12. Philadelphia 76ers
Key offseason move: Signed Patrick Beverley
The Philadelphia 76ers have more than a few things to figure out before the start of the new season. Their biggest question that needs to be answered over the next few weeks revolves around James Harden who is adamant about finding his way to the LA Clippers. It’s looking more and more like that’s a foregone conclusion that Harden will eventually be traded to the Clippers and there’s no question that it will leave the Sixers in a bad place heading into the regular season.
For all his disappointments in the playoffs, the Sixers aren’t much of a contender in the Eastern Conference without Harden on the roster. I’m no expert on how you should build a team, but taking a step back after an MVP season from Joel Embiid is not ideal. He’s in the middle of his prime and essentially wasting a season is not the goal the Sixers had heading into the offseason.
I’m not sure what the Sixers are going to look like on opening night but the combination of Embiid and Tyrese Maxey makes them an intriguing, but likely underwhelming, threat in the East.