The NBA offseason is record-short this year, only 72 days. With that in mind, there is a lot to do to prepare for the December 22 start date. We will be reviewing teams both in need of change, and rumored to be making changes. These 72 days will be FULL of dumb decisions and messy roster drama, and it’s time to catch up. Up next? The Philadelphia 76ers. The Sixers have done a complete overhaul of the front office and coaching staffs, setting them up for an interesting continued NBA offseason. The Sixers are in dire need of some roster shakeups, but will they part with their star-studded locker room?
Draft: Not Significant
This draft is not significant for the Sixers for multiple reasons. The landscape of the Sixers future has significantly changed now that Doc Rivers and Daryl Morey are at the helm. Doc Rivers does not want to develop prospects, he proved that with the Celtics when they entered a rebuild and he proved that with the Clippers; he’s a win-now coach. In comparison, Daryl Morey is a win-now GM. As the lead for Houston, he hasn’t picked a first rounder in the draft since 2015, trading them all away for veteran assets. The Sixers currently hold five picks in Wednesday’s draft, and none are lottery picks. This draft class lacks depth, and won’t benefit the Sixers short-term. If they do keep their first round pick, they should pray Cole Anthony slips.
Recommendation: Package the picks in a larger trade.
Trade Market: Life or Death
This is the hill I will die on. The argument I bring up every time I find out someone even remotely follows basketball. The Process in Philadelphia failed. Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid do not play well together, and they are not the future for the Sixers. Call me out, say I’m wrong, fine. They have poor locker room dynamics, the two have no chemistry, their injuries leave significant holes due to lack of development and leadership throughout the rest of the roster, the list goes on. Joel Embiid is out here saying he’s the best player in basketball, and he can’t get the Sixers past the damn first round. If Joel Embiid is a superstar, I am a Food Network Top Chef.
In terms of Simmons, he’s not confident enough to be called a superstar, yet. He doesn’t take threes, and not because he is incapable of doing so; he mentally does not feel empowered to do so. This takes development from a confident locker room and a coach willing to do so, neither of which the Sixers have. No player can be considered a superstar if they are literally not shooting from the arc, I don’t care how naturally talented they are.
Ben Simmons posting workout videos of him shooting threes is like me studying for the LSAT and then going in to a plumbers union
— Ryan? (@WiseRye) November 9, 2020
Now that I have completed my rant of the problems, let’s look at potential solutions. In my dream world, Daryl Morey trades out both Simmons and Embiid and starts with a clean slate. They don’t work together, the rest of the roster isn’t happy, package your picks and do a complete overhaul. Knowing that bad things happen to good people, this isn’t happening for me. In addition, they’re probably going to dump Simmons when he has MUCH more potential of the two. Since Daryl Morey was hired out of Houston, there are rumors of Harden shipping up to Philly and joining the clusterf*** of stars. Embiid and Harden on the same team is literally as bad as KD and Kyrie, a nasty amount of personality and wasted potential.
The Sixers will not win anything if Joel Embiid doesn't get serious about his conditioning. Even with Harden. Embiid could be a player on par with AD, but he doesn't seem committed enough about getting in shape.
— joeKCcool (@RediLikeAJedi) November 13, 2020
Recommendation: Package Embiid with your draft picks to get a new veteran with demonstrated leadership in return. Avoid Harden like the plague.
Free Agency: Potentially Significant
The Sixers have awful luck on the free agency market. Al Horford was supposed to be a big land, and they ended up just causing more issues in the locker room and screwing with their cap sheet. He will probably be included in a trade, if they are to make one. The Sixers don’t have a ton of space in terms of diving into the free agency market, and they have a lot to do with their current roster before they should think about additions. Their contracts are messy, everyone is locked for at least another year, and five draft picks they don’t need. Unless they’re able to clear some cap space on the trade market, they shouldn’t prioritize free agency.
Recommendation: Prioritize the trade market and turn to free agency if you clear cap space.
Staff Retention: Not Significant
Staff retention is not significant for the Sixers, because it’s not their biggest problem. If you ask a Sixers fan why they sucked last year, they’ll blame Brett Brown. If Brett Brown is to blame, it’s for keeping that roster past the trade deadline. The Sixers hired Doc Rivers to replace Brown, and he is a bad fit. Although Rivers is a storied head coach (as a Celtics fan I thank him for my ring), he does not do well with underdeveloped players OR big personalities. Enter, the entire Sixers roster. Excluding a few, the entire roster is either hot headed or under-developed. Daryl Morey is a good GM, but he will only keep his job if he gets them in a deep playoff run. I don’t think he is integral to their success unless he makes some roster changes.
Should the Sixers keep Embiid? Let me know on Twitter @swalshy63 and check out my other great Belly Up Sports content!
