On Sunday, the Philadelphia 76ers lost their fourth straight game to the Boston Celtics completing one of the most disappointing seasons in recent NBA history. After coming into the season as a favorite to make the finals out of the East, the 76ers getting swept in the first round can only be seen as a massive failure. With the lack of production to match the clunky fitting roster, it’s become apparent that the 76ers will need to make some sort of change to their team.
New Management
The expectation around the league is that 76ers head coach Brett Brown will be fired. After three years with Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, Brown hasn’t been able to consistently maximize both of his star players’ productivity while they’re on the court together. Even with Ben Simmons out due to injury, the Sixers inability to win a game in this series and their overall lack of structure will likely get Brown fired.
76ers General Manager Elton Brand may be on the way out of Philadelphia as well. Last summer, Brand resigned Tobias Harris to a five-year $180,000,000 deal and brought in Al Horford for four years at $109,000,000. Both players have drastically underachieved given their contracts and will be difficult to trade should the 76ers try to reshuffle their roster.
Roster Changes
The main question for the 76ers this offseason should be whether they believe that Simmons and Embiid can win together or if they are better off going all in on building around one of the two. Although a trade involving either Embiid or Simmons is by far the most interesting option and would bring back the most value, it’s likely they will be given another chance together in a new system with a new coach. If Philadelphia does decide to make a change this offseason, they would like it to involve Horford and/or Harris but will likely struggle to find a deal of equal value due to their contracts.
Conclusion
After having what was once arguably the best young core in basketball, the 76ers are now at risk of going through yet another rebuild if they don’t handle this offseason correctly. Whether their next move comes as new management or roster changes, the decision should reveal the 76ers plan for their next step in the process.
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