NBA Notes: Sixers, Joel Embiid, Bucks, Giannis Antetokounmpo, draft lottery

76ers

Philadelphia has made a habit of ducking the luxury tax in recent seasons. Joel Embiid would like that trend to stop.

The Sixers moved Danuel House and Jaden Springer at the 2024 deadline to get below the tax, then took a similar path in 2025 with deals involving Caleb Martin and KJ Martin. This season, they sit roughly $7 million over the tax line, creating speculation about another cost cutting move.

Embiid hopes the front office resists that temptation.

“We’ve been ducking the tax the last couple of years,” Embiid said, via Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. “So hopefully we keep the same team. I love all of the guys that are in here. I think we got a shot.”

Philadelphia has outperformed modest expectations after a rough 2024-25 campaign. Embiid and Paul George have been healthier, Tyrese Maxey has taken another leap, and rookie VJ Edgecombe has carved out an immediate role. At 26-21, the Sixers currently sit sixth in the East.

While Quentin Grimes and Kelly Oubre Jr. are possible expiring-contract trade chips, sources told ESPN’s Tim Bontemps and Brian Windhorst that Philadelphia is not pursuing a pure salary-dump involving either player. Andre Drummond is available, but moving him alone would not get the team out of the tax.

Bucks

Any team dreaming of Giannis Antetokounmpo will need to think beyond the trade package.

Windhorst said on The Hoop Collective podcast that interested teams must weigh not only the cost in assets, but also the reality of a potential four year, $275 million extension that Giannis could sign beginning in 2027 28.

“I think most teams would say yes, but I’m not sure everybody would,” Windhorst said. “There’s one team I talked to who said they’re just not crazy about that contract with their other options.”

In other words, trading for Giannis requires full commitment. There is no half measure.

Draft Lottery

The NBA has locked in its key pre-draft dates.

The G League combine will run May 8-10, followed by the full NBA Draft Combine from May 10-17. The draft lottery is scheduled for Sunday, May 10, giving teams clarity on pick positioning before diving deeper into prospect evaluations.

The calendar is set. Now the league waits to see who fortune favors.