Stein’s Latest: LeBron, Sixers, Magic, Blazers, Giannis
Has LeBron James played his last NBA game? That’s the question Marc Stein wondered on Saturday at his Substack.
Stein and people he trusts around the league think James is likely to play a record-extending 24th season in 2026/27, but Stein acknowledges that no one — maybe not even James — knows the answer.
James, a 21-time All-NBA member, will be an unrestricted free agent this summer. The 41-year-old’s “runaway preference” would be to remain with the Lakers, Stein writes, and they’re believed to be open to that scenario as well — with a caveat.
According to Stein, Los Angeles would like to bring back LeBron at a “much lower number” than the $52.6MM he made this season. However, Stein views that scenario as “thorny,” since James has never accepted the sort of discounted rate the Lakers might prefer to offer.
Still, the other teams that could appeal to James — the Warriors, Cavaliers, Knicks and Clippers — may not be able to offer him much in free agency either, Stein notes. That might make retirement a more viable option, even though Stein suspects the NBA’s all-time leading will play another season.
Stein also detailed several other items of interest in his Sunday edition of The Stein Line:
- Bob Myers, the president of sports for Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, recently said the Sixers‘ new head of basketball operations would have “a lot of authority” but that he expects to be involved in major personnel and roster decisions moving forward. That has led to a “widespread belief” around the league that Myers will explore the possibility of hiring Hawks general manager Onsi Saleh for the job, according to Stein, who points out that Saleh worked with Myers in Golden State. However, Stein hears Saleh is expected to remain with Atlanta, as the 76ers would require permission to speak to him, and that seems unlikely to be granted after Saleh finished second in Executive of the Year voting.
- According to Stein, there have been “rumbles” about the Sixers potentially being intrigued by Timberwolves president of basketball operations Tim Connelly, but he’s still under contract for another year and Minnesota didn’t show any interest in letting him speak to Dallas before the Mavericks decided to hire Masai Ujiri.
- Regardless of what happens with the front office search, Stein has heard chatter throughout the season about Sixers assistant GM Jameer Nelson potentially being promoted to an “expanded role.” The former NBA point guard is highly regarded in Philadelphia and in the league and is “routinely described” as a possible future GM, Stein writes. 76ers consultant Neil Olshey and Thunder executive Vince Rozman, a longtime former Sixers employee, have also been connected to Philadelphia’s front office vacancy after the team fired Daryl Morey.
- The Magic hope to hire an experienced head coach to replace Jamahl Mosley, per Stein, and Billy Donovan is still viewed as a “strong candidate” for the position despite backing out of the same job to return to the University of Florida in 2007. Tom Thibodeau is another experienced coach who remains a free agent, Stein notes.
- Sources tell the Stein Line that Timberwolves assistant coach Micah Nori can be added to the list of names the Trail Blazers have expressed interest in as they search for a new head coach. For what it’s worth, former Blazers head coach Terry Stotts threw his name into the hat recently as well, texting longtime Oregon sportswriter Dwight Jaynes that he’d like another crack at the job. “I would love to come back to the Blazers and Portland,” Stotts told Jaynes. Stotts, who confirmed his agent has reached out to Portland about the position, spent the last two seasons as the Warriors’ top assistant.
- According to Stein, the following statement from president of basketball operations Brad Stevens is among the reasons the Celtics keep popping up as a potential suitor for Giannis Antetokounmpo: “One of the things that we’ve got to figure out is how to have more of an impact at the rim,” Stevens said. “And I think we do need to add to our team to do that.”
Sixers Notes: Tax, Nurse, Front Office, No. 22 Pick
The Sixers have repeatedly made trade deadline deals to duck below the luxury tax line in recent years, an approach that has rubbed star center Joel Embiid the wrong way. However, Sixers managing partner Josh Harris insisted to reporters on Thursday that the ownership group has no aversion to paying the tax to fortify a contending roster, as Adam Aaronson of PhillyVoice.com relays.
“The front office absolutely has the green light to go into luxury tax,” Harris said. “In fact, we’ve been in and out of luxury tax. And so it’s not an issue. I mean, it’s just not an issue. We’re building an arena here. I can tell you that the amount of dollars you spend on that versus the luxury tax, it’s magnitudes more. We built this facility. We’ve signed a number of max deals. So there’s no issue with the luxury tax. And so I’m glad that you asked.”
Bob Myers, the president of sports for Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, followed up to say that he has received those same assurances from Harris and fully trusts the Sixers’ owners to back them up.
“I just can’t imagine a day where if I said to Josh or leadership said to Josh, ‘This deal makes us a contender, but you have to go into the tax,’ if he says no, which he won’t, I wouldn’t work for somebody like that,” Myers said. “Because look, to be honest, if you look at the history of teams that have won a championship – I was one of them – we were in the tax. It’d be great if you can win a championship by not being in the tax. Very hard to do. But it has to make sense. Again, I’m not worried about that part of the job, because if that comes up, I know what the answer will be.”
We have more on the 76ers:
- Myers and Harris told reporters on Thursday that Nick Nurse isn’t expected to be involved in the search for a new head of basketball operations, since he’s “got enough on his plate” already, per Aaronson. Still, Myers said he wants to hire an executive who will be a “great partner” for Nurse, while Harris praised the veteran head coach for the job he has done through three seasons in Philadelphia while dealing with the inconsistent availability of his star players. “Nick’s a championship coach,” Harris said. “He’s won an NBA title. So I think he’s earned the right to be here. He’s our coach moving forward into next season.”
- Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer (subscription required) identifies the five biggest challenges that Daryl Morey‘s successor in the Sixers’ front office will face, starting with how to handle Joel Embiid‘s and Paul George‘s maximum-salary contracts and what to do with unrestricted free agents like Quentin Grimes, Kelly Oubre Jr., and Andre Drummond.
- In a story examining the Sixers’ decision to part ways with Morey, Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports considers how significantly limitations from ownership factored into some of the team’s missteps in recent years and wonders whether the next head of basketball operations will be working under those same restrictions.
- Who will the 76ers land with the No. 22 overall pick in next month’s draft? In a story for PhillyVoice, Aaronson rounds up several recent mock drafts, noting that a wide variety of prospects are projected to land in Philadelphia in that slot, including wings like Alabama’s Amari Allen and Santa Clara’s Allen Graves and bigs such as Houston’s Chris Cenac and UNC’s Henri Veesaar.
Sixers’ Bob Myers Talks Front Office Search, Roster, More
Speaking to reporters on Thursday less than 48 hours after dismissing president of basketball operations Daryl Morey, Sixers managing partner Josh Harris made it clear he shares fans’ frustrations about the fact that the team hasn’t advanced beyond the second round of the playoffs during his time owning the franchise.
“To our fans, I want you to know: no one’s more frustrated than me that we haven’t achieved our goals,” Harris said during his opening remarks, per Adam Aaronson of PhillyVoice.com. “I care deeply for the city and the team. I acknowledge how disappointing it is that we’ve not made it past the second round of the playoffs. We owe it to you and the city to be better.”
Harris and Bob Myers, the president of sports for Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, focused primarily during Thursday’s media session about the 76ers’ impending search for a new head of basketball operations. Asked what sort of characteristics he’s looking for as he seeks Morey’s replacement, Myers said the team wants to hire a high-character individual who is willing to collaborate with the rest of the front office.
“I’m a big believer in character and leadership, and I’m looking for a person that embodies those things,” Myers said. “But there’s many characteristics under that, that I believe kind of qualify in making a modern GM a success. There’s front-facing responsibilities. There’s responsibilities of managing star players. There’s responsibilities of managing up to ownership. There’s contract negotiations. There’s draft process. There’s evaluating analytics. There’s medical staff.
“You go down the line, and these jobs have an enormity to them, so I’m looking to find someone that can check as many of those boxes as possible but also raise their hand and say, ‘You know what? I’m actually not good in this space. I’m going to need some support.'”
Myers, who previously led Golden State’s front office, intends hire someone to run the Sixers’ basketball operations department on a day-to-day basis and wants that executive to have “a lot of authority.” However, the former Warriors general manager indicated that he expects to be involved in major personnel and roster decisions going forward.
“What (the new head of basketball operations is) going to get, and our fans are going to get, is them plus me,” Myers said. “I won’t be on a day-to-day level, but on the high-level decision making, which is being here at the draft, being here leading up to the trade deadline, being available for free agency discussions, free agency meetings, things like that, I’m going to be involved at that level.
“And I can tell you that I imagine – and this isn’t, I’m not saying this lightly – I’ll be communicating with that person daily, if not five out of seven days a week. … I want to hire somebody that I can work with. I want to hire somebody that Josh can work with. And most importantly, I want to win. And I think that I have had some experience in this space, and if I have something to say, it’s harder for me not to say it than say it. But that’ll be my role, and obviously continuing to work with Josh on all this very high-level stuff.”
Here are a few more of Myers’ most notable comments from the Sixers’ Thursday press conference, via Aaronson:
On whether the Sixers will hire a new head of basketball operations before next month’s draft:
“I’d like to have someone. I hope to have someone. But if it hasn’t happened, that’s OK too. But the goal would be to have someone in place for the draft to get acclimated with the new group. By the way, the group is working now. And whoever we hire, not sure who that will be, will likely, possibly already be evaluating the draft from where they’re coming from. So that’s a benefit in some ways. But yeah, I’d like to, and I hope to, but it’ll be as much time as required to get the best person. Because again, sure, have someone by the draft, but the goal would be to have someone that’s the right person for a long amount of time after that.”
On whether a team can win a title under the current CBA with three players on maximum-salary contracts:
“Well, we didn’t get it done this year with three guys, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be done. I think it’s a smart question in that, what’s the modern roster supposed to look like with the second apron, really, which oftentimes operates as kind of a hard cap? The truth is, depth may be more important than it’s ever been. Maybe that’s the pace of play. Maybe that’s what we require of our players more. Not to say that this model doesn’t work, but we have to look at what happened this year and be honest about it and see if – we’ve got to be honest about, can this model work? And that’s really the question, and also understanding that depth is key, and you only have a certain amount of resources to spend.”
On whether the Sixers will prioritize Tyrese Maxey‘s and VJ Edgecombe‘s timelines or continue trying to win with Joel Embiid and Paul George:
“If I had the answer to that question, I’d actually just do it. I don’t know if I need to tell you. I’d just do it. I look forward to partnering with leadership to get that answer, but you’re asking the right question. That’s a question I think everybody’s asking. And it’s not to criticize an older player or praise a younger player. It’s about: how do we get past the second round? How do we get further? But that’s what makes the job hard. That’s what makes it gratifying, is figuring — if it was easy, it wouldn’t be worth it. It’s very hard to build these things and build them in the right way.”
On whether Morey handled February’s Jared McCain trade properly:
“I like Daryl. I’m not going to disparage Daryl here today. I think he did a fine job, and I think he’s a good person. … Right now we have the 22nd pick. Our job is to get that right. We have three second-round picks from it. We should be graded on the ultimate result of transactions like that.
“But I understand. I made draft picks where we got an F right away, 10 minutes after the draft. F! And I was like, ‘How do they know it’s an F? I mean, the guy hasn’t even played.’ But your job and everybody’s job is to react. I totally understand that. Our job is to make a trade. There will be a reaction. It’ll be positive or negative, but that trade isn’t done, and our job is to make sure that on our end of the trade, we do a good job of drafting the best player at 22.”
Bontemps/Windhorst’s Latest: Pistons, Giannis, Kawhi, More
After averaging 22.6 points and 10.7 rebounds per game on 67.8% shooting following the All-Star break, Pistons center Jalen Duren has struggled to make an impact during the postseason. Duren is putting up just 10.1 PPG and 8.3 RPG through 12 playoff games and was benched in the fourth quarter and overtime of Detroit’s Game 5 loss on Wednesday in favor of Paul Reed.
Duren’s poor postseason play has the potential to complicate his contract negotiations with the Pistons when he reaches restricted free agency this summer, notes ESPN’s Brian Windhorst.
“He’s not a max player, but they’re probably going to have to give him the max,” one Eastern Conference executive told ESPN. “Because now teams (with cap room) like Chicago or Brooklyn might see him as someone they could get with a max offer sheet and Detroit will have to match. With the new apron rules, it might come back to bite (the Pistons), and it’s just another example of how the CBA crushes team building.”
The Pistons will also face a tricky negotiation this offseason with wing Ausar Thompson, who will be eligible for a rookie scale extension ahead of his fourth NBA season. Thompson is a defensive dynamo but remains a very limited offensive player who made six three-pointers all season and converted just 57.1% of his free throws. Like Duren, he has been benched in some clutch-time situations during the postseason.
Still, according to ESPN’s Tim Bontemps, some league insiders he spoke to about Thompson predicted the Defensive Player of the Year finalist could command an extension in the range of $25MM per year, the same average annual salary that Dyson Daniels (four years, $100MM) and Christian Braun (five years, $125MM) got on their rookie scale extensions last fall.
Here’s more league-wide chatter from Windhorst and Bontemps:
- While there have been a few false alarms on the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade front, there’s a growing belief around the NBA that the Bucks will actually trade their two-time MVP this offseason, Bontemps reports. “It just feels like they’re done with the circus, more than anything,” an Eastern Conference executive told ESPN. “They seem to want a clean break and to move on.”
- Most sources who spoke to Bontemps at this week’s draft combine in Chicago about the Clippers and Kawhi Leonard believe the team should retain its star forward as he enters the final year of his current contract. However, not everyone agreed on whether or not to extend him — one scout pointed out that Leonard “clearly” wants to be in L.A. and argued the club should be no rush to lock him up, while another expressed that an extension is the right move as long as the terms “make sense for the team.” One Eastern Conference executive also suggested to Windhorst that Leonard could have significant trade value if the Clippers are willing to make him available: “Every day you hear about what’s going to happen with Giannis, but everyone ignores that Kawhi has been better and healthier over the last two seasons. If you had a chance to acquire one or the other, I might go Kawhi.”
- Despite the fact that the Sixers have a pair of pricey multiyear contracts on their books for injury-prone veterans Joel Embiid and Paul George, their head of basketball operations job is viewed as “enticing” due to the Tyrese Maxey/VJ Edgecombe backcourt duo, several executives told Windhorst at the combine.
- The general consensus at the combine was that returning to the Lakers is the most likely outcome for LeBron James this summer, since it’s “hard to fit him anywhere” else, as one Western Conference scout told Bontemps. An East executive who spoke to Windhorst indicated he’d be willing to pay James whatever he wanted on a one-year deal if he were running the Lakers. “Give him the no-trade clause,” the exec said. “Everything (Lakers owner Mark) Walter has done so far has been about good business. LeBron sells tickets. He keeps the (local) TV partner happy. Re-signing LeBron is good business.”
Sixers Notes: Morey, McCain, Trade Deadline, Embiid, Front Office Candidates
Daryl Morey’s post-trade assessment that “we sold high” when he sent Jared McCain to Oklahoma City in February continues to be mocked in Philadelphia, writes Adam Aaronson of The Philly Voice. While Jake Fischer has reported that trade wasn’t the “proverbial last straw” for Morey in Philadelphia, the deal – combined with the failure to get another player to replace McCain in the rotation – may have factored into the executive’s dismissal this week as the Sixers‘ president of basketball operations.
The only return in that deal with the Thunder was a first-round pick originally belonging to Houston that wound up at No. 22 in this year’s draft. McCain’s roster spot was given to Cameron Payne, who had been playing in Serbia, but he was waived after suffering a hamstring strain in the final week of the season. Two-way player Dalen Terry was promoted to take his place and saw minimal playing time in the postseason.
Morey approached the deadline looking for “cost-effective role players with multiple years of control,” a source tells Aaronson, and his top target was Thunder shooting guard Aaron Wiggins. Morey was hoping to land Wiggins as part of the McCain deal, but Philadelphia would have needed to include multiple other players to make the trade work. OKC held onto Wiggins, and Aaronson notes that McCain has played a role in pushing him out of the Thunder’s rotation.
Aaronson also hears that Morey offered multiple second-round picks to the Bulls for Jalen Smith, but Chicago opted to keep him. Two other prime targets were Rockets forward Tari Eason and Pelicans forward Saddiq Bey, who both remained with their teams through the deadline. Aaronson’s source said the Sixers made attempts to land the Mavericks‘ Naji Marshall, the Timberwolves‘ Donte DiVincenzo, the Warriors‘ Brandin Podziemski and the Suns‘ Ryan Dunn as well. None of those players wound up being traded.
Morey liked the potential fit of Ayo Dosunmu, who has been a valuable contributor in Minnesota’s playoff run, according to Aaronson’s source, but didn’t prioritize him because of his expiring contract. Aaronson reports that the team also had some interest in Vit Krejci, who was sent from Atlanta to Portland four days prior to the deadline in exchange for two second-round picks. Philadelphia had numerous second-rounders to offer, but Morey reportedly didn’t want to commit to a deal with so much time remaining before the deadline.
There’s more on the Sixers:
- Morey’s relationship with star center Joel Embiid appeared to deteriorate throughout the season, Aaronson adds. Embiid expressed displeasure with management at the trade deadline and again when he was held out of a game in early April, and he refused to comment directly on Morey when asked about their relationship during the playoffs.
- Bob Myers, who will be leading the search to replace Morey, could probably have the job if he tells managing partner Josh Harris that he wants it, Aaronson suggests in a separate story. If Myers opts to remain in his current role as president of sports for Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, Aaronson identifies a few other candidates, including Elton Brand, who served as Morey’s top assistant, and Vince Rozman, who spent 16 years with the organization before joining OKC’s front office in 2022. Pistons senior vice president Dennis Lindsey and Timberwolves GM Matt Lloyd, who were both finalists to run Chicago’s front office, are also on the list, along with Spurs assistant GM Dave Telep, Celtics assistant GM Dave Lewin and prominent agents Austin Brown and Alex Saratsis.
- In a mailbag column, Aaronson examines some options for the Sixers in free agency and explains why the team shouldn’t try to trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Sixers Rumors: Front Office, Morey, Embiid, George, More
Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey still had two “expensive” years left on his contract, but that didn’t dissuade the team’s ownership group from deciding that a front office change was necessary, reports Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link).
After formally confirming on Tuesday that they’ve parted ways with Morey, the 76ers have tasked Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment president of sports Bob Myers with temporarily running the front office and leading the search for a new lead basketball executive. However, according to Fischer, the plan is for Myers to return to an advisory role once a hire is made.
Myers will consider candidates within the organization in addition to external options, Fischer writes. While it’s too early to identify potential frontrunners, Fischer says Andre Iguodala, the current NBPA executive director who played under Myers in Golden State and also spent several years playing in Philadelphia, isn’t expected to receive consideration for the job, even though his stint with the players’ union is scheduled to end next month.
Here’s more from Fischer on the Sixers:
- Although fans in Philadelphia weren’t happy about the mid-season trade that sent Jared McCain to Oklahoma City for draft assets, including a 2026 first-rounder, a source with knowledge of the situation told Fischer that deal wasn’t the “proverbial last straw” for Morey. Ownership “very much approved” that deal, Fischer writes, which makes sense, given that it helped the 76ers move out of luxury tax territory. The club is also optimistic about its ability to select a quality prospect next month with the No. 22 overall pick acquired in that trade, Fischer adds.
- There’s a widespread belief that the Sixers would be best off resetting their roster around Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe, but that will be easier said than done in the short term, Fischer notes. The three years and $188MM left on Joel Embiid‘s contract will make it very challenging to move him without attaching sweeteners, which likely won’t appeal to Philadelphia, meaning an Embiid trade is unlikely to happen this offseason. According to Fischer, one idea mentioned by rival strategists is a swap involving Embiid and Kings center Domantas Sabonis, but he acknowledges that calling that scenario a “long shot” might be understating it.
- As tricky as Embiid would be to move, the same may no longer be true of Paul George, who rehabilitated his value to some extent with a strong finish to the season, including a playoff run in which he shot 49.3% from three-point range. George also has just one guaranteed year remaining on his maximum-salary contract, with a player option to follow, so if he conveys a willingness to decline that option in favor of an extension that starts at a lower number, that could make potential suitors more comfortable rolling the dice on him. Fischer likens George’s contract situation – and trade value – to Trae Young‘s entering last season. The Hawks didn’t acquire any draft picks for Young but they didn’t have to send out any either, and they were able to acquire two relatively team-friendly contracts in their deal with Washington.
- Even though Nurse will remain in his position as head coach, there’s an expectation that his staff will undergo some offseason changes, according to Fischer, who observes that a number of Sixers assistants are on expiring contracts.
Morey Ousted As Sixers’ President; Nurse Keeps Coaching Job
Daryl Morey has been relieved of duties as president of basketball operations with the Sixers after six seasons, ESPN’s Shams Charania reports.
The decision was made after Morey met with Sixers owners Josh Harris and David Blitzer on Tuesday evening in Philadelphia, according to Charania, who says that head coach Nick Nurse will be retained for a fourth season.
Former Warriors executive Bob Myers, now the president of sports for Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, will lead the search for the new head of basketball operations. Myers will oversee the franchise’s basketball operations department in the interim.
The Athletic had reported on Monday that Morey and/or Nurse could be on their way out.
Harris issued the following statement via a press release:
“I have a tremendous amount of respect for Daryl personally and professionally, and I’m grateful for his contributions over the last six seasons. After speaking with Daryl, we determined that it was time for a fresh start. Bob Myers will lead the process of identifying a new leader and I believe his experience in constructing four NBA championship teams will be a valuable resource to our organization. To our fans, your frustration and disappointment are understandable and warranted. We have fallen well short of our own expectations and failed to deliver in the way this city deserves. That bothers me deeply and I have confidence in Bob to establish a path forward for our franchise.”
Morey was hired to bring the franchise a championship for the first time since 1983. Philadelphia reached the postseason in all but one of his six seasons on the job, but fell well short of the ultimate goal. The Sixers did not advance beyond the second round of the playoffs during Morey’s tenure.
It wasn’t for a lack of trying. He acquired James Harden during the 2021/22 season but Harden demanded a trade after the following season over a contract dispute. Morey opened up significant cap space prior to the 2024/25 season and signed Paul George to a max deal, along with several other notable free agents.
Injuries derailed Morey’s plans. George, Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid have played only 43 games together over the last two seasons, including the regular season and playoffs. That trio is owed $153MM next season.
After the Sixers were swept in the second round by the Knicks, Embiid remarked, “… Gotta get better, from top to bottom. Ownership, front office, players, coaches. Everybody just gotta get better.”
It will be up to the next team president to put together a championship-caliber roster. Morey’s replacement will have two major building blocks in Maxey and VJ Edgecombe, who finished third for the Rookie of the Year award.
Nurse is 116-130 in three seasons as the Sixers’ head coach, with 47- and 45-win seasons sandwiching a forgettable 24-58 campaign. Nurse guided the team to a first-round comeback from a 3-1 series deficit to beat the Celtics, but the 76ers were overmatched against the Knicks, who swept them out of the postseason.
2026 NBA Draft Picks By Team
The Bulls, who pivoted to rebuilding mode after being eliminated in the play-in tournament in three straight years from 2023-25, and the Spurs, who went from 34 wins a year ago to 62 this season, appear headed in opposite directions. But the two organizations do have one thing in common — they’re the only two teams in the NBA who control more than three picks in this year’s draft.
Chicago, which moved up to No. 4 as a result of Sunday’s draft lottery, also controls the 15th, 38th, and 56th picks. San Antonio has just one first-rounder at No. 20, but its other three picks – Nos. 35, 42, and 44 – are in the top half of the second round.
Besides the Spurs and Bulls, nine other teams own more than the typical two picks, and several of those clubs have at least one top-10 selection. The Wizards, Grizzlies, Clippers, Nets, Kings, Hawks, and Mavericks each have three selections, including one in the top nine. The Thunder and Knicks are the other two clubs who control three 2026 picks.
Those 11 teams own a combined 35 picks in June’s draft, while eight others control two apiece and nine more have one each. That means there are just two teams without a pick this year: the Pacers and Trail Blazers. Both teams had protected first-rounders, but Portland sacrificed its lottery-protected pick when it earned a playoff spot, while Indiana had a worst possible outcome in the lottery, as its top-four protected pick fell to No. 5.
To present a clearer picture of which teams are most – and least – stocked with picks for the 2026 NBA draft, we’ve rounded up all 60 selections by team in the space below. Let’s dive in…
Teams with more than two picks:
- Chicago Bulls (4): 4, 15, 38, 56
- San Antonio Spurs (4): 20, 35, 42, 44
- Washington Wizards (3): 1, 51, 60
- Memphis Grizzlies (3): 3, 16, 32
- Los Angeles Clippers (3): 5, 36, 52
- Brooklyn Nets (3): 6, 33, 43
- Sacramento Kings (3): 7, 34, 45
- Atlanta Hawks (3): 8, 23, 57
- Dallas Mavericks (3): 9, 30, 48
- Oklahoma City Thunder (3): 12, 17, 37
- New York Knicks (3): 24, 31, 55
Teams with two picks:
- Golden State Warriors: 11, 54
- Miami Heat: 13, 41
- Charlotte Hornets: 14, 18
- Toronto Raptors: 19, 50
- Denver Nuggets: 26, 49
- Boston Celtics: 27, 40
- Minnesota Timberwolves: 28, 59
- Houston Rockets: 39, 53
Teams with one pick:
- Utah Jazz: 2
- Milwaukee Bucks: 10
- Detroit Pistons: 21
- Philadelphia 76ers: 22
- Los Angeles Lakers: 25
- Cleveland Cavaliers: 29
- Orlando Magic: 46
- Phoenix Suns: 47
- New Orleans Pelicans: 58
Teams with no picks:
- Indiana Pacers
- Portland Trail Blazers
Sixers Notes: Edgecombe, Maxey, Offseason
The Sixers‘ season ended in disappointing fashion on Sunday, as the team was thoroughly outplayed — and swept — by New York in the Eastern Conference semifinals. If there’s a reason to believe in the 76ers’ future, it’s largely due to the impressive play of rookie VJ Edgecombe, writes Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports.
“Playing against the Celtics to now against New York, it was tricky. I was guarded differently,” Edgecombe said on Sunday. “I’m gonna take some time, look back at it after a couple of weeks or so.
“I refuse for, coming into next year, a team won’t ever leave me open. Even during the regular season, I was shooting the ball pretty well, and the playoffs come, and it’s just a different vibe, you know? Intensity’s higher, closeouts are a lot quicker, but I’m going to go in, and I’m gonna work. I’m gonna work. I’m gonna work. I’m going to do whatever I got to do to get better, make life easier for [Tyrese Maxey] and the rest of my teammates, take some of the pressure off some of the load offensively off of them.”
In addition to offensive improvements, the 6’4″ guard hopes to continue honing his craft on the defensive end as well, per Neubeck.
“Defensively, I’m gonna keep getting better, keep learning. For the rest of my career, I want to go out and say I can go guard whoever I have to go guard,” Edgecombe said. “I’m just excited to see how this offseason is gonna look for me, and next year I’m coming back better, stronger, faster, more athletic, whatever I gotta do.”
Here’s more from Philadelphia:
- Maxey had an excellent season for the Sixers and will almost certainly earn his first All-NBA berth in 2025/26, but he struggled with double-teams and traps in the second-round matchup vs. the Knicks, according to Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Maxey is hoping he’ll be able to play off the ball more often in 2026/27 as Edgecombe works on initiating the offense. “When you’re in front of the defense all the time,” Maxey said. “ … it gives [the opponent] opportunities that have the entire team kind of load up. And I feel like that’s one thing that really good players and great players can do. They can be on the ball [and] make plays on the ball, but they can also play off the ball and contribute that way, use their gravity that way.”
- Although The Athletic reported on Monday that president of basketball operations Daryl Morey and head coach Nick Nurse could be dismissed, Adam Aaronson of PhillyVoice doesn’t expect that to happen after the 3-1 first-round comeback against Boston. Still, he acknowledges the possibility can’t be ruled out after the 76ers were swept in the second round. Aaronson also provides an overview of the team’s offseason, noting that Quentin Grimes, Kelly Oubre Jr. and Andre Drummond are the 76ers’ primary free agents.
- ESPN’s Bobby Marks previews the Sixers’ offseason, writing that they’ll likely be over the first tax apron if they re-sign Grimes and Oubre. Gauging the trade market for Joel Embiid and Paul George to build around Maxey and Edgecombe would be an ideal outcome for Philadelphia, but Marks views that scenario as unlikely given how much money those two aging stars are owed.
Daryl Morey, Nick Nurse May Be Replaced After Sweep
The thrill of beating Boston in the first round was short-lived for the Sixers, and major changes could be coming for the franchise this offseason. Multiple sources tell Tony Jones of The Athletic that the jobs of president of basketball operations Daryl Morey and head coach Nick Nurse will both be reevaluated. Jones adds that ownership hasn’t reached any final decisions and will take a few days to address the state of the franchise before determining whether to make changes.
“Uncomfortable conversations” are necessary on several fronts, according to Jones, and the most important one is how to handle Joel Embiid. Jones notes that Embiid frequently clashed with the front office and coaching staff throughout the season, and he publicly implored management to do something other than “ducking the luxury tax” leading up to the trade deadline.
Jones reports that Embiid and other players didn’t support the decision to send second-year guard Jared McCain to Oklahoma City in a deal that only netted draft picks in return. Jones states that Embiid made a noticeable effort to avoid directly criticizing the front office in interviews after that trade was announced.
After being held out of an April 1 game at Washington, Embiid responded with an angry Twitter post stating, “I guess they won’t let me play basketball!!” When reporters asked about the post two days later, he responded, “I wanted to play basketball. I wasn’t allowed to play basketball. I think this is more of a question for Daryl Morey and whoever makes the decisions.”
The Sixers have to be encouraged by Embiid’s playoff performance, even though he was only available for 38 games during the regular season. He managed to return from an emergency appendectomy and was an offensive force in the first-round comeback against Boston.
Embiid’s injury history and contract situation – he has two guaranteed years left at nearly $58MM and $62.6MM, plus a $67.2MM player option for 2028/29 – make it extremely difficult for Philadelphia to trade him. But Jones emphasizes that he has to be more in sync with the front office and coaching staff to be fully effective.
Jones cites a mixed case for keeping Morey in charge of the franchise. Although he was heavily criticized for parting with McCain, Morey realized that he would never become a starter with Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe in the backcourt, and getting a first-round pick for a projected reserve is good value. Morey also deserves credit for taking Edgecombe with the third pick in last year’s draft and Maxey at No. 21 in 2020. Dominick Barlow, who was brought in on a two-way contract last summer, turned out to be an important addition.
But Morey is also responsible for giving the huge extension to Embiid and a pricey free agent deal to Paul George that will limit the Sixers’ flexibility for nearly the rest of the decade. Jones points out that having them alongside Maxey and Edgecombe creates two versions of the same team that don’t fit together well.
Regarding Nurse, sources tell Jones that there are concerns about his ability to control the locker room. He cites an incident at an April 1 shootaround where several players met with members of the coaching staff to air complaints about “certain players’ participation in team activities” and the overall direction of the season. The level of tension was so high that there were concerns that the shootaround might have to be canceled, according to Jones’ sources, but enough was resolved that it was able to continue.
Jones believes that Nurse deserves credit for winning 45 games with an injured roster, and his players never stopped playing hard. They responded to Nurse’s public criticism after a Game 4 loss to Boston and rallied to win the series.
After the fate of Morey and Nurse is decided, the Sixers will have to address their roster. Jones identifies a need for more shooting, rebounding and positional size among the forwards. They have a talented core in place and Edgecombe should continue to improve as he gets older, but the New York sweep is an indication that they’re not ready to compete with the best teams in the East.