Mike Gansey didn’t exactly tiptoe into his new job with the Philadelphia 76ers. He came in swinging, and the result is a reshaped roster that has the team looking far different heading into 2026-27 than it did a year ago.
The biggest splashes were impossible to miss. Philadelphia landed Jaylen Brown in a trade with the Boston Celtics and followed that up by bringing in LeBron James in a blockbuster free-agency signing. With Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe still in place, the 76ers suddenly have a core that looks loaded on paper.
Gansey, now the team president, has also put together a few moves that don’t carry the same headline weight but still matter plenty. Anfernee Simons was a major addition, with the expectation that he can be one of the league’s best sixth men. Philadelphia also added Ariel Hukporti for center depth and brought in explosive scorer Caleb Love on a two-way contract.
For Gansey, the approach was simple: get in the mix, ask the questions, and see how far the market would take them.
"It's crazy in the NBA, and for me, I'm gonna pick up the phone. I'm gonna try and get involved in everything I possibly can and see what's out there and be aggressive, and fortunately this is where we landed," Gansey said after the Jaylen Brown press conference.
That aggressiveness can be a dangerous game if the dominoes don’t fall the right way. The 76ers made it clear early that they were hunting big names, which can expose your hand before the deal is done. In this case, though, the gambles worked.
Gansey’s challenge now shifts from acquiring talent to making it all fit. Nick Nurse will handle the coaching side, while Gansey keeps working to improve the roster around what should be a formidable starting lineup.
In Other News...
V.J. Edgecombe's LeBron Reaction Sums Up The New-Look 76ers
V.J. Edgecombe already sounds like he understands the assignment in Philadelphia. On a video call, the rookie talked about the surreal feeling of becoming teammates with LeBron James and admitted he was trying hard to act cool even while clearly buzzing about the moment. It was the kind of reaction that fits a roster suddenly loaded with star power, especially one that already features Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey.
For the 76ers, the bigger picture is the kind of attention that comes with a dramatic reshaping of the roster. With Jaylen Brown and LeBron James now in the mix alongside Embiid and Maxey, there is no shortage of talent or storylines to follow. Edgecombes reaction offered a small but telling glimpse of what it means to walk into that environment, where even a simple call can feel like a major introduction to the next chapter. [Read more 🡒]
Jaylen Brown Just Changed How Sixers Fans Should See VJ Edgecombe
VJ Edgecombe enters his first season in Philadelphia with a clearer outline than a spotlight, and that may be the right way to view a young player on a roster trying to sort out roles. The Sixers expect him to work in a smaller lane, likely as a 3-and-D piece, which can sound limiting until a player proves he can make that kind of job matter. Jaylen Brown has already offered a different read on the situation, one that frames Edgecombe less as a sideline figure and more as someone with room to grow into his place.
Browns perspective carries weight because he knows what it looks like to develop on a team full of established talent, where the path forward is usually built through patience and repetition. For Edgecombe, that kind of veteran support could be just as important as any early-season minutes, especially if his role is going to come from defense, spacing and steady growth rather than immediate volume. The bigger question now is whether Philadelphia can turn that promise into something more than a supporting assignment. [Read more 🡒]