This summer, the Philadelphia 76ers have had one of the biggest off-seasons in the entire NBA. From the shocking in-division blockbuster trade for Jaylen Brown, to making acquisitions such as Anfernee Simons and Dean Wade to replace Quentin Grimes and Kelly Oubre Jr. in free agency to the rumors of being one of the teams linked to LeBron James as he’s a free agent.
As it’s mid-July and the middle of the off-season, here are five offseason questions for the Sixers.
1. Will the Sixers win the race for LeBron James?
A couple of hours before NBA Free Agency hit on June 30, James announced that he was officially leaving the Los Angeles Lakers. As James looks for his last destination before retirement, the Sixers have been one of the teams in the loop for his services. Both parties have many connections with one another from the new 76ers President of Basketball Operations Mike Gansey to being represented by the same agency in Klutch Sports as Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey.
James and Gansey were two of the top high school stars in Ohio at the time. Fast forward, Gansey was in the front office in Cleveland when LeBron brought a championship to the Cavs. James’s agent Rich Paul, on his podcast said the two have mutual respect for one another and have a connection from the time in Ohio. As both LeBron and Maxey are in the same agency, ESPN recently reported the big three of Maxey, Embiid, and Brown have all been in contact with James to try bringing him to Philly. James has ties with Embiid with regards to Team USA and the Olympics with winning a gold medal together two years ago. With LeBron being a student of the game his whole career, James has strong respect for Jaylen Brown and respect for the passionate fanbase in Philly as well.
Whether LeBron is coming to Philly remains unknown. James last played in the Eastern Conference eight years ago in the 2017-2018 season when he was with the Cavs. As it’s almost been a full decade of no LeBron in the East, James cannot only be enticed by his Sixers connections and the team’s talent but of himself coming back to a conference which he dominated for the majority of his career.
2. How will Jaylen Brown fit with the Sixers?
So far, arguably the biggest trade this off-season was the Sixers trading for Jaylen Brown a few weeks ago. Last season Brown, averaged 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 5.1 assists as it was the best season of his career. Brown led the Celtics to the 2nd seed in the Eastern Conference after the NBA world wrote the team off due to the Celtics losing Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porziņģis, Al Horford and Luke Kornet in the off-season along with Jayson Tatum being out a majority of the season due to tearing his achilles.
Brown has played with talented teams in the past, and now gets to be on another great roster in his career. Despite being on a new team for the first time in his career after his 10 year tenure, Brown can be a huge addition for the team. Since acquiring Brown, there have been some questions how Brown will fit with Maxey, Embiid and the rest of the team with their being one ball. Brown is already a plus for the team with his career of winning.
The Sixers more than anything in their franchise need a player that know how to win at the highest of levels as the Sixers for years have struggled in the playoffs. Brown has two finals appearances back in 2022 and in 2024 where he led the Celtics to it’s 18th NBA championship with winning Finals MVP. Brown along has six Eastern Conference Finals appearances as the Sixers haven’t been in the third round of the playoffs since 2001.
Brown also fits with the Sixers due to his unselfish play and willing sacrifice in his career. For 10 years in Boston, Brown has always shared the spotlight with Tatum and the whole world always made it who’s the No.1 guy, Tatum or Brown? At times Brown has been 1B or the 2nd option as Brown has always done whatever was necessary for the team to win. From taking the challenge of defending the best opposing player to getting downhill to the basket & free throw line to being a vocal leader when the team needed him the most. With the shocking trade, Brown has all the motivation in the world to continue his high level of play and try to help the city of Philadelphia get to the promise land.
3. Will the Sixers see another Tyrese Maxey leap?
This upcoming NBA season, Tyrese Maxey will be heading into his seven season. Each year, Maxey production has increased as his level of play and PPG have gone up each year. Last season, Maxey averaged 28.3 points, 6.6 assists, and 4.1 rebounds which was all career highs. Maxey was without his running mate Embiid majority of the season, as he played in only 38 games. Over the past few years, Embiid hasn’t been available to be on the floor despite his desire to be out there more. With the Sixers franchise center missing time over the years, the team has turned to Maxey as the guy to lead and help the Sixers.
From the new addition of Brown to the questions of LeBron potentially signing to Embiid lack of games played in years, Maxey has been one of the positives for the Sixers. Each year as Maxey elevates his game, it seems to be the start of the team turning to him as the new franchise. The young 25 year-old guard has taken full advantage of every opportunity given and make the most of everything. Maxey was the fifth leading scorer this past season as he looks to one-up his PPG of 28.3. It may be a challenge with the unknown of the Sixers roster as it’s the middle of free agency but the young guard will have all the opportunity to have another season to continue taking his game to new levels.
4. Will V. J. Edgecombe have a sophomore leap or slump?
As Edgecombe’s rookie season wrapped up months ago, the first year player had a very promising year. Edgecombe averaged 16.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 4.2 assists with being an Rookie of the Year Finalist and being named NBA All-Rookie First Team. V. J. was one of the three rookie players to have unanimous selections for the First Team along with Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel.
Edgecombe showed the world he can be one of if not the best two way players in the league one day. He also showed he takes pride on the defensive side of the ball and being able to lock up opposing players with averaging 1.4 steals per game. He showed he is a very athletic player and someone who can get inside the basket whenever he desires. In the outside game, Edgecombe shot 43.8% from the field and 35.4% from three. Throughout the regular season and playoffs, V. J. showed flashes he can be a good three point shooter as he has had games where he gets in the zone from range.
With all the off-season moves and being in the middle of free agency, there have been questions of if Edgecombe will take a big back seat? As you have the fourth and fifth leaders in points per game with Brown and Maxey this past season and having one of the most talented centers in league history with Embiid. The questions remains to be seen but V. J. has shown promise in a lot of areas in his game this past season. If the third option or the fourth option or whatever role he plays, V.J. will find a way to be valuable to the team and do whatever is needed to win games. These additions to the team might be great for him as all the attention will be on the big three of Maxey, Brown, and Embiid. If you can leave a player who shot above average from three in his rookie season, his shooting percentages and play will only increase significantly if teams are not smart.
5. Will Joel Embiid continue to be unavailable for the Sixers?
This upcoming NBA season, Embiid will be entering his 13th season in the league. The unfortunate issue that has followed Embiid since entering the league, has been his unavailability due to injuries. The 32 year-old hasn’t played in over 60 games since the 2022-2023 season where he won MVP. It’s been a difficult few seasons with Embiid and having his extremes highs in his career along with his lows. With the Sixers offseason moves, this is arguably the most talented team Embiid has ever been on. From winning an MVP to averaging more than 30 points per game multiple times in his career, Embiid looks for one more thing in his career and that’s a championship.
Embiid has never been out of the second round as the Sixers and himself have struggled getting over the hump in the playoffs. With the numbers not in favor of Embiid playing the majority of the regular season, if the Sixers get a fully healthy Embiid in the playoffs everything changes. A lot would have to go right and luck will have to favor the city of Philadelphia but if the current team can keep things afloat in the regular season then they could have a real opportunity to make a deep run.
With Embiid being expected to miss time at different points throughout the long regular season, the Sixers still need to help Joel with the center rotation. In Free Agency, the Sixers lost backup center Andre Drummond to the New York Knicks as they looked for a replacement. The current rotation is Embiid, Adem Bona, Ariel Hukporti, and Johni Broome.
No doubt the Sixers have had a thrilling summer but can they turn this off-season into a great upcoming season? The NBA season is months away with training camp two and a half months out.
