76ers 2023-24 Season Thread Part 2

[youngcrev]

So for a possible Jo return... They are home April 2nd against OKC, but then immediately go on a 3 game road trip. I think they would wait until after the road trip. Maybe Jo is working out during the road trip trying to get back in shape. They close with three home games: 9th DET, 12th ORL, 14th BKN.

Looking at the schedule, it's hard to imagine they don't fall to tenth. That means they will play at Chicago in the 9-10 game, and then if they win that it will be at Orlando in the 8th seed game. Win that and Boston 1st round.

So that would be 10 games at the most and another ass kicking from Boston. No thank you. Jo should not come back this year.

Morey is busy anyway, he needs to get a head start on the summer. So stop leaking to the media and get much better at tampering.

It's hard to imagine? They've got a 7.5 game lead on the Hawks with 31 to go. You can't imagine a world where the 23-29 Hawks can't figure out a way to surpass them in the standings?

As bad as the Sixers look right now, they'll get guys back and be able to win some games.

IDK man, in two weeks we pretty much went from 29-13 to 30-21. We're in trouble right now, and even minus Jo alone, we've struggled to win games. I have us going 6-25 the rest of the way. The schedule is brutal to finish this season. That puts us at 36-46 to close out the year. I know that's a negative outlook on things, but that's how I see it going down.

I haven't bothered to look at the schedule, but 6-25 feels crazy, particularly since there's a chance you've got Embiid back for the last like 10-15 of those.

[the_process]

So for a possible Jo return... They are home April 2nd against OKC, but then immediately go on a 3 game road trip. I think they would wait until after the road trip. Maybe Jo is working out during the road trip trying to get back in shape. They close with three home games: 9th DET, 12th ORL, 14th BKN.

Looking at the schedule, it's hard to imagine they don't fall to tenth. That means they will play at Chicago in the 9-10 game, and then if they win that it will be at Orlando in the 8th seed game. Win that and Boston 1st round.

So that would be 10 games at the most and another ass kicking from Boston. No thank you. Jo should not come back this year.

Morey is busy anyway, he needs to get a head start on the summer. So stop leaking to the media and get much better at tampering.

It's hard to imagine? They've got a 7.5 game lead on the Hawks with 31 to go. You can't imagine a world where the 23-29 Hawks can't figure out a way to surpass them in the standings?

As bad as the Sixers look right now, they'll get guys back and be able to win some games.

They will stay ahead of Atlanta. Hence tenth. They will fall below Chicago.

[youngcrev]

So for a possible Jo return... They are home April 2nd against OKC, but then immediately go on a 3 game road trip. I think they would wait until after the road trip. Maybe Jo is working out during the road trip trying to get back in shape. They close with three home games: 9th DET, 12th ORL, 14th BKN.

Looking at the schedule, it's hard to imagine they don't fall to tenth. That means they will play at Chicago in the 9-10 game, and then if they win that it will be at Orlando in the 8th seed game. Win that and Boston 1st round.

So that would be 10 games at the most and another ass kicking from Boston. No thank you. Jo should not come back this year.

Morey is busy anyway, he needs to get a head start on the summer. So stop leaking to the media and get much better at tampering.

It's hard to imagine? They've got a 7.5 game lead on the Hawks with 31 to go. You can't imagine a world where the 23-29 Hawks can't figure out a way to surpass them in the standings?

As bad as the Sixers look right now, they'll get guys back and be able to win some games.

They will stay ahead of Atlanta. Hence tenth. They will fall below Chicago.

That would be 9th

[the_process]

It's hard to imagine? They've got a 7.5 game lead on the Hawks with 31 to go. You can't imagine a world where the 23-29 Hawks can't figure out a way to surpass them in the standings?

As bad as the Sixers look right now, they'll get guys back and be able to win some games.

IDK man, in two weeks we pretty much went from 29-13 to 30-21. We're in trouble right now, and even minus Jo alone, we've struggled to win games. I have us going 6-25 the rest of the way. The schedule is brutal to finish this season. That puts us at 36-46 to close out the year. I know that's a negative outlook on things, but that's how I see it going down.

I haven't bothered to look at the schedule, but 6-25 feels crazy, particularly since there's a chance you've got Embiid back for the last like 10-15 of those.

Jo will not be back before April 2nd at the earliest. That is seven games.

And their schedule in February and March is brutal. I have them 5-19 from now until April 2nd.

[youngcrev]

IDK man, in two weeks we pretty much went from 29-13 to 30-21. We're in trouble right now, and even minus Jo alone, we've struggled to win games. I have us going 6-25 the rest of the way. The schedule is brutal to finish this season. That puts us at 36-46 to close out the year. I know that's a negative outlook on things, but that's how I see it going down.

I haven't bothered to look at the schedule, but 6-25 feels crazy, particularly since there's a chance you've got Embiid back for the last like 10-15 of those.

Jo will not be back before April 2nd at the earliest. That is seven games.

And their schedule in February and March is brutal. I have them 5-19 from now until April 2nd.

Based on what (besides pessimism)? It's possible he won't be back until then, but that's far beyond the original projections.

[the_process]

It's hard to imagine? They've got a 7.5 game lead on the Hawks with 31 to go. You can't imagine a world where the 23-29 Hawks can't figure out a way to surpass them in the standings?

As bad as the Sixers look right now, they'll get guys back and be able to win some games.

They will stay ahead of Atlanta. Hence tenth. They will fall below Chicago.

That would be 9th

A 5-19 spot from now until April 2nd might have them below the Hawks too.

[the_process]

I haven't bothered to look at the schedule, but 6-25 feels crazy, particularly since there's a chance you've got Embiid back for the last like 10-15 of those.

Jo will not be back before April 2nd at the earliest. That is seven games.

And their schedule in February and March is brutal. I have them 5-19 from now until April 2nd.

Based on what (besides pessimism)? It's possible he won't be back until then, but that's far beyond the original projections.

April 2nd would be two months (eight weeks), would it not?

[Kolkmania]

I still don't understand the long term plan here. I can't think of a way that makes this team stronger after the summer if we go for the route of signing FA's, assuming George is unavailable. It would gut our depth and would force us to overpay the actual signings.

The only two viable paths forwards, at least what I can think of, are a big trade during the draft and use the bird rights of our remaining pieces to create a solid 7-8 man rotation or we're going into next season with basically the same roster. Betting on a disgruntled star next year, knowing that we have 5 1st round picks available.

Markannen and Bridges are obvious targets, but I honestly think that both organizations want to add talent to those guys instead of start over. Considering New Orleans salary situation, with both Ingram and Murphy looking for a new contract in the summer of 2025, I think that Ingram might be available? I hate the development of his shot selection, but the combination of size and ball handling capabilities make him a nice fit next to Maxey and Embiid.

[youngcrev]

Jo will not be back before April 2nd at the earliest. That is seven games.

And their schedule in February and March is brutal. I have them 5-19 from now until April 2nd.

Based on what (besides pessimism)? It's possible he won't be back until then, but that's far beyond the original projections.

April 2nd would be two months (eight weeks), would it not?

Missed the last update of 6-8 weeks and was going off 4-6 that was originally projected

[Ben]

Wiretap says Danny Green hopes to sign with a contender. I would take him back here as a body who can defend a little and shoot 3s a little. Since RoCo doesn't seem likely to play and Batum seems iffy. Would likely move the needle very little if at all, but we do need bodies who can defend at least a little bit.

[phillynative]

One last thing Paul Reed is not the answer as the back up center. He is not good lol.

No one in their right minds could have thought that Reed was an answer as backup center. He's a forward being forced to play out of position until (and unless) he stays in the league 5-6 more years and puts on a lot of weight/muscle and slows down. Not sure what kind of secret you think you've unlocked.

You would think so but.

I mentioned this before and alot of posters here rebutted he was just fine as a backup.

It's pretty clear he's not.

[zaz102]

I still don't understand the long term plan here. I can't think of a way that makes this team stronger after the summer if we go for the route of signing FA's, assuming George is unavailable. It would gut our depth and would force us to overpay the actual signings.

The only two viable paths forwards, at least what I can think of, are a big trade during the draft and use the bird rights of our remaining pieces to create a solid 7-8 man rotation or we're going into next season with basically the same roster. Betting on a disgruntled star next year, knowing that we have 5 1st round picks available.

Markannen and Bridges are obvious targets, but I honestly think that both organizations want to add talent to those guys instead of start over. Considering New Orleans salary situation, with both Ingram and Murphy looking for a new contract in the summer of 2025, I think that Ingram might be available? I hate the development of his shot selection, but the combination of size and ball handling capabilities make him a nice fit next to Maxey and Embiid.

I think part of the plan is easy to understand. They have a lot of flexibility now to make moves. Trades and/or FA signings. Flexibility is always good thing for roster building.

The real question is what happens if a star doesn't becomes available before draft day? Do they trade their 24 pick for a future 1st? Do they sign anyone for more than one year? Do they pivot at some point and get a few pretty good players with their assets instead of aiming for a star? If so, what's the internal deadline for that?

[the_process]

I still don't understand the long term plan here. I can't think of a way that makes this team stronger after the summer if we go for the route of signing FA's, assuming George is unavailable. It would gut our depth and would force us to overpay the actual signings.

The only two viable paths forwards, at least what I can think of, are a big trade during the draft and use the bird rights of our remaining pieces to create a solid 7-8 man rotation or we're going into next season with basically the same roster. Betting on a disgruntled star next year, knowing that we have 5 1st round picks available.

Markannen and Bridges are obvious targets, but I honestly think that both organizations want to add talent to those guys instead of start over. Considering New Orleans salary situation, with both Ingram and Murphy looking for a new contract in the summer of 2025, I think that Ingram might be available? I hate the development of his shot selection, but the combination of size and ball handling capabilities make him a nice fit next to Maxey and Embiid.

Besides signing Paul George outright, which I think is Morey's Plan A, and then some of the other low hanging fruit that has been discussed before and that you mention (Lauri and/or Bridges); Morey's contingency plans primarily have to do with other stars asking out IMO.

[ExplosionsInDaSky]

I still don't understand the long term plan here. I can't think of a way that makes this team stronger after the summer if we go for the route of signing FA's, assuming George is unavailable. It would gut our depth and would force us to overpay the actual signings.

The only two viable paths forwards, at least what I can think of, are a big trade during the draft and use the bird rights of our remaining pieces to create a solid 7-8 man rotation or we're going into next season with basically the same roster. Betting on a disgruntled star next year, knowing that we have 5 1st round picks available.

Markannen and Bridges are obvious targets, but I honestly think that both organizations want to add talent to those guys instead of start over. Considering New Orleans salary situation, with both Ingram and Murphy looking for a new contract in the summer of 2025, I think that Ingram might be available? I hate the development of his shot selection, but the combination of size and ball handling capabilities make him a nice fit next to Maxey and Embiid.

I think Ingram is and should be the target for us. He checks pretty much all the boxes. While he's not my top choice, he's a damn good fit between Maxey and Embiid. I imagine New Orleans will try and trade him at some point because he is unrestricted in 2025 and there's no way in hell he re-signs with them. Maybe I'm wrong and he does, but I don't see it. Trey Murphy slides right in and immediately takes his place anyway. In the end, they'll have to pick which one they want to keep because Murphy is starting material in this league. I think Ingram goes, and I think they trade him. If they let him just walk then we need to be careful with our cap space this summer and once again wait a season before making an offer. I would rather we just trade for him because it makes him stay here more likely as opposed to us gambling on just signing him. I also think a lot of what happens with Ingram in New Orleans depends on how they fare this season down the stretch. Last year they had a total collapse towards the end, Zion missed a ton of time, and Ingram was visibly frustrated towards the end.

[ExplosionsInDaSky]

I still don't understand the long term plan here. I can't think of a way that makes this team stronger after the summer if we go for the route of signing FA's, assuming George is unavailable. It would gut our depth and would force us to overpay the actual signings.

The only two viable paths forwards, at least what I can think of, are a big trade during the draft and use the bird rights of our remaining pieces to create a solid 7-8 man rotation or we're going into next season with basically the same roster. Betting on a disgruntled star next year, knowing that we have 5 1st round picks available.

Markannen and Bridges are obvious targets, but I honestly think that both organizations want to add talent to those guys instead of start over. Considering New Orleans salary situation, with both Ingram and Murphy looking for a new contract in the summer of 2025, I think that Ingram might be available? I hate the development of his shot selection, but the combination of size and ball handling capabilities make him a nice fit next to Maxey and Embiid.

Besides signing Paul George outright, which I think is Morey's Plan A, and then some of the other low hanging fruit that has been discussed before and that you mention (Lauri and/or Bridges); Morey's contingency plans primarily have to do with other stars asking out IMO.

Which could happen based on how the postseason goes. Harden didn't have his meltdown with us until our failure in the playoffs. It seems to happen every year. The postseason shows the true colors of teams and there's usually a player that asks for a trade after failing.
Harden last year.
Lillard the year before, but Portland dragged their feet.
Simmons the year before that with us.
Harden again with Houston the year before Simmons.
Kyrie demanded out of Boston.
Lebron did it too, but was never traded.
Durant left after the Warriors collapsed against Toronto.

I agree with Morey, there will be a player available, but it's impossible to speculate who at this time.
Players I think will be traded in the next 1-2 years;
Trae Young
Lamelo Ball
Ja Morant
Anfernee Simons
Jalen Green
Brandon Ingram

Personally I've got my eye on Anthony Edwards. If Minnesota has a meltdown in the playoffs, I think he might ask out. They are the most fictitious top-seeded playoff team I've seen since the Atlanta Hawks team from 8-9 years ago. It would not surprise me if they lose in the first round against whatever lower seed they play.

[76ciology]

What if the plan is to acquire Steph Curry?

The Warriors are likely to miss the playoffs, and amidst the team's chaos, Steph might seek a trade.

Warriors also CLEARLY has to shed salaries.

Perhaps we could absorb Steph and Wiggins’ contracts then give them a re-siged Maxey, $60M of cap relief which they’d value and offer numerous picks (Our 2024 1st, Our 2026 1st, LAC 2028 1st) in exchange. This trade protects us in trading picks later than 2026.

The Warriors need an all-star version of Klay Thompson to succeed. With Hield filling Klay's role, we could potentially make it work.

If Reed's no-trade clause expires next season, we could even include him in the deal for Draymond Green. He’d have lots of playing time for the Warriors.

This thought makes sense on picks, Morey’s 3 year window, salaries and both teams’ situation aspects.

Imagine the lineup:
Steph Curry
Buddy Hield
Andrew Wiggins
Draymond Green
Joel Embiid

Suddenly, Morey’s statement about how we would be in a very advantageous position by the 2024 offseason, with $60 million in cap space (can absorb $55M of Steph’s contract) and being a contender, makes sense.

The 2026 OKC 1st and the 2028 LAC 1st allow us to trade 76ers picks not later than 2026. I mean, if we didn't get the 2026 OKC 1st, which was the asset that made the Harden deal happen, then we might need to give up our 2030 1st if GSW asks for three first-rounders. Then the 2028 LAC 1st allows us not to trade our 2028 76ers 1st. Curry and Embiid’s salary expires or are not guaranteed past 2026.

[Negrodamus]

So we didn’t trade Tobi for Bogdanovic and Burks. Makes sense, but if they considered adding a protected future first, I would have done that move in a second.

[M2J]

Wow... This thread has turned to doom and gloom.


I'll say this. I understand the Sixers have injuries and illnesses. But they gotta start winning games coach Nurse. Then going with 5 wins in 2 months would have Doc Rivers rolling in his grave, who was winning with Shake and Melton running the show just last year when others stars were out. They don't have the best team in the middle without Joel, I get that, but especially with Buddy, Maxey back, Melton back, Batum , Tobi and Kelly and now a real back up point guard in Cam... This is an experienced and talented team that should be winning games.

[the_process]

So we didn’t trade Tobi for Bogdanovic and Burks. Makes sense, but if they considered adding a protected future first, I would have done that move in a second.

The money doesn't quite work on that as is, so there would have had to have been more to it. Beef Stew could've been a nice pickup. I have to believe they would've rolled the House salary dump into that deal as well.

I don't think it makes the Sixers better, except addition by subtraction, which loses all of its oomph with Joel out. Acquiring Bogs would've also made acquiring Hield unnecessary.

Bogs is guaranteed 2M next year, taking away from Morey's precious cap space.

I personally would've worked something out there, but I understand why Morey didn't.

[mjkvol]

What if the plan is to acquire Steph Curry?

The Warriors are likely to miss the playoffs, and amidst the team's chaos, Steph might seek a trade.

Warriors also CLEARLY has to shed salaries.

Perhaps we could absorb Steph and Wiggins’ contracts then give them a re-siged Maxey, $60M of cap relief which they’d value and offer numerous picks (Our 2024 1st, Our 2026 1st, LAC 2028 1st) in exchange. This trade protects us in trading picks later than 2026.

The Warriors need an all-star version of Klay Thompson to succeed. With Hield filling Klay's role, we could potentially make it work.

If Reed's no-trade clause expires next season, we could even include him in the deal for Draymond Green. He’d have lots of playing time for the Warriors.

This thought makes sense on picks, Morey’s 3 year window, salaries and both teams’ situation aspects.

Imagine the lineup:
Steph Curry
Buddy Hield
Andrew Wiggins
Draymond Green
Joel Embiid

Suddenly, Morey’s statement about how we would be in a very advantageous position by the 2024 offseason, with $60 million in cap space (can absorb $55M of Steph’s contract) and being a contender, makes sense.

The 2026 OKC 1st and the 2028 LAC 1st allow us to trade 76ers picks not later than 2026. I mean, if we didn't get the 2026 OKC 1st, which was the asset that made the Harden deal happen, then we might need to give up our 2030 1st if GSW asks for three first-rounders. Then the 2028 LAC 1st allows us not to trade our 2028 76ers 1st. Curry and Embiid’s salary expires or are not guaranteed past 2026.

If the Warriors traded Curry while he can still play they would burn the Chase Center down.