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Resetting the Sixers roster after their blockbuster trade for Jaylen Brown and free-agency moves The Sixers reportedly said goodbye to Kelly Oubre Jr.
and Quentin Grimes and hello to Ariel Hukporti Wednesday, then stunned the NBA by acquiring Brown from Boston for Paul George and draft picks.
The Sixers reportedly said goodbye to Kelly Oubre Jr.
and Quentin Grimes and hello to Ariel Hukporti Wednesday, then stunned the NBA by acquiring Brown from Boston for Paul George and draft picks.
Tyrese Maxey and Jaylen Brown will now team up after battling through a seven-game series in the first round of the NBA playoffs in May.in exchange for Paul George and four draft picks.
, banking on the Joel Embiid-Tyrese Maxey era rather than toggling between two timelines or fully pivoting into a rebuild around the Maxey-VJ Edgecombe backcourt.It also was an effort to keep up in an Eastern Conference that already boasts the NBA champion New York Knicks, along with revamped Miami Heat and Toronto Raptors teams that recently traded for Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kawhi Leonard, respectively.
The Sixers just turned Paul George into Jaylen Brown and transformed themselves for an unbelievable priceA five-time All-Star and the 2024 NBA Finals MVP, Brown is an elite attacker and shotmaker along with a stout defender.He has demonstrated he can create a successful tandem with a fellow star and be the top scoring option when needed.
Last season he finished sixth in MVP voting, after averaging 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 5.1 assists to spearhead the Celtics surprising 56-win season to finish in second place in the Eastern Conference.After spending his first 10 NBA seasons cultivating a wing partnership with Jayson Tatum, it will be fascinating to track how the 6-foot-6, 230-pound Brown fits with the Sixers roster construction with Maxey and Edgecombe in the backcourt and Embiid in the middle.
Brown also is one of the NBAs more outspoken personalities even his comments on Twitch streamsWade instantly projects into the other starting forward spot next to Brown.The 6-9, 225-pound Wade is another strong on-ball defender with size and versatility.
The 29-year-old also averaged 4.2 rebounds in less than 23 minutes during the past two seasons, and is a career 36.7% three-point shooter.
Hukporti is the latest contender to become Embiids backup center.
The 24-year-old was the third-team big man behind Karl-Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson on the Knicks title squad, and averaged less than 10 minutes across 79 games in his first two NBA seasons.An athletic 7-footer, Hukporti offers more pure size than Adem Bona, though Bona might be more switchable defensively and capable of playing power forward next to Embiid.
And it is a bit troubling that Hukporti has struggled in similar areas too many fouls, not enough consistency as Bona.
, Georges two seasons with the Sixers will go down as a disappointment.He sustained numerous injuries in 2024-25, and last season wasThough George was terrific on both ends of the floor down the stretch of the regular season including in the Sixers rally to upset the Celtics in the playoffs first round his contract had been considered difficult to trade because of his age and injury history.
Oubres three-year Sixers tenure, meanwhile, should be considered a success.He morphed from late-offseason addition on a veterans minimum contract, to starter who played with force and flair, to veteran who put together his most efficient season at age 30.
Before the Brown blockbuster, it was puzzling that the Sixers decided not to match to thethat ESPN reported Oubre agreed to with the Pacers.The Sixers held Oubres full Bird rights, which allows teams to re-sign their own free agents even if they are already over the salary cap.
It is possible Oubre wanted a change of scenery Indiana, which made the 2025 NBA Finals, is expected to regain contender status once All-NBA point guard Tyrese Haliburton recovers from Achilles surgery or that Gansey did not value Oubre as much as former lead executive.But the most cynical observer could conclude that letting Oubre walk was a move to help stay under the luxury tax.scoring punch and tenacious defense in spurts as a sixth man.
But he shot a career-low 33.4% from three-point range last season, and, other than an excellent Game 5 performance on both ends in Boston, was not good enough during the playoffs for a Sixers second unit that desperately needed scoring production.Swapping out Georges contract for Browns still creates a top-heavy cap sheet.
The Sixers are now about $2 million under the luxury tax and $10 million below the first apron, where they are hard-capped.
And assuming Hukportis salary comes out of the nontaxpayer midlevel exception, the Sixers still have $2.6 million from that to spend along with the $5.5 million biannual exception.The Sixers could add two more players to reach 15 on the full-time roster, though they have often only carried 14 to stay under the luxury tax.
It is reasonable to expect the Sixers will focus on adding one more guard unless LeBron James wants to come to Philly, of course.podcast released Wednesday that he had spoken to between 12 and 14 teams about James.The Sixers would be silly not to be among that group that has reached out, or to join it after the addition of Brown.
Ganseys brother, Steven, also threw gas on the social media speculation when he posted a photo on X of Gansey and James as high-schoolers in Ohio and the eyeballs emoji.Additionally, Bonas $2.3 million salary for 2026-27 becomes guaranteed on July 7, while Jabari Walker and Dalen Terrys deals become fully guaranteed Jan.
10.
As of Wednesday night, unrestricted free agents Andre Drummond, Trendon Watford, andI have been a 76ers beat writer at The Inquirer since 2021, and also cover other Philly basketball stories.I especially love reporting and writing pieces that lift the curtain on the Sixers' people and process , and that help readers feel connected to the teams they follow.