No team changed its championship outlook more dramatically than the 76ers.
Philadelphia replaced Paul George with Jaylen Brown, signed LeBron James to a bargain two-year, $8 million contract and added Anfernee Simons, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Dean Wade.
ESPN’s 2026-27 season preview gave the Sixers an A-minus offseason grade and ranked them sixth in its Basketball Power Index, with a projected record around 52-30.
The talent is obvious. The fit will require work. Brown, Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe and James all need the ball to varying degrees. ESPN suggested Brown may make more sense as the centerpiece of Philadelphia’s post-Embiid future than as Embiid’s current sidekick.
That transition may arrive sooner than anyone expected. Embiid has appeared in only 39 percent of the Sixers’ games over the past three seasons and missed four of their 11 playoff games last spring.
Philadelphia’s biggest X-factors, therefore, may be backup centers Adem Bona and Ariel Hukporti. They must keep the Sixers competitive when Embiid rests while helping preserve him for the postseason.
The larger concern is time. James is 41. Embiid will turn 33 during the season. Brown, Maxey and Edgecombe give Philadelphia a future, but this particular roster was assembled to win immediately.
Teams featuring this much new talent sometimes need a year to establish roles and chemistry.
The Sixers may not believe they have one to spare. This roster wasn’t built merely to contend eventually. It was built for June.
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