Philly Front Office

The Sixers are 3-14 and the season is slipping away if it hasn’t already. There is a very real chance that Embiid is done. Like DONE done where he never gets close to the MVP form we all expect from him. If that happens, the whole organization is absolutely F’d. That means about 1/3 of our payroll can’t be used and can’t be traded for the next 4 years. That is playing with one arm tied behind our back for Maxey’s early prime and the rest of George’s career. Think Grant Hill and the Magic. I can’t stress how bad and possible that is.

I’m sorry! You weren’t looking for this the day after Thanksgiving. I promise I am not here to be negative. Daryl Morey is not going to punt the season if he thinks there is any kind of chance to have Embiid in the playoffs. So, even if it is the 10th seed and the play-in tournament, a chance at a healthy Embiid means they will go for it.

Well take that off the table and what do we have? Let’s say Embiid can get surgery that greatly increases his chance of being healthy next year and they all agree to punt this season, then what happens? Let’s have some fun!

First, everyone, take a breather. Paul, take your time. We need you to get acclimated here. Do what is best for your body. Take it easy. Don’t rush. Tyrese, you too. How about some rest days? Losing has come easy so far and we need to do more of it. Spike on the most recent Rights to Ricky Sanchez podcast said that he doesn’t even expect us to win anymore, it doesn’t seem possible. Same. Well, keep them losses coming.

The Sixers first round pick is top 6 protected (remember when we dumped Al Horford to OKC only for him to show back up on our 2nd most hated team?). If we finish with a bottom 2 record, that pick is guaranteed to stay with us no matter what happens with the Ping-Pong balls. That drops to 93% at 3rd worst, 81% at 4th, 62% at 5th, and 45.8% at 6th. Competition at the bottom is something we know all too well, so we need to bank as many losses as possible. There are 3 top level wing prospects that would never normally be there for us. This is not last year’s draft or a Warriors taking James Wiseman situation. Being terrible AND losing that pick would absolutely suck.

Second, trades. Guerschon Yabusele has been pretty solid this year. Had we been any good, we’d all be loving how crafty Daryl was to snag him after the Olympics. Instead, fire him up, he’s got value!!! There is a very quirky salary cap rule called Non-Bird rights. The NBA has a soft cap. Basically, a soft cap means you can only go over the cap if you have some kind of pass to do so. Non-Bird rights are a type of pass but the weakest one. You can only resign your own Non-Bird free agent to a contract that is 120% of his previous contract. It’s crazy, but the Sixers would only be able to offer him about $2.4m next year while another team could pay him much more. Because we only have Yabusele’s Non-Bird rights, he should be as good as gone. He could probably fetch some 2nd round picks.

He isn’t the only one that needs to go. Kelly Oubre, Caleb Martin, and even Paul George all have to be considered “on the table.” None can be traded until after December 15th, but all could possibly move. The idea would be to get picks to move for another star this offseason, again. Our pick situation is a little muddied coming up, but we could very unexpectedly have our own selection this year, our own in 2028, the 2028 Clippers pick unprotected, and all our own picks from there on. If you could get some more, all of a sudden we are a player on the market.

Third, reset the team attitude. It cannot be stressed enough that all of the negativity surrounding Embiid is self-inflicted. The man is hurt but absolutely NO ONE feels bad for him. He has been day to day for the last 9 years. He might play, he might not play, he will always be reevaluated in 2 weeks. JUST TELL US THE TRUTH!!! You can’t play in the Olympics, not be ready for preseason, then “ramp up”, only to miss the season with no actual injury. It is the secrecy and the lies and the being cute with the updates that has everyone in a froth.

I don’t know if he is lying to team doctors or they are lying to themselves, but we are being strung along game by game. It isn’t just the fans either. As the recent team meeting suggested, the players have had enough of being jerked around too. The team needs to KNOW if he is in or out. It’s like buying a ticket to a game for a friend who just doesn’t show up. Happens once or twice, no big deal. Happens every time and you are a little sick of that friend. Embiid needs to be honest with the team, his teammates, and himself. The day-by-day approach wore out its welcome a long time ago. It’s his body, but the negativity is a consequence of the deception.

The Sixers are in the midst of the worst season possible. That’s not negativity, that’s reality. As bad as so many saw The Process, it was at the very least a plan that was being executed. This season is completely out of control. Hopefully they can get ahold of the wheel at some point.