If We Lose Our Pick....

[Embiid P]

I don't mean to be a Debbie Downer, but IMO we should probably prepare ourselves for it in the event it does happen. Given that we are pretty much locked into the 5th worst record, we have roughly a 64% chance of keeping our pick and a 36% chance of losing it to OKC which while less than the odds of us keeping it is obviously still a very real possibility. Say that we are unlucky enough to lose it, what do you think should happen? Run it back and try to make the playoffs next year? Blow it up sans Maxey, McCain, etc. and tank again? I can't imagine that next year's draft class is projected to be as good as this year's. Plus, it will be tough to unload both Embiid and PG in the offseason. Just getting rid of one will be difficult. I hate to say it, but this lottery may be our one way out of a lengthy decline and rebuild.

[Foshan]

I will revisit this topic if we lose it. I'm not sure i have the emotional fortitude to look down that road yet, if i don't have too

[M2J]

You run it back with an eye on unloading contracts. Even with the bad/questionable Embiid situation, this roster is talent rich and could go a number of routes. If they suck again next year. Keep the pick, try doing a pump a dump to get back into 2027 draft, then fully liquidate when they control all their picks from 28 ongoing if a proper retool hasn't already been presented by then .

George can be traded I'm sure, perhaps fora 27 pick... Just not right now

Joel, if he plays whether that be pain free or through pain, can probably draw in something or join an asset to be traded. Still averaged like 25ppg on the court, somebody will look at that

[Stanford]

I said this in October: if we tank and lose the pick, it will cause long-term spiritual damage to this fanbase, the trauma from which will be felt until the team wins a championships, which will be never. So Josh Harris better have his fingers crossed.

[ExplosionsInDaSky]

I like our odds....Don't love them...Expecting the worst while hoping for the best.

If we lose the pick, I will personally be completely drained on the team and probably from the entire NBA until we do get some new talent. There's a lot riding on this pick as to whether I'll even watch next season. On the other hand, at least we won't owe OKC anything, and we can begin to start a rebuild.

[GoSixersBro]

For now, just have hope and be thankful it's the Thunder. If it was the Lakers or Celtics, I'd already expect it gifted to one of them.

[the_process]

I fully expect this team to run it back and expect health and a different result (even if that's a terrible idea) whether they have the pick or not.

If they lose the pick, what I absolutely cannot see is Morey trading a bunch of future firsts for some almost washed vet like Durant.

[FireMorey]

Tanking would be the best thing for the team, unless Embiid comes into next season looking like an MVP again. If he looks like he did this season, then basically, we should be starting Process 2.0. And that's even if the Sixers keep the pick this season. Because if Embiid is a non-factor, this team is miiiiiiiiiiiiles from being a contender and getting a top 5 pick, even if it's Flagg does not make this team a contender yet. And they're locked into bad contracts, so getting lottery picks is the only real way for them to improve.

Now what the Sixers would do is another question, but what they should do is continue to tank unless Embiid is miraculously able to get healthy and regain MVP form.

[PhillyFan11]

I don’t know how you’d even go about “blowing up” this team…it’s already on fire. No one is trading for Embiid or PG anytime soon unless you’re just taking back other long term bad contracts

[FlyingArrow]

If the Thunder take our pick, then we can justify rooting for the Thunder since it's our pick. As SGA, Chet, and Flagg win 6 championships, we get to claim half of them for Philadelphia. Win-win!

Really, though, you just keep rolling the dice on Embiid being healthy for a full playoff run. Whether we get Cooper Flagg or lose the pick, it's the same. We have other good players, but nobody else can elevate the team to contender status like Embiid. In any given season, one-third of the league or less has a shot at the title. A healthy Embiid puts us in that conversation. If it's clear that he'll never be healthy again (he wasn't ever healthy at all this year imo), then it's either time for Process 2.0 or we wait for Cooper Flagg to mature. Or get lucky enough to see Maxey or McCain go from "good draft pick and borderline All-Star" up to a truly elite All-NBA level player.

Along the way we have to hope the PG contract doesn't age too terribly. What I thought we were getting:

Year 1: All-Star PG
Year 2: Above-average starter PG
Year 3: League-average PG on a max contract
Year 4: Yuck

We were signing up for a couple of bad years when we got him, but it felt like we were already on Year 3 of that progression in Year 1.

[SixersSince82]

Spend the 1st half trying to rebuild PG and Joel's trade value. Id move them the 1st chance I got. Then tank (again) the 2nd half the season.

[the_process]

I don’t know how you’d even go about “blowing up” this team…it’s already on fire. No one is trading for Embiid or PG anytime soon unless you’re just taking back other long term bad contracts

That's what they should be doing. Shuffling deck chairs to hopefully get out from cap hell sooner. But mainly just getting the franchise out from under Jo's shadow and starting fresh.

The Lakers seem like the obvious choice to take that chance.

Prime opportunity to get in on the Durant trade sending George to PHX, taking the 3rd team's filler salary and maybe even getting a pick out of it as well.

[MVP1992]

Sixers at the draft lottery draw keeping our pick, or 2 years of purgatory

Read on Twitter

[mjkvol]

For now, just have hope and be thankful it's the Thunder. If it was the Lakers or Celtics, I'd already expect it gifted to one of them.

That is an excellent and salient point, Bro. If it was LA or BOS, that 64% would feel a lot more like 4%.

For me, I can't be a lot more indifferent than I've been ever since George was signed. I didn't expect the collapse to come this soon, but I also didn't know the extent of Embiid's injury when they handed him the ridiculous extension. But the George signing was still the beginning of the end to me, I just thought it would be much more delayed.

Clean house is what I would hope would be the plan, acquiring draft capital wherever possible and begin Process Mk 2.

[76ciology]

I’d say the most likely scenario is we run it back.

We begin the season to see if this team takes off, and if it doesn’t, we pivot to full tank mode.

[76ciology]

I think we’re going to build our team like the Celtics did, keep trying to stay competitive while finding some role player gems without a full tank, shop Embiid and George for lottery picks like they did with KG and Pierce, and hope we luck into a second to third tier superstar like Tatum. Once that happens, everything would be set to start competing at the highest level again.

[SixthStreet]

If they lose the pick the salary situation will allow them to sign both Grimes and Yabusele, so they will almost assuredly run it back. It will fail because they won’t have a plan defensively beyond hope Embiid can return to his one man competent defense. I suspect the offense will be pretty good. Will be a treadmill team. Too good for the play in not good enough to win 2 playoff series.

[MVP1992]

I think we’re going to build our team like the Celtics did, keep trying to stay competitive while finding some role player gems without a full tank, shop Embiid and George for lottery picks like they did with KG and Pierce, and hope we luck into a second to third tier superstar like Tatum. Once that happens, everything would be set to start competing at the highest level again.

It's times like this, I hope fragile ego players like Tatum scour forums for comments.

Delicious

[76thBearCub]

I honestly can't believe wer locked in at at a favorable position. Pretty good tank down the stretch. Only way I could really get excited at this point though is if we lucked out at the top and miraculously got rid of Embiid and George. Sucks to say about Embiid but, is what it is.

[76ciology]

I think we’re going to build our team like the Celtics did, keep trying to stay competitive while finding some role player gems without a full tank, shop Embiid and George for lottery picks like they did with KG and Pierce, and hope we luck into a second to third tier superstar like Tatum. Once that happens, everything would be set to start competing at the highest level again.

It's times like this, I hope fragile ego players like Tatum scour forums for comments.

Delicious

I’m just pointing out how impressive the Celtics’ all-time team building has been. Managing to surround a star like Tatum with elite role players and a system that’s been ahead of its time ever since the Jim O’Brien era.