Anfernee Simons is already giving the Sixers a lift before he even takes the floor.
The new free agent guard signed a two-year, $12.3MM deal with a second-year player option to join Philadelphia, and Adam Aaronson of Philly Voice believes he could end up being a major piece for the team. Simons has built his reputation as one of the league’s most dangerous three-point shooters, and he may also be the best answer to back up Tyrese Maxey.
On Tuesday, Simons was asked about the idea that the Sixers could be undersized in the backcourt. His response pointed straight to the defensive standard he thinks the group needs to meet.
“When a team has a common goal of competing on that side of the ball and stays connected, I think a lot of those things can be mitigated…that’s one of the things I learned instantly when I came to Boston. The intensity defensively has to be higher,” Simons said, per Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports (Twitter link).
Philadelphia’s summer overhaul also put a spotlight on the bigger financial picture. New Sixers president of basketball operations Mike Gansey has already remade the roster with his blockbuster trade for Jaylen Brown and other moves, but Aaronson notes that ownership has to understand how hard it will be to build real championship depth without crossing into the luxury tax. Joel Embiid, Brown and Maxey are set to make more than $500MM combined over the next three seasons, leaving a huge chunk of the cap spoken for.
Elsewhere in the division, the Nets got a look at Mikel Brown Jr. in the California Classic on Monday. The sixth pick in the draft made his Summer League debut and flashed the playmaking that helped get him there, finishing with 10 points and four assists in the fourth quarter, according to C.J.
Holmes of the New York Daily News. Summer League coach Dutch Gaitley didn’t hold back on the praise: “He’s electric.
He showed his ability to get downhill,” he said.
In Other News...
76ers LeBron Pursuit Just Took A Turn Fans Never Saw Coming
The LeBron James sweepstakes has already taken on an unusual feel, and now Philadelphias side of it has pushed into territory that is hard to compare with a normal free-agency chase. Bob Myers, president of Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, reportedly used a podcast appearance to make a public case for the 76ers as a landing spot, a move that underscores just how aggressively the team is trying to stay in the conversation.
James is handling the process exclusively through Rich Paul, which only adds to the strangeness of a bidding war that is believed to involve Philadelphia, Cleveland and Miami. For the 76ers, the message is clear: they are willing to be creative, even unprecedented, if it gives them a chance to stand out in a race that has no real blueprint. [Read more 🡒]
Joel Embiid Just Changed Everything For The 76ers This Summer
Joel Embiids offseason looks different this year, and for the 76ers that alone changes the tone around everything they are trying to build. Bob Myers, president of the teams ownership group, said Embiid is healthy this summer, a notable shift from recent years when the big man was spending those months rehabbing instead of preparing for the next run. Given how dominant Embiid was when he was on the floor last season, even with some missed games, Philadelphia has every reason to treat this as a major development.
The bigger picture is just as important. The Sixers have already made several roster moves and are trying to position themselves as title contenders for the 2026-27 campaign, but that plan only really works if Embiid gets a full offseason to work on his game and build toward the fall. For a team that has spent so much time managing uncertainty, a healthy summer for its centerpiece is the kind of change that can reshape expectations before training camp even opens. [Read more 🡒]
Joel Embiid Just Got The Chance 76ers Fans Have Waited For
The 76ers finally made the kind of swing that changes the conversation around Joel Embiid, landing Finals MVP Jaylen Brown in a move that instantly jolted the franchises outlook. For a team that has spent years trying to build a true title-level core around Embiid, Browns arrival gives Philadelphia a new kind of perimeter force and a much cleaner path into the top tier of the East.
Embiid has not spoken publicly about the trade, but the buzz around the team is that he is enthusiastic about the addition and already looking ahead to the coming season. Health will still shape how far this group can go, and the front office may not be done yet, with the possibility of another major move hanging over the roster as the 76ers try to turn a big summer into something even bigger. [Read more 🡒]