Sixers Rumors

Paul George Puts Podcast On Hold To Focus On Rest Of Season

February 27th, 2025 at 7:42am CST by Luke Adams

The latest episode of Paul George‘s ‘Podcast P’ podcast, which featured guest Dwight Howard and came out on Monday, will be the last one for the foreseeable future, according to George, who announced that he’s taking a hiatus from the podcast in order to focus his full attention on the home stretch of the Sixers‘ season.

“I want to let the Podcast P family know that after today’s episode with Dwight, I plan to take a break from the pod just to focus on getting my body right, getting mentally right, and helping this squad make a push towards our goal to finish the season out and give ourselves a chance to be in contention to compete for a championship,” George announced (Twitter video link).

On the heels of that announcement, George went out and scored 25 points, his highest total since Jan. 24, on Wednesday in New York. The Sixers were unable to hang onto a late lead following a 19-point comeback and ultimately lost to the Knicks, but George had his best game in weeks, complementing his scoring by contributing eight rebounds, seven assists, and three steals. He was asked after the game about his decision to pause his podcast, as Tim Bontemps of ESPN relays.

“It was more so just to focus on here,” George said. “I haven’t been the healthiest, so it’s just been putting a ton of work towards getting my body as healthy as possible, and to keep focus of obviously being here and trying to turn things around here and the full focus is trying to get this team together.

“But we got to give ourselves a chance. Take it one game at a time, but we got to give ourselves a chance to see what we can do down the stretch.”

George, who signed a four-year, maximum-salary contract with Philadelphia last July, has had one of his worst seasons as a pro in 2024/25, averaging just 16.4 points per game, his lowest mark in a full season since 2011/12. His .432 FG% and .358 3PT% are also below his career rates.

Like fellow Sixers star Joel Embiid, George has been hampered by injuries this season and has faced criticism from some fans for regularly putting out podcast episodes while the team’s record has plummeted to 20-38. He said on Wednesday that he’d been thinking about temporarily stepping away from his side project for some time.

“It was something that was kind of racking in my head a little bit just because of [being] new to the city, being acclimated to Philadelphia,” George said, per Bontemps. “It just came to the point where it was like, ‘All right, this is the time to kind of take a step back for a second.'”

Despite their ugly 20-38 record, the sixth-worst mark in the league, the 76ers aren’t out of play-in contention. They currently sit 2.5 games back of the No. 10 Bulls. Of course, George himself acknowledged on Monday that Philadelphia has shown “no signs” of being a playoff-caliber team.

According to Bontemps, the Sixers are expected to make a decision in the coming days on whether or not Embiid will be shut down for the season due to his nagging knee injury. If he is, it will be interesting to see whether the club takes similar steps with George and Tyrese Maxey, who is battling a right finger injury that’s affecting his ball-handling and shooting. Maxey shot just 12-of-32 from the floor on Wednesday, including 0-of-10 on three-pointers.

Josh Giddey Is Only 2025 RFA To Meet Starter Criteria So Far

February 25th, 2025 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

When a player on an expiring contract is eligible for restricted free agency, his qualifying offer is determined in part by whether or not he met the “starter criteria” during the season – or two seasons – leading up to his free agency. As we explain in our glossary entry, a player meets the starter criteria when he achieves one of the following:

He plays at least 2,000 minutes or starts 41 games in the season before he reaches free agency.
He averages either 2,000 minutes or 41 starts in the two seasons prior to his restricted free agency.

If a top-14 pick coming to the end of his rookie contract fails to meet the starter criteria, the value of his qualifying offer declines. Conversely a player who was drafted at No. 10 or later or who went undrafted altogether can increase the value of his qualifying offer by meeting the starter criteria.

In many cases, an increase or decrease to a qualifying offer won’t materially affect the player’s restricted free agency, since a QO is just a one-year contract offer issued in order for the team to retain its right of first refusal. The player has the option of accepting it, but in most cases it functions as a placeholder until the RFA signs an offer sheet with a rival team or negotiates a new multiyear contract with his current team.

Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga, for example, will likely sign a lucrative long-term deal when he reaches free agency this summer, so it won’t matter all that much if he falls short of the starter criteria and his QO drops from the standard amount of $10,240,287 to $7,976,830.

But for a player who is less likely to secure a significant payday but still a good bet to receive a qualifying offer, a difference of a few million dollars between potential QOs could have a major impact on how his free agency plays out. That difference may affect how willing a team is to put the qualifying offer on the table and how likely the player is to simply accept it.

With all that in mind, it’s worth checking in on which potential 2025 restricted free agents have actually met the starter criteria so far this season and which ones are on track to do so. The first list is a short one: Bulls guard Josh Giddey is the only player to meet the starter criteria so far.

Giddey had a huge head-start because he made 80 starts for Oklahoma City in 2023/24, meaning he just needed to make two starts this season in order to achieve an average of 41 for the past two seasons. He made his second start for the Bulls way back on October 25, which means his qualifying offer this summer will be $11,142,057 instead of dropping to $7,976,830.

None of the 10 other potential restricted free agents have met the starter criteria though. Of those players, the following three were lottery picks, with their default qualifying offers noted in parentheses:

Jonathan Kuminga, Warriors ($10,240,287)
Davion Mitchell, Heat ($8,741,210)
Ziaire Williams, Nets ($8,353,153)

Kuminga has only started 10 games this season and will fall short of the starter criteria, which will bump his QO down to $7,976,830. Mitchell and Williams still have a chance to get there though — Mitchell has 28 starts under his belt, while Williams has 26. They both need to reach 41 to achieve the starter criteria, and they’ve been regular starters for their respective teams as of late. If they hang onto their starting jobs and stay healthy, they’ll surpass 41 starts.

Again, Kuminga’s free agency is unlikely to be affected by his smaller qualifying offer, since his offer will likely just serve as a placeholder and a last-resort fallback option. Maybe the Nets will be slightly less inclined to give Williams a qualifying offer if it’s worth $8.35MM instead of $7.98MM, but that’s such a small gap that it’s unlikely to affect the team’s QO decision either way. The same goes for Mitchell and the Heat.

The other seven players on expiring contracts who are eligible for restricted free agency are Cam Thomas (Nets), Santi Aldama (Grizzlies), Quentin Grimes (Sixers), Tre Mann (Hornets), Isaiah Jackson (Pacers), Day’Ron Sharpe (Nets), and Jabari Walker (Trail Blazers). Jaden Springer, Chris Duarte, and Bones Hyland were also part of this group before being waived this month.

Of those players, only Thomas has a realistic chance of meeting the starter criteria. He started 51 games last season, which means he needs to get to 31 this season. He’s at 17 and the Nets have 25 left to play. If Thomas can return from his hamstring strain relatively soon, which seems likely, he has a good shot at starting 14 games and reaching the necessary threshold. That would increase his QO from $5,993,172 to $8,741,210.

The others will remain eligible for their standard QOs, based on draft position (or their prior salary, in Walker’s case), as follows:

Tre Mann, Hornets ($6,964,982)
Isaiah Jackson, Pacers ($6,422,431)
Quentin Grimes, Sixers ($6,311,825)
Day’Ron Sharpe, Nets ($5,983,683)
Santi Aldama, Grizzlies ($5,940,797)
Jabari Walker, Trail Blazers ($2,524,624)

Sixers Notes: Bulls Loss, George, Embiid, Yabusele

February 25th, 2025 at 10:06am CST by Luke Adams

The Sixers‘ season continues to reach new lows. On Monday, Philadelphia was obliterated at home by a Bulls team that came into the game on a six-game losing streak, falling behind Chicago by as many as 50 points in the fourth quarter before ultimately losing by 32. The 76ers are now 20-37, 12th in the Eastern Conference, and sit 2.5 games behind the Bulls for the final play-in spot.

After the game, forward Paul George told reporters that the Sixers need to have more “pride” on defense, adding that he’s “baffled” by how easily they give up layups and easy baskets (YouTube link). Asked about the club’s postseason hopes, he acknowledged that Philadelphia hasn’t looked like a team capable of making noise in the playoffs — or even making it there.

“We’ve shown no signs of a team that will compete,” George said (Twitter link via Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer). “We just don’t have the habits that a champion or a playoff-contending team would have. So to be honest right now, it’s a little far-fetched. All we can do is work hard, try to keep going for one another. But we’ve shown no signs of – forget championship – a playoff-contending team here.”

Here’s more out of Philadelphia:

Within a column for The Philadelphia Inquirer, Marcus Hayes cites medical opinions from doctors who aren’t directly involved in Joel Embiid‘s treatment about what sort of options the big man might have to address his nagging left knee problems. According to Hayes, the original plan was for Embiid to get used to playing with some level of soreness, managing the knee by regularly draining it and injecting it with platelet-rich plasma (PRP). But Embiid has gotten worse instead of better in recent weeks and experienced swelling in the knee on Sunday, which necessitated an additional round of testing. One source tells Hayes that another surgery was never seriously considered as an option for Embiid until this weekend.
Sixers big man Guerschon Yabusele, one of the few success stories in Philadelphia this season, left Monday’s game early after suffering an eye injury. According to Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports (Twitter links), Yabusele has been diagnosed with a corneal abrasion in one eye and has swelling around his other eye. He’ll undergo further evaluation on Tuesday and the hope is that there’s no retinal damage, Neubeck adds.
Despite being currently mired in an eight-game losing streak, the Sixers remain unlikely to finish the season with a worse record than the Pelicans, Jazz, Hornets, or Wizards, writes John Hollinger of The Athletic. Still, the 76ers could be incentivized to shut down George and Embiid in the hopes that Toronto passes them in the standings. In that scenario, Philadelphia would have the league’s fifth-worst record and roughly a 64% chance of hanging onto its protected first-round draft pick, which will be sent to Oklahoma City if it lands outside the top six.

And-Ones: Jefferson, Tanner, UNC, Worst Contracts, Baker

February 25th, 2025 at 9:13am CST by Luke Adams

Richard Jefferson will be part of the top ESPN/ABC broadcast team alongside Mike Breen and Doris Burke for the rest of the season, including the NBA Finals, as reported by Andrew Marchand of The Athletic and confirmed by ESPN.

Since ESPN parted ways with Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson in 2023, its top broadcast team has featured a rotating cast of analysts next to Breen and Burke. Doc Rivers and J.J. Redick both spent time in the role before leaving for NBA head coaching jobs. While ESPN has also experimented with Jay Bilas and Tim Legler as the third person in the booth, Jefferson has held the role for most of this season and will continue to do so through June.

Still, as Marchand notes, Jefferson’s long-term future in that role – and at ESPN/ABC in general – remains up in the air. He has reportedly received interest from Amazon Prime Video, which will begin broadcasting NBA games next season.

Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

The University of North Carolina is hiring veteran NBA player agent Jim Tanner as its general manager, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). Desmond Bane, Jarrett Allen, Jeremy Sochan, and Luke Kornet are among Tanner’s NBA clients, per RealGM. Jake Fischer reported last week that Tanner was among the candidates receiving serious consideration for that UNC GM position.
Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report takes a shot at predicting which current NBA contracts will have the least value to teams two years from now, with a pair of Sixers (Joel Embiid and Paul George) and a pair of Celtics (Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown) on his list. While Tatum and Brown have shown no signs of slowing down, the fact that they’re the two players who most recently signed super-max deals makes them inherently risky long-term investments, Pincus explains.
Big man Robert Baker Jr., the current president of the G League’s players’ union, is on the verge of signing a contract with German club ALBA Berlin, reports Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.com. Baker, who has spent this season with the Osceola Magic, helped lead Team USA to a pair of victories in AmeriCup qualifiers within the past week, racking up 11 points, 10 rebounds, and seven blocks in just 17 minutes of action on Sunday vs. the Bahamas.

Atlantic Notes: Boucher, Barnes, Holiday, Watford, Reese

February 24th, 2025 at 9:46pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Chris Boucher‘s name was bandied about before the trade deadline but the Raptors big man was confident he wouldn’t be dealt. He had steady communication with the front office during that time.

“I won’t lie to you, I think it was the most peaceful deadline I had compared to the other years,” Boucher told William Lou of RaptorsRepublic.com. “I was also talking with (general manager) Bobby (Webster) and all of them, and I never thought I was going to be going away. The media says one thing, but really, the GM, and the people around here would have told me if something would have happened, and then I would have been a little bit more concerned.”

Boucher will be an unrestricted free agent after the season, assuming he doesn’t sign an extension before then.

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

Scottie Barnes was the primary defender on Kevin Durant during the Raptors’ win over Phoenix on Sunday. Durant was limited to 15 points and Barnes told Michael Grange of Sportsnet.com that it wasn’t a fluke. “I think I’m a high-level defender, one of the best defenders in this league,” Barnes said. “I’m able to be able to guard multiple positions, switch, give the ball pressure because I move really well for my size and I’m out there reading things.”
Jrue Holiday will get Tuesday night off when the Celtics visit Toronto. Holiday will be rested in the first game of a back-to-back, Brian Robb of Masslive.com reports. Luke Kornet (personal reasons) will also miss the contest, while reserve center Al Horford (toe) is listed as questionable.
Nets forward Trendon Watford showed off his versatility on Saturday when head coach Jordi Fernandez used him at point guard during crunch time against the Sixers. Watford scored 11 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter. “He helps you win,” Fernandez told Brian Lewis of the New York Post. “And he does that because he’s able to score, but also able to handle and play-make and play four positions, and post-up and make a three. So all those things are super valuable at his size and position.”
The two-way contract that the Sixers gave Alex Reese is a two-year deal, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype tweets. The free agent forward signed the contract on Friday.

Embiid Undergoes Imaging, No Decision On Season Status

February 24th, 2025 at 5:43pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Amid speculation that Joel Embiid will be shut down for the season due to persistent knee issues, Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said no decision had been made on Embiid’s status beyond Monday’s game against Chicago.

“Not at that point at all,” Nurse said in his pregame press conference, Tim Bontemps of ESPN tweets. “Just again we are playing and testing and trying to figure it out and go from there.”

Embiid had new imaging done on his troublesome left knee on Monday, Bontemps reports. There will be discussions on Tuesday to determine what the next steps will be.

“There’s still further testing tonight even yet today and continuing tomorrow, and that’s where we are,” Nurse said.

Embiid was at Monday’s shootaround and had been listed as questionable due to left knee injury management before the tests were conducted. He was later ruled out against the Bulls.

The seven-time All-Star has only played 19 games this season, averaging 23.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 0.9 blocks and 0.7 steals per night. Without All-Star production from Embiid, the Sixers have floundered. They had lost seven straight heading into Monday’s contest and are in danger of missing the postseason.

Embiid expressed his frustration over his continuing knee soreness on Thursday, saying, “The way I was playing a year ago is not the way I’m playing right now. It sucks. … I probably need to fix the problem, and then I’ll be back at that level. But it’s hard to have trust when you’re not yourself.”

In a subscriber-only story, Kyle Neubeck of AllPHLY.com takes an in-depth look at whether Embiid’s knee problem can truly be fixed to allow him to play at an All-Star level again. It’s an enormous concern for the organization, as the former MVP signed a three-year max extension in September that carries through the 2028/29 season.

Sixers Notes: Embiid, Season, Horford

February 23rd, 2025 at 6:30pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

After sitting out a team practice on Sunday, Sixers center Joel Embiid is now questionable to suit up for Monday’s tilt against the Bulls as he continues to battle a lingering knee injury, per Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link).

The seven-time All-Star has only played 19 games this season, averaging 23.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 0.9 blocks and 0.7 steals per night — all significant drops from his output a year ago.

According to Shams Charania of ESPN, the Sixers and Embiid are consulting with doctors about alternative treatment options for the knee, which hasn’t responded as hoped to the current treatment plan. As Charania notes, that plan has included regular injections. Sources tell ESPN that Embiid will undergo some additional testing early this week before a decision is made, but surgery is one of the options on the table.

Sixers head coach Nick Nurse recently spoke at a presser about Embiid’s struggles to play through the injury, per Derek Bodner of PHLY Sports (Twitter link).

“I would agree that he’s not moving nearly as well as we was,” Nurse said. “We were hoping maybe something conditioning, rhythm, that kind of stuff would get that going, but it doesn’t appear that way right now.”

There’s more out of Philadelphia:

At this stage of their rapidly disintegrating season, it may behoove the Sixers to shut down Embiid for good, Tony Jones of The Athletic argues. As Jones writes, Embiid has lost his offensive burst off the impacted knee and his offensive game is limited, while his movement on defense has looked rough. At 20-36 and having lost seven straight games, the Sixers have slid to the No. 12 seed in the East Conference and are seeing their play-in tournament window closing anyway, even with Embiid available.
The Sixers are still dealing with fallout from their 2020 trade that sent big man Al Horford to the Thunder, Pompey writes in another piece. Philadelphia included its 2025 first-rounder with top-six protection in that deal in order to move off Horford’s contract. With the 76ers seemingly lottery-bound but not at the very bottom of the NBA standings, it’s very possible that pick will land in the top 10 and convey to Oklahoma City.
In case you missed it, Embiid himself has acknowledged that his knee isn’t right and has spoken about looking to improve it this offseason.

Community Shootaround: Should Joel Embiid, Paul George Be Shut Down?

February 22nd, 2025 at 11:04pm CST by Arthur Hill

Every time it seems like the Sixers‘ season can’t get any worse, somehow it does.

Saturday night, Nic Claxton‘s late tip-in gave the Nets a 105-103 victory at Philadelphia in an oddly important matchup of 20-35 teams. Brooklyn is now just a half-game behind Chicago in the race for the final play-in spot, and the Sixers are left with the sixth-worst record in the league.

Philadelphia fans loudly expressed their displeasure as the Nets built a large early advantage. The Sixers rallied to take a late lead, but weren’t able to close out the game.

Joel Embiid remained on the bench throughout the fourth quarter as coach Nick Nurse stuck with the combination that produced the comeback. The former MVP wound up with 14 points, seven rebounds and five assists in 31 minutes while shooting 4-of-13 from the field.

Embiid declined to talk to the media after the game, but Nurse explained the physical difficulties his star center is going through (Twitter video link from Derek Bodner of PHLY Sports).

“He’s giving us what he can. He’s not himself, we all know that,” Nurse said. “He’s not, certainly, the guy that we’re used to seeing play at a super high level. But I commend him for giving us what he can.”

Tonight was the 19th game of the season for Embiid, who is still feeling the effects of a lateral meniscus injury he suffered last winter. Surgery appears to be an offseason option to get him full healthy in time for training camp.

The Sixers thought they had a Big Three capable of challenging for the title when they signed Paul George over the summer to team up with Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. President of basketball operations Daryl Morey was also busy on the free agent market, adding numerous veterans with playoff experience.

But George’s season has been affected by injuries as well, and he’s currently dealing with tendon damage in his finger. He confirmed this week that he has had to take injections to be able to play.

The team’s injury list goes much deeper, starting with rookie guard Jared McCain, who was lost for the season with a meniscus tear in his left knee after a promising start. Eric Gordon sprained his right wrist earlier this month and may not be back for a while. Kyle Lowry is sidelined with a right hip injury, and Justin Edwards sprained his left ankle during practice this week.

Amid so much adversity, Philadelphia is nearing the place where losses may be more beneficial than wins. A play-in spot is still within reach, but even if they get there the Sixers would have to win two road games just to earn a first-round matchup with the powerful Cavaliers.

Another concern is this year’s first-round draft pick, which will convey to Oklahoma City if it lands outside the top six. Philadelphia needs an influx of young talent on its veteran roster, and any move up the standings would place that pick at greater risk.

We want to get your opinion. Considering the Sixers’ disappointing season and the fragile health of Embiid and George, should they be shut down for the rest of the season? Head to the comments section below to share your thoughts.

Atlantic Notes: Walker, Anunoby, Robinson, Nets

February 22nd, 2025 at 2:55pm CST by Luke Adams

Having been born and raised in Pennsylvania, new Sixers guard Lonnie Walker said on Friday that it’s “a surreal moment” to have signed a contract with his hometown team, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.

“I’ve come to plenty of games (in Philadelphia), watching Jrue Holiday, Andre Iguodala, Elton Brand … the list goes on and on,” Walker said. “I’m only an hour and 20 [minutes] from here. I’m not too far. I played for a Philly (AAU) team, as far as Team Final. This is for sure a full-circle moment in my career, and I’m just truly blessed to be here.”

Walker received a two-year, minimum-salary deal that will pay him $780,932 for the rest of this season, with a $2,940,876 team option for 2025/26. According to Pompey, the 26-year-old finalized a buyout with Zalgiris Kaunas, his team in Lithuania, just two hours before his opt-out deadline on Tuesday. It initially appeared as if that deadline would pass without an NBA agreement and he’d finish the season in Europe.

“It’s funny, everyone found out before me,” Walker said. “I was actually sleeping. I got the phone call from my agent. I had about 30 missed calls. I guess it was all over Twitter already. But by that time, my mind was already made as far as being in Europe, finishing the season there.”

Here’s more from around the Atlantic:

In his return from a foot injury that cost him six games, Knicks forward OG Anunoby contributed just five points and zero rebounds and was a minus-23 in 27 minutes on Friday vs. Cleveland. He also grabbed his foot after falling to the court in the third quarter. However, as Stefan Bondy of The New York Post relays, Anunoby said after the blowout loss that his foot felt fine and head coach Tom Thibodeau downplayed the forward’s struggles. “It was about what I thought it would be,” Thibodeau said. “There were some good minutes early, and then there’s some rust he’s got to work through, but I thought he had good energy.”
With Jakob Poeltl sidelined due to a hip injury, Orlando Robinson started at center for the Raptors on Friday against his old team, the Heat, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Robinson was waived by Sacramento last month, but has carved out a modest role in Toronto, having signed two 10-day contracts and a two-way deal with the team. “That’s his NBA ability is perseverance and his work ethic,” said Erik Spoelstra, who coached Robinson in Miami from 2022-24. “He will just continue to grind and work, and that’s why we thought he was a great fit with us and that’s why I always respect guys like that. … I think (Toronto) is a good fit for him here because they do value player development and he’s all about the work. So I continue to root for him.”
Brian Fleurantin of NetsDaily takes a look at some of the major Nets-related storylines to watch for the rest of the season, including whether Cam Thomas can return and finish strong ahead of restricted free agency and which of the club’s young players will take a step forward down the stretch.

Sixers Sign Alex Reese To Two-Way Deal

February 21st, 2025 at 7:32pm CST by Rory Maher

February 21: Reese’s two-way contract is now official, the Sixers announced in a press release. Having also completed two other signings today, Philadelphia now has a full roster (15 players on standard contracts, three on two-way deals).

February 20: The Sixers plan to sign free agent forward Alex Reese to a two-way contract, agent Billy Davis tells Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

The 25-year-old played four seasons of college basketball for Alabama from 2017-21 prior to going undrafted. He initially spent a year away from the sport, then signed in Luxembourg during the 2022/23 campaign. He spent last season with Portland’s NBA G League affiliate, the Rip City Remix.

Reese signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the Thunder for training camp, was waived, and then re-signed to a standard, non-guaranteed contract just before the season began after Isaiah Hartenstein sustained a hand fracture. Reese’s second stint with Oklahoma City was short-lived, however, as he was waived on October 31, about a week into the ’24/25 season.

Reese made one cameo appearance with the Thunder at the NBA level, scoring two points and grabbing one rebound in two minutes of action.

While his role with OKC was limited, Reese has been a standout performer for the Remix, who reacquired him after he was released by the Thunder. In 26 combined games this season with Rip City, Reese has averaged 17.0 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 2.0 blocks in just 26.9 minutes per contest, with an impressive shooting slash line of .487/.429/.882. 63 percent of his field goal attempts have come from long distance.

As our tracker shows, Philadelphia currently has a pair of two-way openings, so no corresponding move will be necessary to add Reese.

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