76ers have hope, but we could see the same team next season
Goforitradio Staff
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The Philadelphia 76ers’ season has come to an end after getting routed by the Knicks 144-114 in Game 4 at Xfinity Mobile Arena on Sunday to sweep their second-round series.
After coming back from a 3-1 deficit against the Celtics in the first round, there were a lot of positive vibes around the 76ers, but one week later, their season is over, and the 76ers still can’t get out of the conference semifinals.
Now, it’s on to the offseason.
At this point, the 76ers appear to be stuck. Joel Embiid, who has played in only 96 regular-season games over the past three seasons, has a three-year, $193 million extension that starts next season. The 32-year-old Embiid is the only league MVP in NBA history not to reach the conference finals.
Paul George, who turned 36 this month, has two years left on his contract, which will pay him $110 million. This season, George, who had a 25-game suspension for violating the league’s drug policy, played in only 37 regular-season games. Along with Tyrese Maxey, the 76ers are the only team with three players making at least $40 million a year next season.
On the surface, it seems impossible to move Embiid and George, so, to a degree, the 76ers might be stuck.
There are reports that the team is evaluating team president/GM Daryl Morey and head coach Nick Nurse, so we’ll see if they’ll be back next season. Nurse has done enough to come back. It’s hard to coach an Embiid-led team because you don’t know when he’ll be in the lineup, so considering all of that, Nurse deserves to come back.
Regarding Morey, that might be tough. To his credit, in his six seasons with the team, Morey has drafted well. Maxey, VJ Edgecome, Isaiah Joe, and Jared McCain. However, he released Joe, a key contributor for OKC, and traded McCain, also a key contributor for the Thunder, but that trade might not have been Morey’s fault, as it helped the team avoid the luxury tax, which could have been directed by ownership. Joe and McCain could have been valuable contributors off the 76ers’ bench, and as we saw, the 76ers could have used bench help. In addition, Morey extended Embiid and signed George to a four-year, $212 million contract. Both, in hindsight, were a mistake. The 76ers should probably move on from Morey, but he did construct a team that beat Boston in the first round, so maybe that’s enough to bring him back.
Kelly Oubre Jr., Quentin Grimes, and Andre Drummond will be the team’s key free agents. There could be a scenario in which all three players won’t back, especially if the 76ers want to avoid the luxury tax.
They do have the 22nd pick in this year’s draft, which many consider to be deep, so maybe they can find a decent player in the draft.
Embiid says the season was a success, but it’s debatable since they still haven’t made it past the first round.
End of the day, there is some hope, especially with Maxey and Edgecombe, but with Embiid and George, it feels like things might be the same, and we might be asking the same question over and over:
