contract, or because they think he can sweeten the deal, Givony further reports that Philadelphia will look for George to be a part of any such deal, too:
Some teams expect the Sixers to be active in trade conversations, with names such as Kevin Durant (Phoenix) and Lauri Markkanen (Utah) as potential targets in packages that could include Paul George and the No. 3 pick. Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey has made a career of being active and aggressive on the trade front, but historically, it’s rare to see a top-three pick being traded.
A Question Of Timelines For The Sixers
Because of McCain’s impact, and the rise to superstardom of fifth-year guard Tyrese Maxey, the Sixers have a roster containing various concurrent timelines.
“Timelines”, in NBA roster construction terms, exist without being visible. Â Broadly, a team’s “timeline” is a measure of where in their career their best players are – if a team has all its best players reaching their best years at the same time, as the Oklahoma City Thunder are starting to have happen, their timeline is obvious. In the case of someone like Philadelphia, though, it is less clear-cut.
At the centre of things for more than a decade has been Embiid, but his time is running out. While still good, he is now 31 years old, and it is a battle-weary 31 given his lengthy injury history. Based on last year’s performance, the 35-year-old George’s best days are also behind him. Maxey and McCain, though, clearly have many years to go, and upside still to realise. Acquiring another quality young piece through the top of the draft would therefore accord more with the timelines of the latter two.
If Givony’s reporting is right, though, it seems as though the 76ers have less interest in that direction as they do in trying to stay immediately competitive during Embiid’s twilight years. Daryl Morey-led teams have almost always been on the older side, and the same team that spent $212 million on a then-34-year-old last season made clear their urgency.
The Eastern Conference is unequivocally not as wide-open as it once was, but if Embiid remains the franchise player, and the one around whom the ownership and braintrust want to try and compete, then that time must be now. It was also “now” this past season, of course. But with that year written off, it really is “now” this time.
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