The 76ers were once the most promising young team in the entire league. After years of being in the bottom of the standings, the 76ers looked to be the next future dynasty. Ben Simmons was a former 1st overall pick entering his rookie year. Simmons was being compared to Lebron James at this time. The 76ers also were fresh off of drafting Markelle Fultz 1st overall in the 2017 NBA draft. Coming out of college Markelle Fultz looked to be a promising guard who can become elite. Philly also had Joel Embiid who was 23 at the time. He was coming off an amazing rookie season and looked to be the most promising young center in the league.
3 years ago the 76ers had the most promising young core in the NBA. The young core of Fultz, Simmons and Embiid were expected to have accomplished a lot as a trio already. Unfortunately for the 76ers this hasn’t been the case. Fultz hasn’t panned out and was shipped off to the Orlando Magic. Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid are a very talented duo, but they have failed to put a good supporting cast around this duo.
They traded Robert Covington, J.J Redick and Dario Saric. Covington is one of the best 3 and D role players in the NBA and would have been a great fit for Philly. Redick is one of the best shooters in the league and had the best season of his career alongside Ben Simmons in the backcourt. Saric was a perfect fit alongside Embiid in the frontcourt. Saric was only 23 years old and had great floor spacing abilities. They don’t have any of these players anymore. All of these players would have been great role players to play next to Simmons and Embiid.
Philadelphia decided to speed up the process and try to contend right now. They gave up future assets to go into win now mode. Philadelphia acquired Jimmy Butler and Tobias Harris during the 2018-2019 season. They were looking like championship contenders, but unfortunately they lost in the playoffs to the eventual champion Toronto Raptors. After losing Jimmy Butler in the 2019 free agency, the 76ers still looked to be title contenders. They had just acquired Al Horford and Josh Richardson, while also still having Tobias Harris, Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons on the roster. They were projected to win 55 games in the regular season while being one of the favorite’s to come out of the eastern conference.
Unfortunately for Philadelphia, the 76ers had one of the most disappointing NBA seasons in recent history. They were swept in the first round by the Boston Celtics and their future was looking rocky. They overpaid Tobias Harris and Al Horford, who both didn’t fit on the team. The 76ers had both of these players locked up long-term, even though they proved that they clearly aren’t good fits for the 76ers. Philadelphia also didn’t have many promising young players. They also severely lacked depth. Philadelphia also had one of the worst head coaches throughout the entire league in Brett Brown.
The 76ers were a mess, but they recently have been turning things around for the franchise. We will be looking at the recent moves the 76ers have made. Have these moves put the 76ers on the right track to returning back as contenders? Read on to find out!
Management Changes
The 76ers made 2 major management changes this offseason. They hired Doc Rivers as their new head coach. Rivers was coming off a 2nd round exit to the Denver Nuggets. Doc Rivers has proven he’s a good coach and he’s a clear upgrade over Brett Brown. Rivers has lots of valuable coaching experience that he can bring to the 76ers. He was the head coach of the 2008 championship winning Boston Celtics. He was also the coach of the Lob City Los Angeles Clippers. Doc can bring great playoff experience to Philadelphia. He will help elevate this team to a contending team. Doc will quickly gain the respect of his players and make them work hard every day.
Another position the 76ers upgraded was their head of basketball operations. They previously had Elton Brand in this position. Elton made some questionable moves at the helm of the 76ers. He is the main man responsible for the downfall of the 76ers. He let Jimmy Butler and J.J Redick walk in free agency. Brand also was responsible for giving Horford and Tobias Harris their contracts.
The 76ers needed a more competent head of basketball operations. So they decided to go out and hire Daryl Morey. Although Daryl Morey never won a championship with the Rockets, he did help elevate their franchise. He helped turn the Rockets into a consistent threat in the western conference. He isn’t afraid to make necessary moves needed to contend for a championship. Morey is going to do his best to turn this 76ers team around. He’s already made some great moves during his short time he’s had at the helm.
Al Horford Trade
Al Horford was the most questionable free agent signing of the 2019 offseason. The 76ers signed a 33 year old Al Horford to a long term contract. He signed a 4 year contract with the 76ers worth $109 million dollars. The other confusing part of this signing was their positional need. The 76ers didn’t need Al Horford on their roster. They already had Joel Embiid on the roster. It was very apparent during the 2019-2020 NBA season that Al Horford was a terrible fit for the 76ers. He could not play next to Joel Embiid. He was also playing out of his natural position of center.
Al Horford is looked to have one of the worst contracts in the entire league. The contract looked to be almost unmovable. However, this offseason Daryl Morey found a trade for Al Horford. The 76ers traded Al Horford and 2 draft picks in return for Danny Green. The 76ers gave up only 1 first round pick to give up one of the worst contracts in the NBA.
They also acquired Danny Green in this trade who immediately fits well with the 76ers. Danny Green has championship experience and can bring playoff experience to Philadelphia. He is coming off back to back championships and has a total of 4 finals appearances. Danny Green is also a great sharpshooter to play next to Ben Simmons. Although Danny’s shooting ability has regressed, he is still a great floor spacer. He shot 37% from 3 point range on 5 attempts per game. He can space defenses out and be a great fit next to Ben Simmons.
Danny is also a very valuable player on the defensive end. He averaged 1.3 steals per game last season and proved to be a very capable on ball defender. Danny Green also has an expiring contract. He will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season. This will give the 76ers more cap flexibility moving forward. The 76ers gave up an aging Al Horford who had a terrible long term contract, in exchange for an expiring player who fits great next to their core.
Seth Curry Trade
It’s common knowledge by know that you need to put shooting around Ben Simmons. He doesn’t space the floor and his abilities are maximized when playing next to elite shooters. The 76ers realized this need, so they decided to trade for one of the best shooters in NBA history. Seth Curry has the 2nd highest 3 point percentage in NBA history. He has a career 3 point percentage of 44%. Last season with the Mavericks, Curry shot 45% from 3 on 5 attempts per game. Curry will be the perfect fit next to Ben Simmons next season.
The 76ers didn’t have to give up too much to acquire Curry. They traded Josh Richardson and a 2020 2nd round pick. Josh Richardson is a great player but he wasn’t a good fit next to Ben Simmons in the backcourt. Richardson only shot 34% from 3 and he wasn’t able to consistently create for himself from the perimeter. Seth Curry will be a much better fit next to Ben Simmons. Curry is an elite 3 point shooter who can create for himself from the perimeter.
Daryl Morey has figured out that you need to surround Simmons with shooting. He’s already shown the willingness to provide shooting next to Simmons by acquiring elite shooters.
Drafting Tyrese Maxey
Tyrese Maxey was viewed by most to be one of the biggest steals of the 2020 draft. He was one of my favorite players in the draft. Tyrese Maxey played for the University of Kentucky and showed great promise. He has a lot of potential and could be a great young player for any NBA team.
The 76ers made a great selection by selecting Tyrese Maxey with the 21st overall pick. He is a talented combo guard who can fit great with the 76ers. Maxey is a good shooter who can score from all 3 levels. He is a gifted scorer and gifted athlete. Tyrese is a prospect who has potential to be a starter in the NBA. The 76ers are lacking young talent, so Tyrese is a great player to add to their young core. He could also be a great fit next to Ben Simmons. Maxey is a great scorer who can play off ball and create from the perimeter.
This pick was a selection in the right direction. They get a promising young player who fits with their core. Tyrese can become a special player, and he can become very valuable to the 76ers organization.
Conclusion
The 76ers have recently made great steps forward for their organization. They have 2 elite NBA players in Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid. Lots of NBA fans have been saying that the 76ers should break up the duo of Embiid and Simmons. The 76ers have made the right decision by choosing to build around the duo, rather than splitting them up.
Philly has made lots of great moves to turn this team into a championship contender. They still have lots of work to do, but they are making steps in the right direction. Daryl Morey has done a great job at bringing this team back on track. After the 2019-2020 season ended, the 76ers looked to have one of the worst situations in the NBA. They had a poorly built team and lacked cap flexibility. Now Philly has made the appropriate moves to bring this team out of a slump. We will have to see what other moves the 76ers make this offseason to help further their chances of contending.
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