Philadelphia 76ers’ Offseason: Big Decisions Need to be Made
So close. The Philadelphia 76ers were so close to beating the New York Knicks last night and keeping their season alive. But, now the Philadelphia 76ers’ offseason has officially begun. It was such a valiant effort from the 76ers, and I’m proud to be a fan. But, now, the offseason is here, and the powers at be have big decisions to make.
Philadelphia 76ers’ Offseason
The most striking thing going into the Philadelphia 76ers’ offseason is the number of players who possibly won’t be returning to the fold. According to stats from the NBA, only three players are guaranteed to be under contract and with the team for the 2024-25 season. Those players are Joel Embiid, Paul Reed and Jeff Dowtin. Everyone else is a question mark. Tobias Harris, Kelly Oubre Jr., Kyle Lowry, Buddy Hield, Cameron Payne and Tyrese Maxey are all set to be free agents. So, Philly management has to figure out which players they want to keep.
Going into the Philadelphia 76ers’ offseason, the 76ers are estimated to have $58.4 million in practical cap space, according to the NBA. So, unless they really do some crazy spending during the offseason, they should be able to stay within their means. Also, starting this offseason, there’s a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA), which will limit what clubs over the second apron can do. Philadelphia currently has $110 million in space below the luxury tax.
Looking at the players who could become free agents, I don’t see the 76ers letting Maxey walk. He had an unbelievable game in Game 5 of the playoffs against the Knicks, and that’s not forgotten. Looking at the other players, many of them talked about their future with the 76ers after Thursday’s (May 2) loss. Payne said that he “absolutely” wants to stay with the Sixers. “I love Philly,” Payne said via NbcSportsPhiladelphia.com. “I think Philly loves me. I like the vibes so far. Everybody’s rocking with me here. I guess I kind of set a good tone here, made a good impression. Hopefully, I’ll be back.” Heild said, “I’m here now. Yeah, we didn’t get things done how we wanted, but I’d like to be in Philly again.” Most of the other players had similar sentiments.
Even though the game was a loss and jumpstarted the Philadelphia 76ers’ offseason, it was a win in spirit when it comes to the team’s management. That’s because 76ers’ ownership group purchased more than 2,000 tickets for Game 6 against the New York Knicks and gave them to first responders, health care professionals, community groups and other local organizations. Knicks fans overwhelmed the last 76ers home game, so this was a way to prevent that from happening again, but it was also a really nice way to give back. I love it. I personally thought it was in poor taste for Knicks guard and forward Josh Hart to say this game was a tougher environment “than last time because there was 2,500 seats that were taken up,” poking fun at the move. So, now, the Knicks will move on in the playoffs, and we wait for the Philadelphia 76ers’ offseason fun to begin.
Ranking The 5 Best NBA Uniforms Of The 90's
#5 Utah Jazz
This Jazz logo is back these days. However, the purple away threads with yellow Utah Jazz across the chest remains a very 1990’s look. The basketball embedded in the “J” brings the logo to new level. The home look was exactly the same , it just featured a white uniform. Jazz Legends that wore this include Karl Malone and John Stockton.
Photo: Otto Greule Jr. / Getty Images
#4 Orlando Magic
This was the original Magic look. The team’s first season was in 1989, and they wore the white pinstripe home, and black pinstripe aways until 1998. The team made it to their first Finals appearance, sporting this look in 1995. Magic legends who wore this include Shaquille O’Neal and Penny Hardaway.
Photo: All Sport / Getty Images
#3 Phoenix Suns
The Suns sported a similar design model to the Jazz with a prominent graphic wrapped around the chest. The Suns made the list for two reasons. First, this look was such an upgrade from the previous uniform design, which really bland. Second, it was synonymous with that infamous team that took the Chicago Bulls to six games in the 1993 Finals. Suns legends that wore this include Charles Barkley and Dan Majerle.
Photo: Jonathan Daniel /Allsport / Getty Images
#2 Seattle Supersonics
Oh wow. The green with the white Sonics ribbon and yellow numbers is as classic ’90s basketball as you can get. The green and yellow may also be the best color combination in NBA history. It just fit Seattle and even rock stars like Pearl Jam’s Jeff Ament wore these jerseys loud and proud. The Sonics should have never gone away from them in mid-’90s and Seattle should have never let the Sonics go. Supersonics legends who wore this include Shawn Kemp and Gary Payton.
Rick Stewart/Getty Images
#1 Charlotte Hornets
The teal and purple were just so out of the ordinary. When the Hornets came into the league in 1988 they immediately took the court marching to their own beat. They embraced the clip-art bumble bee. In contrast, both their home and away jersey only said “Charlotte” across the chest as opposed to “Hornets.” A more modern, upgraded look is what the team wears now. It slightly pays respect to their beyond entertaining teams of the ’90s. Hornets legends that wore this include Larry “Grandmama” Johnson and Alonzo Mourning.
Photo: Jonathan Daniel / Getty Images
