Tyrese Maxey doesn’t need much persuading to understand what a healthy Joel Embiid means for Philadelphia. To him, it’s a total shift in the 76ers’ outlook.
“It changes everything,” Maxey said, according to Kris Rhim of ESPN.
That’s the reality hanging over the Sixers as Embiid gets a full camp and the team finally spends real practice time with the player who drives so much of what they do. Over the past three regular seasons, Embiid has not played more than 39 games in any of them, which has repeatedly left Philadelphia trying to build chemistry on the fly.
Maxey spelled out how different it feels when the big man is actually around.
“If you haven’t been playing with a big like Joel - there’s not many - it’s very hard, very difficult to learn certain things,” Maxey said.
Now the Sixers can run those details over and over instead of sorting them out in the middle of games.
“So, with him being here, we can drill those things over and over,” Maxey said. “It’s been what, like two, three weeks that we’ve had just drilling and drilling. That’s a good thing.”
The biggest question remains whether Embiid can stay available. But Philadelphia at least gets to start from a better place this fall, with some actual continuity in camp rather than another season of waiting for its centerpiece to come back.
In Orlando, Anthony Black’s extension talks have become a topic around the league, even if that doesn’t mean the Magic are ready to move him. Brian Windhorst of ESPN reported that rival executives have been wondering whether Orlando might consider dealing Black if a deal isn’t in place before Monday’s rookie extension deadline.
Brandin Podziemski’s five-year, $110 million contract with Golden State has become part of the backdrop. Both players are represented by Bill Duffy, but Orlando reportedly hasn’t been willing to go to the $22 million annual level for Black.
There’s also the matter of the Magic’s payroll, which makes every decision a little trickier. So does the fact that they’re expected to try to win with this group right now.
“I don’t think they trade him now even if they don’t get a deal,” one Eastern Conference executive told Windhorst. “They are under pressure to win this season because of that payroll, and they need him because of (Jalen) Suggs’ injury issues.”
That line of thinking makes sense. Even without an extension, Black still matters to this year’s team, and Orlando still has to manage both the next contract and the reality of getting through the season with enough dependable guard play.
Golden State is banking on help from a different kind of internal source: its injured list. Moses Moody and Jimmy Butler won’t be available for opening night, but the Warriors are still hoping both return by early 2027, according to Anthony Slater of ESPN.
Moody, who had surgery for a ruptured left patellar tendon, is viewed as the one closer to a return and could be back in December or January. Butler, coming off a torn right ACL, is looking at January or February.
But Butler says he already has a target in mind. He just isn’t handing it over.
“I know (an exact target date),” Butler told ESPN. “We know. Y’all just find out whenever y’all find out.”
Slater also reported that Golden State has not included Butler in trade talks since its failed pursuit of Giannis Antetokounmpo at last season’s deadline. The Warriors also did not go after Anthony Davis or Jaylen Brown over the summer, and other Butler-plus-picks ideas were shut down as well.
For Steve Kerr, the focus is simple: survive until the reinforcements arrive. Golden State was 25-19 when Butler got hurt last season and went 12-26 after that.
“We get Jimmy back around February instead of losing him in February,” Kerr said. “So, what’s our job? Lay the best foundation, best platform for success before that.”
In Other News...
Lakers Face A Risky Deadline Question In Cross-Town Derrick Jones Buzz
The Lakers spent the offseason swinging big for Walker Kessler in a sign-and-trade with Utah, and the cost was steep enough to shape everything that comes next. With multiple future first-round picks and swaps already gone, any February deadline move now has to clear two hurdles at once: it has to help on the court, and it has to fit a front office that no longer has much draft capital to shop with.
That is why the chatter around Derrick Jones Jr. and Goga Bitadze matters, even if neither path looks simple. Jones is valued by the Clippers, which makes a cross-town deal feel remote, while Bitadze has emerged as a more plausible backup-center type for Los Angeles, though his fit is far from clean and his history with Luka Doncic adds another layer to an already delicate decision. [Read more 🡒]
Anthony Black Is Becoming A Real Magic Roster Decision
Anthony Black is starting to look less like a young piece the Magic can simply tuck away and more like a real roster decision. ESPNs Brian Windhorst said there are ongoing negotiations around the guards contract situation, and for Orlando that kind of business tends to carry extra weight because it sits right at the intersection of development, salary structure and future flexibility. Teams can talk all they want about patience, but once a former lottery pick begins to establish himself, the numbers and the timing start to matter.
The interesting part is that this does not seem to be a simple keep-or-move-on call for Orlando. Windhorst also noted trade considerations in the mix, which only adds to the sense that Blacks place on the roster is being measured against more than just his current production. However the deadline chatter settles, the Magic appear to be deciding how far they want to go to keep him in the fold, and whether the next step is a new deal or a harder conversation. [Read more 🡒]
Anthony Black Just Became A Much Tougher Decision For The Magic
Anthony Blacks extension talks have moved into a trickier spot as Orlando works through the rookie-deal clock. The Magic like the shape of their roster and already have money tied up in other places, which makes every new commitment a little more complicated than it would be for a team with cleaner books. Blacks camp, meanwhile, has a fresh market reference to consider, and that can change the tone of a negotiation fast.
Golden States recent deal for another young guard with the same agent has only sharpened the stakes around Blacks future in Orlando. The Magic still have a window to get something done before the deadline, but if the sides cant bridge the gap, the conversation shifts from an extension to a far less comfortable path after the season, when Blacks next contract would be decided under restricted free agency. [Read more 🡒]