Reasons Why an Exciting 76ers Offseason Seems Unlikely

Only in the City of Brotherly Love; Ask yourselves a question. No, instead, ask three... How is it possible that a dark cloud continues to hover over the Philadelphia 76ers despite their ownership of the third-overall selection in the 2025 NBA Draft? Is that simply the result of playing in a demanding sports town? Has the organization earned this honor because they have disappointed their fans time and time again?

Be forewarned. Reasonable thought, emotional responses, and heated debates can all be born as a result of trying to answer those questions. In a town that appreciates the beauty of great basketball but has sometimes been robbed of seeing any, the stakes are high for obvious reasons.

What Philly does next is a franchise-altering decision. Its result can catapult the Sixers back into relevancy or set the franchise back for several more seasons. Daryl Morey and company have to nail this, and that may be part of the answer to the first question.

This is how it's possible for fans to have knowledge of their favorite team owning the third-overall selection in an NBA Draft and be terrified of what is coming.

To make matters worse, there aren't many other reasons to find excitement in the rest of the Sixers' offseason.

There is too much money committed to Philly's 'Big Three'.

It would be wonderful to be able to state that this roster could be fixed by simply adding some difference-makers by way of free agency. That won't happen.

The 76ers, in three signings, assured Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and Paul George just under $1 billion over the life of all three contracts. If the math is correct, more than $144 million is tied up in Philly's big three next season.

That's 77% of the payroll. That allows minimal room to maneuver, and paying the third overall pick will make it difficult to pay and hang on to Quentin Grimes and Guerschon Yabusele, especially when one factors in this next nugget.