Philadelphia 76ers Could Cut Ties With 2 Veterans, Says NBA Insider Amid Looming Championship Concerns

After expecting to contend for a title in the previous season, injuries decimated the Sixers. The result? The Philadelphia 76ers had a 24-58 record in the 2024-25 season, and in the off-season, Joel Embiid and Paul George underwent surgeries to prepare for the next season. However, their HC, Nick Nurse, didn’t confirm if their superstar center will actually be available before the training camp. So, the team is looking at other pieces that might help them contend.

“There has been buzz all summer long about the Sixers looking to potentially move one of, if not both, Andre Drummond and Kelly Oubre,” according to Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report. Trading them would help the 76ers be in a better position to offer more money to re-sign restricted free agent Quentin Grimes. Currently, Drummond will make $5 million next season in the final year of his contract, while Oubre Jr. will make $8.4 million in the final year of his deal. For now, Philadelphia is approximately $11 million below the first tax apron, barring Adem Bona’s contract becoming guaranteed one day before opening night.

“If they are able to find a deal for one of those two guys as we get closer to camp, that would open up some more wiggle room for Philadelphia to be able to pay Grimes a little bit more.” Fischer reported this since Grimes has two options left as a restricted free agent. Either he can sign the contract the 76ers have offered him or play next season on a one-year qualifying offer and then enter unrestricted free agency next offseason. The 25-year-old guard holds an $8.7 million qualifying offer, and if he re-signs on a new deal, the Philadelphia 76ers would likely pay him more than that range.

If the 76ers dumped Drummond’s salary in a trade, they’d be $16 million below the first apron. But trading your front-court option for a guard? That’s exactly the issue the team is facing. Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz quantified it and gave the team a C rating for their roster. “There’s a lot of guards on this roster (Tyrese Maxey, Jared McCain, VJ Edgecombe, Eric Gordon, Kyle Lowry, etc) and not a lot of frontcourt talent to balance things out…” Last season, their superstar duo’s limited minutes didn’t help the cause.

Joel Embiid, across 10 years, has played more than 65 games just twice! Just last season, he played 19 games of the 76ers’ 82 regular-season games, missing a staggering 63 contests. Embiid and Paul George appeared in just 18 games last season due to injuries. This season exposes the 76ers Achilles’ heel: over-reliance on aging, injury-prone stars without sufficient depth. Embiid’s durability (never more than 68 games in a season) and George’s decline make the $400 million+ committed to the Big Three a risky bet.

Let’s not forget that the team lost Guerschon Yabusele in free agency to the Knicks, who was a bright spot last season.

The Philadelphia 76ers are ready to bet on young players, as Joel Embiid might be absent

Previously, NBA insider Marc Stein reported that the 76ers are not planning on moving Embiid. According to Stein, they’re willing to give the star big man a chance to run it back with his two co-stars. But with no guarantee of return, the team’s younger players are positioning themselves to seize the moment. “All the videos I’ve seen, all the word I get out of Philly is that Tyrese Maxey, and [Jared] McCain, and the younger guys like VJ Edgecombe—they’ve all been in the gym all summer long,” Ramona Shelburne reported.

The ESPN veteran further added, “And these guys, Embiid and Paul George, missed a lot of time last year—that young group, they may not wait, [the Sixers] may not be able to wait.” Last season, it was Tyrese Maxey who proved why he should obviously be the future of the Philadelphia 76ers. The 24-year-old is coming off averaging over 25 points for a second consecutive season. Plus, he already showed signs of leadership multiple times during last season.

This marked his second straight year above 25 PPG, a feat placing him among elite company like Luka Doncic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as guards under 25 carrying heavy offensive loads. Despite missing 30 games due to a finger sprain and minor ailments, Maxey’s durability was a lifeline for a 76ers team that cycled through 53 starting lineups.

Last year’s rookie, Jared McCain, explained once, “Since I got drafted, he’s been texting me to always keep my confidence, always be myself. It’s easy to take his advice coming from someone like him.”

Not just on the court, but off the court too, the young players are already taking over. There is no doubt that Joel Embiid is their de facto leader. But it’s the constant injuries of Embiid that have troubled the Philadelphia 76ers. In fact, it’s now the third time an injury has derailed Embiid’s playoff hopes in the last four years.