NBA Rumors: The first domino is in place for the Philadelphia 76ers heading into the offseason.
The first domino is set to fall for the Philadelphia 76ers. According to a recent report, which shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, James Harden is expected to re-sign with the Sixers on a short-term deal.
Even though it really wasn’t much of a mystery regarding Harden and the Sixers, there was still a sliver of doubt that he could leave. After all, he could opt out of the final year of his contract and test free agency.
But after acquiring him at the NBA Trade Deadline in exchange for Ben Simmons, it would’ve been extremely surprising if the Sixers didn’t re-sign him. All indications point to that happening at the start of free agency.
With that domino out of the way, it will give the Sixers an opportunity to “figure out the rest.” The Sixers need to retool the supporting cast around Harden and Joel Embiid, and reportedly will attempt to do so with their first-round pick, Tobias Harris, Danny Green, and possibly Matisse Thybulle.
After losing to the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference semifinals, it’s clear that there are substantial upgrades that the Sixers need. Plus, let’s not gloss over the fact that the team also needs to be healthy – something that the team clearly wasn’t during the playoffs.
But the Sixers can’t step into next season with the exact same roster. That would be a colossal failure of an offseason from the Sixers.
Philly is close to contending in the Eastern Conference. And this team needs to continue to make the necessary steps to get to that place. The clock is ticking on Harden and Embiid deserves a championship-level supporting cast.
This is a big offseason for the Sixers and it appears that the first domino is in place.