The Philadelphia 76ers may have swapped one superstar problem for another.
For years under Daryl Morey, the Sixers kept running into the same wall: Joel Embiid could tilt a game by himself, but once he sat, the roster often didn’t have enough behind him to keep the pressure on. Now, under Mike Gansey, Philadelphia has more star power across the starting five with Jaylen Brown in place, but the concern hasn’t gone away. The issue is still what happens when the top guy isn’t available.
That’s the trap in a league where the second apron has changed how contenders are built. Teams can’t just pile up expensive names and hope the talent sorts itself out. Depth matters more than ever, and the Sixers still look like a team trying to buy its way around that reality.
Brown is no bargain, either. Over the next three years, his $185,018,442 contract will take up about 35 percent of the salary cap, and that’s before Philadelphia even thinks about the extension he can sign this year.
Add in Embiid and Tyrese Maxey already sitting on similar money, and the squeeze gets obvious fast. One elite spot on the roster costs so much that it leaves very little room to build out the rest of the bench.
That’s where the concern gets sharper. Unless LeBron James signs on the dotted line, the Sixers are looking at the 2026-27 season with Justin Edwards as Brown’s backup on the wing and Dean Wade starting at power forward. That’s a thin safety net for a team that wants to be taken seriously as a title threat.
Edwards has had moments. He’s flashed enough in his two years in Philadelphia to keep people interested.
But the consistency just hasn’t been there, and his second season was more frustrating than encouraging. In 64 games, he averaged six points, 1.5 rebounds, and 1.3 assists while shooting 44.7 percent from the field.
His role also shrank, dropping to 15.3 minutes per game after he played 26.3 as a rookie.
There is some upside if he gets a bigger runway. On March 20, in Philadelphia’s 139-118 win over the Sacramento Kings, Edwards erupted for 32 points and four assists, shooting 61.1 percent overall and 7-for-11 from three.
But one big night doesn’t solve the larger problem. Right now, the Sixers’ cap situation is shaping the roster more than any grand plan, and that leaves them leaning on Edwards as the secondary frontcourt option behind Brown. For a team built around championship ambition, that’s a shaky place to be.
In Other News...
Kevin Durant Just Put A Powerful Label On The New-Look Sixers
Kevin Durant was in Philadelphia for the MLB All-Star event, and he had a pretty clear read on the 76ers new direction after their trade for Jaylen Brown. Durant described the revamped roster as dangerous, a label that carries some weight coming from a player who has spent years sizing up contenders from every angle. He also sounded genuinely upbeat about Brown getting a fresh start in a city that tends to make its feelings known one way or the other.
Durants comments fit the moment around the Sixers, who are trying to turn a major roster swing into something that looks more than just bold on paper. He also took a detour into the broader league conversation when asked about LeBron James free agency, saying he had no idea where James would land while acknowledging the Lakers star will keep producing at a high level. For Philadelphia, though, the more immediate takeaway was Durants belief that this new version of the team has real bite, and that the fan base will be right there to amplify it. [Read more 🡒]
Draymond Green Just Sent Sixers Fans A Message They Needed
Draymond Green took aim at a familiar NBA talking point this week, pushing back on the idea that different off-court lives automatically mean there is real friction between teammates. His point was simple enough for Philadelphia fans to understand: chemistry is not always built on constant contact away from the floor, and players can operate in the same locker room without being close friends.
For a Sixers team that has lived through its own share of relationship drama, the reminder landed in a place that probably felt familiar. Green pointed to the Joel Embiid-Ben Simmons era as an example of how off-court differences can become a Philadelphia storyline without fully defining what happens in games, and he also used his long-running bond with Stephen Curry to show that even elite teammates do not need to spend every summer in each others pockets to make it work. [Read more 🡒]
Hawks Suddenly Pulled Into A Joel Embiid Debate They Cannot Ignore
The Joel Embiid conversation has a way of pulling other teams into the frame, and Atlanta is the latest to get dragged into the exercise. Any serious look at a deal involving the 76ers star starts with the same uncomfortable backdrop: the injuries have piled up, the contract is massive, and the question is no longer just what Embiid can still give Philadelphia, but how long the team can keep betting on his body holding up.
For the Hawks, the appeal is obvious enough to make the debate unavoidable. A proposal built around Dyson Daniels, Zaccharie Risacher and Corey Kispert would ask Atlanta to part with defense, upside and shooting in one swing, while taking on the kind of star power that can reshape a franchise in an instant. It is the sort of hypothetical that forces both front offices to weigh present value against future flexibility, even if the real answer remains tucked behind the speculation. [Read more 🡒]