The Jaylen Brown deal changed the look of the 76ers in a hurry. It also didn’t change the one question hanging over everything in Philadelphia.
Brown gives the Sixers a major boost and puts them in a position where they should be taken seriously as contenders next season. But even with Brown joining Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, the whole thing still runs through Embiid. That’s the part that hasn’t moved.
If Embiid can get through at least 60 games, that would be a step in the right direction. The bigger test, though, is whether he can survive four playoff series for the first time in his career.
At 32, that’s a heavy ask. An 82-game season already takes a toll, and the postseason brings a level of physical punishment that can wear down even the best of them.
Brown does help. He should ease some of the scoring burden on Maxey and VJ Edgecombe whenever Embiid has to sit and manage his workload.
That matters. But it doesn’t remove the need for Embiid.
It just gives Philadelphia a better chance to stay afloat when he’s not on the floor.
That’s what makes this trade so interesting. The Sixers were not winning a championship with last season’s roster, even if the first-round win over Boston briefly made that feel possible.
Everyone saw again how central Embiid still is to this team’s ceiling. Now that Philadelphia has a better shot to contend, his importance only grows.
For Sixers fans, this has been the same story for 12 years: hope, frustration, and the belief that Embiid can still be the guy who gets them over the top. The dream is still alive, even if the road has been full of detours.
The Celtics taking on the rest of Paul George’s contract for Brown gave Philadelphia a chance it didn’t expect. The Sixers plan to go after it. But as it has been for years, the final answer still depends on Embiid’s availability, as long as he’s on the team.
His best years may be behind him, but his value hasn’t disappeared. Not with Brown now in the fold. Not when the Sixers finally have the kind of help they’ve been chasing for so long.
In Other News...
Sixers May Have An Obvious Fix For Their Biggest Remaining Hole
The 76ers still have a clear frontcourt question to answer as they sort through the rest of their offseason, and it starts with what happens behind Joel Embiid. Philadelphia already knows it will need another body at center after losing Andre Drummond in free agency, and the need becomes even more obvious when Embiid is expected to miss a considerable number of games for rest and load management. For a team trying to keep its rotation steady over the long haul, that is not a minor detail.
Nick Richards is one of the more practical names in that search, especially for a roster that could use more size and athleticism in the middle. He split last season between the Suns and Bulls and gave Chicago a workable reserve presence when called upon, which is the kind of profile that can matter in Philadelphia. The question now is whether the Sixers see enough value there to make a move before the market settles. [Read more 🡒]
Sixers May Be Running Out Of Time For Their Preferred Move
The Sixers still have one open roster spot, and the front offices next move appears tied to how the market shakes out around the league. ESPNs Brian Windhorst noted that Philadelphia is among the teams weighing the possibility of a bigger name changing course, but the more immediate issue for the Sixers is practical: they need help on the wing, and they need it without much financial flexibility.
If the preferred path never opens up, the fallback list is already taking shape. Philadelphia has been linked to options such as Ziaire Williams and Khris Middleton while it looks for a fit that can add depth and size on the perimeter, and Nicolas Batum also remains a name to watch as the team sorts through its final roster spot. The challenge is finding the right balance between value and need before the available choices start disappearing. [Read more 🡒]
Celtics Just Shocked The East By Splitting Up Jayson Tatum And Jaylen Brown
Bostons decision to break up the Brown-Tatum partnership marks a significant shift in the Eastern Conference landscape, ending nearly a decade of continuity around two wings who helped define the Celtics rise. For Philadelphia, it also adds another layer of intrigue to a division that already has no shortage of familiar grudges and high-stakes matchups.
The move reflects how sharply the Celtics have re-evaluated their future, with the organization clearly choosing to build around Jayson Tatum and treating him as the centerpiece going forward. However the rest of the roster settles, the ripple effect is obvious: a rivalry that once lived inside one locker room now carries into the conference race itself. [Read more 🡒]