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  • Phillies Postseason Expectations and Predictions – Philadelphia Sports Nation

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    After a grueling 162-game season, the Philadelphia Phillies finished their season with a record of 96-66, good enough for the second-best record in all of Major League Baseball. They won the NL East with a 13-game lead over the New York Mets, a team that won’t be playing into October after a historic second-half collapse. The Phillies have the luxury of a first-round bye and will open the NLDS at home on October 4th against either the Los Angeles Dodgers or Cincinnati Reds. The best time of year is here; nothing beats October baseball.

    Playoff Expectations

    Win the whole thing.

    The end.

    All jokes aside, this team is more than capable of delivering a World Series title to Philadelphia. The loss of Zach Wheeler is massive, and not having him throughout this postseason run will sting. However, I trust Christopher Sanchez, Ranger Suarez, Jesus Luzardo, and even Aaron Nola enough to hopefully get us deep into the postseason.

    Looking at the pitching first, I would say this is the best overall staff the Phillies have had in recent years. Not only are the starters great, but the bullpen, with guys like Tanner Banks, Orion Kerkering, Matt Strahm, and Jhoan Duran, rounds out one of the best staffs in the postseason. The last few seasons, the Phillies have lacked solid bullpen arms, and this year is the complete opposite. I feel comfortable knowing Duran is pitching in the 9th if we have a 1-2 run lead late.

    As for the offense, that will be the biggest question mark. Last postseason, the bats disappeared. This year, that simply can’t happen. This team is way too talented offensively to go through a slump this time of year. Led by Kyle Schwarber, this Phillies offense should be able to put up runs. The Phillies’ ability to weather the storm with starting pitching to get into the opponent’s bullpen will be interesting to see. They chased too much out of the zone last year, and it eliminated easy walks and ways to get guys on base. If this lineup can stay consistent and play within itself, the team can put up 5-7 runs per game in the postseason.

    Getting Trea Turner will be massive for the top of the order, especially since with Bader moving back down, it will make the lineup longer in terms of depth. Harrison Bader has been the best trade deadline acquisition Dave Dombrowski has made in recent years. His play in CF will be an integral part of a potential Phillies World Series run. The Phillies have lacked a true centerfielder over the last few playoff runs, so hopefully, Bader will be another spark for this team.

    Postseason Predictions

    Right now, I can see the Dodgers beating the Reds easily in the Wild Card round to set up a NLDS matchup with the Phillies. While the Phillies will have home-field advantage, it’s a best-of-5 series for the NLDS. Truthfully, if the Phillies play their brand of baseball, I could see the Phillies taking the series 3-2

    Next, they would face the Brewers in the NLCS, who I’m predicting will go on to beat the Padres in the NLDS 3-1. A Milwaukee Brewers vs Philadelphia Phillies NLCS with the Phillies winning 4-2 in 6 games.

    I do believe this team is good enough to make a run through the National League and win the Pennant this year. The way the Phillies played in the second half makes me highly optimistic that this team will be able to make it to the World Series.

    As for who they will play, my two guesses are the New York Yankees or the Seattle Mariners, which I know could be a shock to some people. I think the Mariners have the offense and the pitching staff that could help spark a run for them. It would be exciting to see Seattle playing in a World Series. If the Yankees end up making it, then it’s time for us to get our revenge for what happened in 2009.

    My overall prediction is the Phillies win the World Series in 6 games, and we’ll have our second championship parade of the year on Broad Street in November!!

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    Matt Saglembeni

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  • Quentin Grimes’ agent sounds off on Sixers: ‘The ball has been in their court all summer long’

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    In a wide-ranging phone interview with PhillyVoice on Thursday evening, David Bauman, the agent for Sixers restricted free agent Quentin Grimes, claimed that Sixers President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey and the Sixers have never meaningfully engaged in any sort of talks to retain Grimes on a long-term contract, arguing that the organization is “playing with my client’s career.”

    After joining the Sixers at the trade deadline and blossoming from an off-ball role player into a dynamic three-level scorer, Grimes is still unsigned as of Saturday morning. Retaining the 25-year-old guard has been the Sixers’ clear priority since free agency opened on June 30; the team declined to re-sign Guerschon Yabusele for the taxpayer’s mid-level exception because an ensuing hard cap might have jeopardized its capacity to retain Grimes. For Grimes to remain unsigned as training camp gets set to begin has stunned many after a stellar breakout in the final two months of his fourth NBA season after being traded.

    Among the people surprised by what has transpired — or, perhaps, what has not transpired — is Bauman.

    “This is not Quentin being unreasonable,” Bauman said. “This is the Sixers just not negotiating with us in any way, shape or form.”

    Sixers Media Day came and went on Friday, and a whole lot was said. Sixteen players spoke in all, from former NBA MVP Joel Embiid to Exhibit 10 signee Emoni Bates. Sixers head coach Nick Nurse gave initial clues into what his rotations and schematic choices might be and Morey explained many of the offseason moves he did make. But what was perhaps more noteworthy than any person who spoke or any quote given to reporters in Camden, N.J., was the absence of the player expected to be the Sixers’ starting shooting guard in 2025-26.

    Grimes being separated from the organization is not expected to remain the case for more than another few days because of a looming deadline. But shortly after the Sixers’ nightmarish 24-58 campaign came to a close, Morey volunteered a statement about his excitement to bring Grimes back and incorporate him within a healthier version of the Sixers. One of the Sixers’ lone organizational victories in 2024-25 was trading Caleb Martin and a 2030 second-round pick to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Grimes and their own 2025 second-rounder, which ended up being the No. 35 overall pick in June.

    Bauman and Sixers sources have both described a massive gap when it comes to how much money Grimes should be earning in any hypothetical multiyear deal. And the clock is very much ticking ahead of Oct. 1, when Grimes must decide whether or not to accept the one-year qualifying offer worth $8.7 million.

    That deal — which the Sixers had to issue to Grimes in order to make him a restricted free agent and have the right to match any offer sheet he signs with another team — would be considerably less rich than the kind of deal Grimes had hoped to ink in his first foray into NBA free agency. However, it would give him ultimate control: taking the qualifying offer would give Grimes the right to veto any trade for the entire 2025-26 season and the ability to become an unrestricted free agent next summer.

    Bauman confirmed to PhillyVoice that he proposed extending the deadline for Grimes to pick up the qualifying offer to Oct. 8, giving the sides another week to find common ground, as The Athletic reported earlier this week. A Sixers source said on Friday that the team will decline that request, which it sees as one-sided.

    Another point of contention: did the Sixers make a four-year, $39 million offer to Grimes on Monday? Bauman first told The Philadelphia Inquirer on Thursday afternoon that the team had presented the offer to Grimes, which the Sixers immediately refuted. At first, a semantics debate ensued about formal offers versus informal offers. A Sixers source claims the team’s numbers-centric discussions with Grimes have only revolved around potential ranges based on different contract lengths and structures. Bauman has continually affirmed to reporters that the $39 million offer was made, while the Sixers have strenuously denied it.

    Sixers sources have grown increasingly adamant over the last two days: not only did the team never make that $39 million offer, but it was never broached in any capacity — formal or informal, direct or indirect. Speaking to PhillyVoice, Bauman gave a detailed account of a conversation he says took place between himself and Morey on Monday. Grimes’ agent maintains that this discussion led to those figures being introduced. In Bauman’s description, Morey told him to implement the exact qualifying offer figure of just over $8.7 million as a starting salary, go out four years with maximum annual raises of eight percent, and to then “do the math.” The math does add up to four years and about $39 million.

    “There’s no other conclusion,” Bauman said, “other than they wanted him to take the qualifying offer.”

    That is not how the Sixers have characterized their outlook of the situation, though they are not discussing the qualifying offer as the sort of worst-case scenario that it is largely perceived as publicly. They still assert that their preferred outcome in all of this is coming to terms with Grimes on a long-term pact, but have not expressed any hope that it is a realistic goal. Bauman places the blame for that on the team.

    “The ball is in their court,” Bauman said. “The ball has been in their court all summer long, and they haven’t attempted in any way to be serious.”

    One Sixers concern is that, with a cap sheet already bloated because of questionable contracts handed to Joel Embiid and Paul George last summer, a multiyear deal with Grimes aging poorly would put the team in too dangerous of a position financially. The Sixers do not seem confident that Grimes would agree to any long-term deal that they consider to be safely cost-effective.

    As of Thursday, Bauman was just as pessimistic about coming to terms on a multiyear contract; as of his discussion with PhillyVoice, he was instead focused on making proposals of alternate one-year “balloon” deals.

    Bauman’s balloon idea: the Sixers paying Grimes more than he would make on the qualifying offer and, in return, Grimes waiving his right to veto a trade. Grimes would recoup some value and remain on course for unrestricted free agency, while the Sixers would ensure they can move Grimes if the right trade offer presents itself. But a source said that, as of this writing, the Sixers have registered very little appetite for such a deal. Both sides of the negotiation have described another massive gap, this one in the case of how much additional money the Sixers should have to give Grimes to buy out his veto power.

    “The only thing we have in front of us is the qualifying offer and a very, very, very small delta to buy out the no-trade clause from them, which we’re not going to do,” Bauman said. “Our counter is a much larger balloon number that still [keeps the Sixers] below the second apron. And we’ll see how it goes. Otherwise, Quentin is coming to terms and coming to peace with the fact that he’ll be back in Philly on a one-year deal at the qualifying offer.”

    The Sixers’ justification for their lack of interest in such a contractual framework: the team insists its intent is not merely to sign Grimes to facilitate an eventual trade. They do not see a reason to pay him significantly more money than he would get on the qualifying offer for the sake of having an easier time dealing him. Right now, the Sixers seem willing to add a very small amount of money to the $8.7 million if Grimes waives his no-trade clause; Bauman confirmed he is looking for a much more substantial bump.

    If Grimes is ultimately traded during the season, his upcoming salary is of the utmost importance to Bauman. A team that trades for Grimes would not inherit the Full Bird rights currently possessed by the Sixers. They would be able to offer Grimes a deal for 2026-27 starting at up to 120 percent of his salary in the 2025-26 season. Grimes’ chances of cashing in with a team that trades for him will be substantially higher if the Sixers provide him with an inflated salary. Even if Grimes approved a trade on the qualifying offer, the team inheriting non-Bird rights on him would have no ability to pay Grimes at the price point he continues to covet unless it has cap space.

    The balloon idea would be a consolation prize at best for Grimes. So, then, what is the ideal outcome on that side of a negotiation which has suddenly turned tense? According to Bauman, a sign-and-trade is atop the list because it could enable Grimes to lock in long-term financial security immediately — assuming a deal came to fruition. But that does not mean it is the only option that would satisfy Grimes.

    “[A sign-and-trade] would be the best. But at the same time, if the Sixers gave him the correct one-year balloon payment, I think that would show at least on a one-year basis, we’re valuing at a high level, and we think you’re going to be important for us,” Bauman said. “We may trade you, but we may not. And if we don’t, we could [sign you with Bird rights] next summer if things work out. But right now, Quentin feels a lot of disrespect coming from Daryl and the Sixers.”

    The Sixers, a source said, are aware that if Grimes returns to the organization in the near future they could have work to do in terms of making him feel valued and appreciated. Talks are already ongoing between high-ranking figures within the organization about how to best go about doing that. But the Sixers fully expect Grimes to rejoin the organization somehow in the coming days.

    Publicly and privately, Sixers officials have been insistent that the team views Grimes as a high-end young player with a chance to be a critical component of very good teams moving forward. “He’s done everything right,” one team official said about the current standoff, emphatically suggesting that no member of the front office, coaching staff or roster holds any ill will toward Grimes.

    In Bauman’s view, the Sixers’ public comments about their desire to keep Grimes are incompatible with their approach to negotiations over the last few months.

    “There’s the statements that are being made,” Bauman said, “and then there’s the reality.”

    Follow Adam on Twitter: @SixersAdam

    Follow PhillyVoice on Twitter: @thephillyvoice

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    Adam Aaronson

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  • Report: Sixers promoting Mike Longabardi to assistant coach

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    The Sixers are promoting Delaware Blue Coats head coach Mike Longabardi, giving the 52-year-old an assistant role on head coach Nick Nurse’s staff, according to a report from Michael Scotto of HoopsHype:

    Longabardi had worked for the Houston Rockets, Boston Celtics, Phoenix Suns, Cleveland Cavaliers, Washington Wizards, Sacramento Kings and Atlanta Hawks before joining the Sixers organization in 2023. He spent two years coaching the Blue Coats, and now will head north on I-95 to rejoin the NBA ranks.

    Follow Adam on Twitter: @SixersAdam
    Follow PhillyVoice on Twitter: @thephillyvoice

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    Adam Aaronson

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  • Sixers sign Emoni Bates, Kennedy Chandler, Malcolm Hill and Jaylen Martin to Exhibit 10 contracts

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    The Sixers announced on Monday night that the team has agreed to contracts with Emoni Bates, Kennedy Chandler, Malcolm Hill and Jaylen Martin. All of the deals are Exhibit 10 contracts, which enable players to spend training camp and preseason with a team and then receive a signing bonus for reporting to their G League affiliate after being waived.

    All four players have NBA experience, and they should all be expected to join the Delaware Blue Coats for the upcoming season.

    Martin, 21, already has played with the Blue Coats, spending a few weeks with the team last January before signing a two-way contract with the Washington Wizards. Martin played in 16 NBA games last year with the Brooklyn Nets and Wizards.

    Hill, 29, is a sturdy wing with 24 games of NBA experience in 2021-22 and 2022-23. He has not played in the NBA since, but has spent time in the G League, most recently with the Birmingham Squadron.

    Chandler, a 23-year-old point guard, is the one of two players signed on Monday that was drafted in the NBA. He was the No. 38 overall pick back in 2022, played in 36 games for the Memphis Grizzlies as a rookie and was promptly waived. Chandler was a highly-touted recruit coming out of high school and went to Tennessee.

    The most recognizable name of the bunch belongs to Bates, whose infamous slide from high school phenom to relative afterthought as a second-round pick has been well-documented. Bates, 21, spent the last two seasons on two-way contracts with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Bates is 6-foot-10 but very slight; his three-point volume is enormous.

    It would be difficult to imagine the Sixers parting ways with any of Jabari Walker, Dominick Barlow or Hunter Sallis, but it should be noted that players on Exhibit 10 deals can be moved into two-way slots if they are eligible.

    Follow Adam on Twitter: @SixersAdam
    Follow PhillyVoice on Twitter: @thephillyvoice

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    Adam Aaronson

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  • Essential Info as Philadelphia Sports Heads Into Fall – Philadelphia Sports Nation

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    This blog contains links from which we may earn a commission.Credit: Mick Kirchman/Unsplash

    There is still time before this becomes the most significant story involving the Philadelphia Eagles, but if the NFL has taught us anything, it is this.

    Time goes, and nothing endures forever.

    Consider Jalen Carter. His rookie contract is about to reach its third year. Although Philadelphia may exercise the fifth-year option that is built into his contract, it won’t be long before it’s time to back up the Brinks truck. Milton Williams usually occupied the third or fourth spot on the depth chart as a defensive tackle during his four seasons in Philadelphia. 

    Raising awareness of the Every Kid Sports Pass and promoting youth sports participation in Philadelphia and the surrounding areas are the goals of the cooperation. The NFL’s Eagles are the second team to formally declare their support for Every Kid Sports.

    With its major league teams—the Philadelphia Eagles (NFL), Phillies (MLB), 76ers (NBA), and Flyers (NHL)—and other professional teams in rugby, lacrosse, soccer, and ultimate disc, Philadelphia has a fervent sports culture.

    The city has a strong history of winning championships in all of its main sports, a passionate and informed fan base, and renowned tailgating customs.

    Sports-Related Injuries

    Sports-related injuries are rather prevalent. Indeed, we are confident that the Philadelphia Eagles and their supporters have a large number of personal injury attorneys on hand in case they are needed. For instance, statistics from local law companies indicate that a sizable portion of the state’s population has the phone numbers of several lawyers or law firms on their phones.

    Remember to consult a Wunderdog Sports Picks LLC attorney if you find yourself in difficulty! Finding the top personal injury attorney in Philadelphia may be a challenging task, but it is not impossible with a little investigation. To give you the greatest chance in court, we at Philadelphia Injury Lawyers consider every little detail.

    The Eagles Cannot Afford to Lose a Quick Advantage

    We sincerely apologize if these kinds of talks cause you needless worry. Encourage yourself. When it comes to these kinds of organizational decisions, the Eagles excel. You can be confident that Howie Roseman will solve this problem. Indeed, that raises another theory. Philadelphia is well-positioned for success in the near future, as many of its young players are on rookie contracts and deals that are relatively inexpensive by NFL standards. They have the least expensive defense in the NFL.

    Partnership

    In an effort to expand access to young sports, the Philadelphia Eagles are happy to announce their partnership with Every Kid Sports (EKS), a nationwide nonprofit organization with 501(c)(3) status. A $10,000 initial community contribution and a pledge to cover the sports registration fees for 500 young people in the Greater Philadelphia Area are part of the activation relationship. Through grants from Every Kid Sports’ flagship program, Every Kid Sports Pass, the funds will assist in paying registration fees for families with limited incomes.

    The partnership’s goals are to promote kids’ sports participation in Philadelphia and the surrounding areas and raise awareness of the Every Kid Sports Pass. The NFL’s second professional football team to formally collaborate with Every Kid Sports is the Eagles.

    The Football Culture of Philadelphia

    Fans in Philadelphia are renowned for being fervent, intense, and incredibly devoted. Whether it’s playing fantasy football, betting on their team, or tailgating before the game, many people in the city love the extra activities that come with football.

    These events further heightened the city’s passion for football, and when legislation permitting greater sports betting in Pennsylvania was eventually passed, supporters had even more options, at least in terms of betting. Philadelphia’s first sportsbooks opened their doors in 2018. Apart from the ease of use, the absence of physical bookmakers in the city may also contribute to the popularity of online casinos among Philadelphia gamblers.

    2026: Philadelphia’s Biggest Year for Sports

    PHOTO: Mick Kirchman/Unsplash

    2026, when the USA celebrates its 250th anniversary, is expected to be a historic year for Philadelphia sports. The city will host six FIFA World Cup 2026 matches at Lincoln Financial Field after being selected as one of the host cities. Five group stage matches and one round of 16 match—which will take place on July 4—are on the schedule. At the FIFA Fan Festival, which takes place at Lemon Hill in Fairmount Park, fans from all around the world may watch every World Cup match.

    Symbolism in Culture

    The sports clubs in Philadelphia have become potent representations of the city’s tenacity and unwavering spirit. Famous sporting events, like the Flyers‘ historic wins or the Philadelphia 76ers‘ championship victories, are ingrained in the city’s culture and serve as enduring symbols of pride and tenacity. The teams’ colors and logos have influenced many aspects of Philadelphia’s aesthetic environment and have come to represent the city’s character.

    In addition, Philadelphia’s sports teams’ stories of success and hardship echo the city’s own path, showing its capacity to overcome obstacles and come out stronger. These stories strike a deep chord with Philadelphians, strengthening a sense of pride and resilience that goes well beyond sports.

    Professional Teams & Collegiate Sports

    The Philadelphia Wings are a National Lacrosse League team that plays at the Wells Fargo Center. On its campus in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, Villanova sports also hosts games at Finneran Pavilion and Wells Fargo Center. Philadelphia is also home to Temple University, whose free football predictions at Lincoln Financial Field. Philadelphia is also home to the University of Pennsylvania, whose sports teams play in The Palestra.

    For many years, the Philadelphia Big 5 schools—Saint Joseph’s, Penn, La Salle, Temple, and Villanova—have been vying for the city’s unofficial sports championship.

    Honoring Philadelphia Sports’ Tenacity and Glory

    These kinds of moments define Philadelphia sports. times when players step up to the plate and give performances that will live on in the memories of future generations.

    From Graham’s revolutionary strip-sack to Hamel’s supremacy, these performances have influenced the city’s fervent sports culture.

    Conclusion

    Philadelphia football has been a journey filled with victories, disappointments, and unrelenting commitment.

    Generations of supporters grew up yearning for success to return to the city, and decades went by. Philadelphians’ enduring devotion to their team has never faltered, even in hard times.

    With two Super Bowl victories in the past ten years, fans have never had it so good, and the festivities have hardly subsided since.

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    PHLSportsNation

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  • Philadelphia Game Day Reinvented by Sports Betting Partnerships – Philadelphia Sports Nation

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    This blog contains links from which we may earn a commission.Credit: Pixabay

    A Sunday in South Philly feels different from how it did ten years ago.

    The concourses hum, screens glow with more than scores, and the rhythm of a game stops and starts around live updates and quick decisions.

    At Lincoln Financial Field, roughly 67,000 people stream past branded lounges and data walls, getting a little closer to the teams they already know by heart. Partnerships between Philadelphia teams and betting operators have nudged the experience from watching to something closer to participating.

    In 2023, more than 11 legal sportsbooks were active in Pennsylvania, which opened the door to new forms of fan engagement. Attendance hasn’t cratered despite cushy couches and huge TVs at home, which says something.

    Betting tie-ins are visible from the gates to the phones in your pocket, shaping how Philly does game day in ways that might have seemed unlikely a few years ago.

    Partnerships Reshaping the Playbook

    Every major team in the city has leaned into collaboration, and not just with logos on signs. The upgrades are physical and digital at once: lounges, VIP areas, and in-seat experiences that feel engineered for the moment. Fans encounter promotions and digital content directly tied to sports betting, both in-venue and through official team apps. Under the hood, the tech is equal parts broadcast and backend, with live odds, real-time stats, and QR codes built for instant offers.

    In 2024, the Eagles added exclusive clubs with on-field views and branded hospitality, which is a fancy way of saying access that used to be rare is a little less rare. The 76ers, Flyers, Phillies, and Union have moved in similar directions, taking advantage of Pennsylvania’s relatively open landscape to strike deals that go beyond signage. It is less about ads and more about threading partnerships into the fabric of a night at the game.

    Inside the Venue, Tech, Timing, and Tension

    PHOTO: Pixabay

    Teams and operators treat the arena as a kind of digital sandbox now. In branded spaces, screens tied to official league data serve up changing odds and player lines alongside highlight loops. Fans can scan a QR code for a timed offer or find it waiting inside the team app. It hardly feels like an add-on anymore; it is part of the shared pulse. Philadelphia’s model leans on data that moves as quickly as the game, which may be why it sticks. In 2023, surveys suggested thousands of attendees used live features during play, and the building reacted to each swing or possession with a little extra spark. Between innings or whistles, those micro-moments matter. The approach keeps evolving as tech improves and expectations shift toward experiences that start on the phone and spill into the seat.

    Beyond the Walls, Brands Follow the Fan

    The influence doesn’t stop at the turnstiles. Broadcasts bring the same offers and overlays into living rooms, while team events like draft parties and watch-alongs layer in live stats, contests, and small digital rewards. The most visible changes show up on social feeds and inside mobile hubs that feel more like media networks than team apps.

    By 2025, most Philadelphia clubs had made betting-adjacent content a central part of their digital programming.

    Teams report higher participation, with some promotions shared and clicked at rates up to 30 percent above previous seasons. Exposure grows, sure, but the bigger story may be the sense of connection for fans in the building and at home. For front offices, the upside is new sponsorship revenue and a chance to keep pace in a crowded entertainment race.

    What the Market Says, and What Might Be Next

    Pennsylvania is a busy marketplace, with more than a dozen licensed platforms competing for attention. That competition gives teams leverage and room to experiment. Regulatory summaries from 2024 indicate that over 40 percent of in-stadium promotions tie back to team partnerships, which tracks with what fans actually see across sports. Whether you back baseball, football, hockey, basketball, or soccer, the cross-team consistency is hard to miss.

    Other markets are watching, sometimes adopting pieces of the model, sometimes waiting to see if the returns hold. Expect more personalized data, tighter integrations, and live features that feel almost bespoke to a section or even a seat. It looks like Philadelphia has set a bar others are still trying to reach, though, to be fair, that bar keeps moving as the tech and the audience do.

    One more thing that should not get lost in the buzz. Set limits and treat the experience with care. Legal betting can add a jolt of excitement, but there are real risks if boundaries slide. Teams and leagues promote responsible gambling through age checks, help resources, and budgeting tools that actually work if you use them.

    Know your limits, pause when you need to, and if it stops being fun or feels out of control, get support right away.

    The game will still be there.

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    PHLSportsNation

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  • Sixers player preview: Does Eric Gordon have a path to helping this team?

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    Welcome to our Sixers player preview series, where in the weeks leading up to Media Day we will preview the upcoming 2025-26 season for each and every member of the Sixers’ standard roster. For each player, we will pose two key questions about their season before making a prediction.

    The pressure is on after a miserable 24-58 campaign last season. After entering a year with championship aspirations and spending multiple months having to tank for the sake of a protected first-round pick, the Sixers have lost any and all benefit of the doubt that their signature season is finally coming.

    It is safe to say there is a whole lot of work to do on the Sixers’ end to prove the doubters wrong. Do they have a roster good enough to make it happen?

    Up next: Eric Gordon, one of the most accomplished three-point shooters in NBA history. Gordon came to Philadelphia last season in hopes of finally capturing a championship. But as the availability of the team’s stars continued to dwindle, Gordon struggled. Gordon turned 36 years old on Christmas Day, and his advanced age was showing itself. The team decided to bring him back to secure not just his three-point shooting, but mentorship for No. 3 overall pick VJ Edgecombe, one of Gordon’s teammates with Team Bahamas. Will Gordon, back on a veteran’s minimum contract, find a way to help this team win?

    SIXERS PLAYER PREVIEWS

    Jared McCain | Justin Edwards | VJ Edgecombe | Kyle Lowry | Kelly Oubre Jr.

    Johni Broome | Adem Bona | Andre Drummond | Trendon Watford | Eric Gordon

    Can Gordon hold his three-point accuracy consistently?

    Based on how Sixers fans feel about Gordon being back – and how they felt about him when a wrist injury ended his season in February – it is almost unfathomable that he actually shot 40.9 percent from beyond the arc with the team on significant volume (8.8 three-point attempts per 100 possessions). But Gordon did indeed, in the aggregate, post elite shooting numbers last season.

    Why is there such a disconnect between Gordon’s numbers and how Sixers fans felt about him then? The key factor driving it: Gordon had an unspeakably good month of January, when he went from out of the rotation to into the starting lineup because he could not miss from long range. It propped up his brutal struggles before and after:

    Month Games Played 3PA/G 3P%
    October 4 3.3 23.1
    November 12 2.4 24.1
    December 3 3.0 44.4%
    January 17 4.6 52.6%
    February 3 2.7 12.5

    The question is not whether Gordon is going to be the player who made over half of his threes in January or the one who made fewer than a quarter of them across October and November. The answer to that question, of course, would be neither. He is a far better shooter than what he showed early on, but not good enough to sustain the volume and accuracy he posted during an absurd midseason stretch.

    Gordon working his way into a regular rotation role will be a major uphill battle; the Sixers have Tyrese Maxey, Jared McCain and Edgecombe all on roster with Quentin Grimes still expected to join them eventually. If he can pull it off, Gordon will need to be a stable presence spacing the floor.

    Gordon knocking down over 40 percent of his long-range tries would be a great outcome; doing so with the sort of dispersion of makes he had last year would seriously jeopardize his ability to hold down a steady role.

    MORE: Does Gordon have any good seasons left?

    Will Gordon have value to contenders late in the season?

    Before even evaluating Gordon’s own abilities, it is clearly difficult to project him being a rotation piece for this team. And the veteran sharpshooter is a whole lot closer to the end of his career than he is the beginning of it. Gordon has made tons of money in the NBA and is clearly a minimum player at this point. The one thing he does not have is a ring.

    All of that begs the question: if the Sixers do not look like a true championship contender in February, what will Gordon’s fate be?

    Could he request a buyout to join a team of his preference? The Sixers could try to trade Gordon, but if he is not playing will there be any team even willing to trade a second-round pick for him? Being on a minimum salary makes it easy to conceive, but Gordon must demonstrate that he can still occupy some sort of role for a team trying to win at the highest of levels.

    Generally speaking, teams are typically willing to bet on veteran players helping them when they have experience and are easy to slot into star-laden lineups. Gordon fits both of those descriptors quite well. Reputation alone, however, will not convince a contending team to pursue him. In 2025-26, Gordon must prove not just to the Sixers, but to the rest of the NBA as well, that he is still capable of playing meaningful minutes.

    MORE: Why should anyone care about the Sixers?

    Prediction

    Gordon plays well enough to justify a minimum contract, but fails to emerge as a rotation regular with the Sixers. He finishes the season with another team after either a trade or buyout.

    Gordon’s significant limitations in terms of athleticism and size are extremely evident these days, and it is difficult to envision him ever having an ironclad rotation case in the NBA again given his dwindling defensive utility and lack of usable ball skills. But Gordon can still fire away from not just beyond the arc, but well beyond the arc. He is one of the most proficient long-range snipers in league history. That means something.

    So, the guess here is that Gordon still looks the part of an NBA player in 2025-26, despite his 37th birthday coming up. However, he profiles as a situational chess piece at best moving forward, not someone any team should rely on. On a minimum contract, that is an asset, especially given how many teams begin to covet shooting and playoff experience when they solidify themselves as contenders. Gordon could stand to gain an opportunity from that dynamic as his NBA career draws closer to its conclusion.

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  • Sixers player preview: Is Trendon Watford going to be another valuable veteran’s minimum signing?

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    Welcome to our Sixers player preview series, where in the weeks leading up to Media Day we will preview the upcoming 2025-26 season for each and every member of the Sixers’ standard roster. For each player, we will pose two key questions about their season before making a prediction.

    The pressure is on after a miserable 24-58 campaign last season. After entering a year with championship aspirations and spending multiple months having to tank for the sake of a protected first-round pick, the Sixers have lost any and all benefit of the doubt that their signature season is finally coming.

    It is safe to say there is a whole lot of work to do on the Sixers’ end to prove the doubters wrong. Do they have a roster good enough to make it happen?

    Up next: Trendon Watford, the team’s lone external addition to its standard roster via free agency this summer. A close friend of Tyrese Maxey, the 6-foot-9, 240-pound Watford possesses unique ball-handling and passing skills at power forward, giving him an opportunity to fill a new role within Sixers head coach Nick Nurse’s offense. How high is the ceiling for the 24-year-old forward signed to a two-year deal worth the veteran’s minimum salary?

    SIXERS PLAYER PREVIEWS

    Jared McCain | Justin Edwards | VJ Edgecombe | Kyle Lowry | Kelly Oubre Jr. | Johni Broome | Adem Bona | Andre Drummond | Trendon Watford

    Can Watford form a dynamic two-man game with his close friend?

    Around this time last year, this question was being asked about another one of Maxey’s close friends: KJ Martin. Martin and Maxey had grown close off the floor, and entering last season Maxey announced his intention to create a lethal two-man game with the athletic forward. He went as far as to say he wanted to create a similar dynamic that James Harden and P.J. Tucker had.

    Now, it would be wise to expect that Maxey and Watford are eager to accentuate each other’s strengths on the court. Watford joked over the summer that he has only ever gotten to play against his friend. Now they can see what it looks like when both players are in the same uniform. Watford’s potential two-man game with Maxey will look different than Martin’s did – Martin is a far superior athlete, but not nearly as good of a passer – but as they try to form a reliable combination, there can be some examples drawn from the brief success Maxey and Martin had together

    Watford is a suspect three-point shooter (more on this later). If he plays himself into a critical role at power forward and Joel Embiid is available, Watford will often be the Sixers’ worst shooter on the floor. Defenses will leave him open a lot. The same was true for Martin, who found ways to leverage that for the benefit of others:

    While Martin utilized impressive short-roll passing chops and strong instincts during his time with the Sixers, Watford has a complete ball-handling repertoire. He is a true point forward who is going to initiate plenty of offense for the Sixers whenever he is on the floor.

    Being able to weaponize Maxey – and Jared McCain, for that matter – as off-ball scoring threats will go a long way for the Sixers on the offensive end of the floor. Those players can fly around screens and wait for Watford to find them, or they can curl around Watford for dribble hand-off actions like this one: 

    Maxey will not be the lone beneficiary of Watford’s unique skills, but he certainly figures to be the player Watford shares the floor with more than any other. The pairing has preexisting chemistry that could do it a whole lot of good.   

    MORE: Watford explains connection with Maxey, unique skills, more

    What will Watford provide offensively when he does not have the ball?

    Watford is clearly a gifted ball-handler at his size, and his full package of passing talents will provide value to this offense. But in order to really stick as a critical component of the rotation, he cannot be a liability away from the ball.

    In general, Watford has made enough of his open three-point attempts to avoid that status. But he has not made enough of those shots for anyone to feel good about his accuracy, and in his four-year NBA career Watford’s three-point volume has often been limited by his slow release:

    At the peak of Martin’s time with the Sixers, he had grown comfortable knocking down corner triples. It helped define his offensive role for many possessions within a game. Can Watford become similarly useful in that spot? He does not have tons of experience there in his career, but it should be the easiest region of the floor for him to find success spotting up:

    For any role player on a team full of ball-dominant, high-usage players, the ability to make catch-and-shoot three-pointers is just going to be crucial no matter what. There is no doubt that Watford’s significant ball skills give him greater margin for error as a three-point shooter, but in order to play important minutes in extremely competitive games he is going to have to prove capable of making defenses pay for ignoring him.

    MORE: Trendon Watford full film study

    Prediction

    Watford does not profile as a long-term starter with the Sixers, but he plays well enough to establish himself as a helpful rotation piece. As a result, the Sixers pick up his $2.8 million team option for the 2026-27 season with zero hesitation. 

    Watford very well could get a healthy number of starts at the four in 2025-26, but that’s much more of a reflection on the team’s lack of a firm option at the position than Watford’s own ability. And while the guess here is that Watford proves to be a keeper in Philadelphia thanks to his outstanding ball-handling and passing skill at his size, it is likely not wise to bank on Watford being the team’s long-term solution at power forward.

    To be clear: That is completely fine. If Watford ends up good enough to be at the back end of a rotation, the Sixers’ commitment to him will have paid off in spades. Finding a player even occasionally viable of logging rotation minutes on a two-year minimum deal – Watford’s deal also contains a team option for the second season, ensuring the Sixers will not lose him after one year like they did Guerschon Yabusele – is a massive win every single time.

    Sixers President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey takes a whole lot of criticism these days; plenty of it is earned. But his track record of success with minimum signings since arriving in Philadelphia is outstanding, and given the makeup of their cap sheet the Sixers must continue hitting on players like they did with Yabusele at the bottom of the market in free agency. Will Watford be their latest diamond in the rough?

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  • Sixers player preview: Is Adem Bona ready for the stakes to be raised?

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    Welcome to our Sixers player preview series, where in the weeks leading up to Media Day we will preview the upcoming 2025-26 season for each and every member of the Sixers’ standard roster. For each player, we will pose two key questions about their season before making a prediction.

    The pressure is on after a miserable 24-58 campaign last season. After entering a year with championship aspirations and spending multiple months having to tank for the sake of a protected first-round pick, the Sixers have lost any and all benefit of the doubt that their signature season is finally coming.

    It is safe to say there is a whole lot of work to do on the Sixers’ end to prove the doubters wrong. Do they have a roster good enough to make it happen?

    Up next: Adem Bona, the No. 41 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft whose rookie season included many tantalizing indications of upside. One of the silver linings of the Sixers’ miserable 2024-25 season was their ability to give extended run to youngsters in need of development; Bona was one of the most significant beneficiaries of that. Does he have enough experience to be a quality backup center in the NBA next season?

    SIXERS PLAYER PREVIEWS

    Jared McCain | Justin Edwards | VJ Edgecombe | Kyle Lowry | Kelly Oubre Jr. | Johni Broome | Adem Bona

    How much can Bona cut down on his fouling? 

    Bona has a motor that never stops, a combination of size and leaping ability that is nearly unparalleled, tremendous length and a clear desire to swat shots. It is a makeup which helped him be one of the best shot-blockers in the NBA right away. Only two players topped Bona’s 2.7 blocks per 36 minutes last season, and he is able to get to shots a lot of rim protectors cannot.

    Bona’s shot-blocking aggressiveness, however, has come at a price. It was inevitable that he would post gargantuan foul rates as a rookie, and early on in his season he did just that. To some, it was not much of a concern: Bona was not primed for big minutes anyways, so fouling out was not worth worrying about.

    It matters quite a bit, though. Bona’s role expanded as the year went on because of injuries to Joel Embiid and Andre Drummond. And even if fouling out was not a risk, it never helps to have a player constantly inciting whistles.

    As Bona started getting more frequent rotation cameos in early 2025, he was very early in the process of learning how to defend against NBA speed and physicality without fouling. For two months, Bona really struggled. But it was clear as time went on that he was finding ways to play with at least a bit of discipline.

    By the time March arrived, Bona’s workload had grown. He missed a week with a foot injury, but returned and was suddenly starting and playing heavy minutes. That continued into April as the season ended. Bona’s foul rates were still high, but he made substantial progress in the final months of the season:

    Month(s) Bona games played Bona minutes per game Bona fouls per game Bona fouls per 36 minutes
    January + February 24 14.3 2.5 6.2
    March 11 21.8 1.9 3.1
    April 7 31.6 3.6 4.1

    Moving forward, Bona is the favorite to be Embiid’s primary backup center. Given how often Embiid has missed time in his career, Bona being able to play upwards of 30 minutes on any given night will be crucial. In order to do that, he must stay out of foul trouble.

    Will Bona have offensive utility beyond screening and dunking?

    Bona is a non-shooter, though he was pleased with his accuracy on free throws for much of the season before a poor finish to the year on that front. Bona’s offensive production was largely limited to finishing plays – either serving as a lob threat or receiving dump-off passes under the rim.

    But the Sixers have, in recent years, focused on developing their bigs as short-roll passers. Bona is no exception, and his physical and athletic tools make him the prototypical screen-setting big. That means, on a team with plenty of ball-handlers capable of commanding double-teams, he will need to be a reliable decision-maker in 4-on-3 situations:

    “One of our daily habits that we work on is playing out of double-teams,” Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said in March. “Because it affects both Joel and Tyrese so much that we almost start every day working on Tyrese getting blitzed, Paul George getting blitzed, Joel getting blitzed. And the first two, usually the play has to run through the big after the first [pass] – or second pass for sure, normally the first. And then they’ve got to make them pay. It’s 4-on-3, you know, we usually want a super high-percentage attempt at the rim or a catch-and-shoot three out of those situations.”

    MORE: Why Sixers spent 2024-25 teaching their bigs to pass

    Nurse went out of his way to praise Bona for his improvement in that area on multiple occasions in the final months of the season. To his credit, Bona understands how that skill can make him especially valuable to this team moving forward.

    “I think that will be a really big part of my game, because playing with Tyrese, he’s probably going to get blitzed a lot. So being able to make decisions off the blitz, I think that’s going to help me and also help the team,” Bona told PhillyVoice in March. “I’ve kind of seen a similar situation when I was in college, I was getting double-teamed a lot so I had to pass out of double-teams. So I think that helped me translate it into making plays out of the blitzes, so I’ve just got to keep developing and that’s going to really help me develop my game. And to be able to share the floor with better shooters, I can find them for wide-open shots.”

    Prediction

    Bona’s lofty fouling rates remain an issue as his role expands, but he proves to clearly be the Sixers’ best option at center when Embiid is off the floor. He remains on an impressive trajectory for a player drafted in the middle of the second round.

    Bona is never going to have a pristine foul rate. He should not aim for one. To get, one must give; Bona will not be able to become one of the league’s most terrific shot-blockers if he is afraid to have a whistle blown on him. Of course, a balance must be struck so aggression does not turn into recklessness.

    Bona’s jumpy nature works against him at times. But it was clear from Bona’s rookie season that reps go a long way for him. He got much better on the fly, noticeably more disciplined and attentive. It bodes well for his future, even if he never becomes an Earth-shattering rim protector.

    To no fault of his own, Bona’s rookie season was nightmarish for the Sixers. But all of the chaos and injuries gave him an opportunity. He is much better – and more confident – because of it.

    “We’d be talking about him as like, ‘Hey, can Adem contribute this year?’ in a normal year. In a normal year, he probably doesn’t play last year, and it was just one of the positives of last year,” Sixers President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey said in July. “We didn’t have a lot of positives, but one of the positives was Adem and Justin [Edwards] and Jared [McCain] and all these guys got pretty significant minutes they normally wouldn’t have gotten. And I think Adem, especially at the end of the year, got the confidence of Nick and his staff.”

    MORE: Bona plans to be patient, know his role… and scream as loud as he can

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  • Why Philadelphia Sports Communities Create Lasting Connections – Philadelphia Sports Nation

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    This blog contains links from which we may earn a commission.Credit: Unsplash

    All around the world, people are creating communities around their favorite sports, an occurrence that is very evident in Philadelphia.

    From the Eagles to the 76ers, the city has no shortage of teams that inspire loyalty among fans. With this, it’s not unusual to see fans coming together, whether online or offline.

    But outside of simply supporting these teams, many community members find a source of companionship and camaraderie. In this article, we’ll touch on the various ways that sports communities build lasting connections and how you can use them to your own advantage.

    Sports-Related Activities

    There are so many ways to go about enjoying sports, and being part of a community of other fans means you do this with like-minded people. As such, many people turn to sports communities so that they can enjoy their favorite sports and their associated activities with others. For example, many sports fans love to place wagers on the outcome of various games. In fact, in the age of the internet, this is more popular than ever before. Turning to online platforms means more privacy and greater ease of placing wagers, which is why no verification betting options for players are very high in demand.

    By joining communities, players can place wagers alongside their fellow community members, discuss odds, and celebrate wins. This also applies to things like watching games as a group, discussing their favorite players, and much more.

    Exploring Group Identity

    For many sports fans, the teams and games they support are not just a form of entertainment but a part of their identity. Some fans will support a single team throughout their entire life and may even pass this support to the next generation. As such, there is a great emotional high of connecting with people who are equally as passionate about certain teams. If news breaks regarding the teams, such as players being traded or new management coming on board, it can be discouraging to not have anyone to discuss with who shares your enthusiasm. And as we’ve seen both in real life and in the media, sports funds take these things very seriously.

    This is why these communities will continue to thrive, because often, fans immediately gain access to people who share their own level of enthusiasm. Just like fans of musical acts or certain celebrities can find emotional support from clinging to their own communities, so do members of sports communities.

    PHOTO: Unsplash

    Non-Sports Support

    When sports communities come together frequently, they almost inevitably develop a bond that goes beyond just sports. Some people bond within these groups over the sports themselves, but eventually become friends even outside of them. Some people will find a romantic connection, and some may even get work opportunities through these sorts of groups. Because the human experience is dynamic and a connection in one area of life can easily bleed into others, many see these sports communities as not just a connection to sports themselves but also a major social lifeline. And as long as this emotional connection is continuously provided for through these groups, they will continue to exist. 

    Recreational Activities

    We’ve already touched on things like placing wagers and watching games, but there are other recreational activities that sports communities can collectively engage in. For example, some sports communities in a certain city may organize transport to watch live games with others. Some might pull together resources to get coveted tickets to certain games.

    Some might even begin to play their own amateur sports as a way to keep fit and socialize. For anyone looking to enjoy a bubbling social life, this sort of opportunity will be very much welcome. 

    Support From The Teams

    Sports teams rely on their supporters to stay afloat, and naturally, this means they support the various communities that exist around them. There have been instances of sports teams giving exclusive perks to prominent fan clubs, such as invitations to events, meet-and-greets, and so on. In the age of digital assets, there are even fan tokens that these community members may leverage to access tons of benefits. Sports communities and sports teams enjoy a symbiotic relationship where each needs the other to stay afloat, and thus, there is mutual support.

    Rivalries

    While we’ve talked a bit about the camaraderie and the positive connections that fans form within sports communities, it’s also worth looking at how rivalries can create lasting connections. We all know two sports teams that are bitter rivals, and this extends to their communities as well.

    Perhaps the only thing that unites community members more than support for their favorite team is hatred of another one.

    And as long as they continue to rival these teams, they will continue to seek community with other haters, and thus, these communities serve a purpose.

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  • 4 Times Philadelphia Teams Made Their Mark on the Global Stage – Philadelphia Sports Nation

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    This blog contains links from which we may earn a commission.Credit: BruceEmmerling/Pixabay

    Philadelphia sports teams have traveled far from home to play games.

    Fans in other countries got to see American pro sports for the first time.

    These games left everyone with stories they would tell for years.

    Eagles Beat Jacksonville at Wembley Stadium

    The Philadelphia Eagles went to London for their first game outside America on October 28, 2018. Wembley Stadium fits 85,870 people inside to watch the Super Bowl champs take down Jacksonville 24-18. Carson Wentz put up 286 yards and three touchdowns, but he also gave the ball away twice. After the game, fans voted him the best player on the field.

    Wentz said the experience changed his perspective. He had visited London in 2015 to watch his brother Travis play for Kansas City against Detroit. This time felt completely different. The national anthem gave him chills. He realized how rare it was for NFL players to compete outside the United States.

    Eagles fans took over the stadium. Jacksonville fans got outnumbered at least five to one. People chanted “E-A-G-L-E-S EAGLES” all game long. You would have thought they were playing in Philly instead of London.

    The London game sparked discussions about expanding NFL markets around the world. Teams could reach new audiences and generate more revenue. American fans began asking if this meant they would have greater overseas availability of live broadcasts, merchandise, and betting markets through offshore sportsbooks that serve international audiences.

    Philadelphia hasn’t returned to Europe since 2018. The team did make history again in 2024 by playing the first NFL game in South America. They faced Green Bay in Brazil before a sold-out crowd.

    Sixers Lose to Barcelona in European Tour

    The Philadelphia 76ers joined three other NBA teams for the 2006 Europe Live Tour. The league sent teams to Germany, Russia, France, Italy, and Spain between October 5-11. Philadelphia faced FC Barcelona and lost 104-99. The defeat stung because European teams rarely beat NBA squads.

    PHOTO: BruceEmmerling/Pixabay

    European clubs had only beaten NBA teams six times since 1978. Barcelona’s win was a huge shock in international basketball. Allen Iverson scored more points than anyone else in the tournament, but it didn’t matter. The Spanish team played just as hard and smart as Philadelphia did.

    The tour wasn’t just about games. Players visited local schools and participated in clinics. They learned about different basketball cultures and met fans who followed the NBA from across the ocean. Many Sixers players said the experience opened their eyes to basketball’s global reach.

    Philadelphia has stayed connected to international basketball. The team participates in NBA Global Games and maintains relationships with European organizations. These connections help the franchise scout talent and build its brand worldwide.

    Flyers Players Go International for Hockey

    Philadelphia Flyers players have played in big hockey tournaments for fifty years. The team has sent its best guys to the Canada Cup, World Cup of Hockey, and other top events since 1972.

    Eric Lindros was the captain for Team Canada in the 1996 World Cup of Hockey. Two other Flyers made that team, too: Eric Desjardins and Rod Brind’Amour. Team USA had John LeClair and Joel Otto. Sweden picked Patrik Juhlin and Mikael Renberg. Philadelphia’s CoreStates Center got some games, including when Canada and the United States started their final series.

    Canada picked three Flyers for the 1976 Canada Cup. Bobby Clarke, Bill Barber, and Reggie Leach all got spots on the team. That tournament ended up changing international hockey forever. Clarke scored an important goal in the finals against Czechoslovakia. Barber tied up a game late before Canada won it in extra time.

    Philadelphia had the Czechoslovakian national team come play at the Spectrum in 1976. The Flyers beat them 6-1 and took way more shots – 42 to 21. Orest Kindrachuk and Mel Bridgman both scored twice. The win showed people around the world what the “Broad Street Bullies” were all about.

    Union Get Their First Big Win Outside America

    The Philadelphia Union got into international competition because they won the 2020 Supporters’ Shield. That trophy got them a spot in the CONCACAF Champions League, where they played teams from North and Central America. They beat a team called Deportivo Saprissa from Costa Rica. 

    It was their first win against a foreign club. That game was also head coach Jim Curtin’s 100th win with the team. It showed everybody that Philadelphia could hang with the big soccer clubs from other countries.

    The Union’s academy system regularly sends players to international youth tournaments. Kellan LeBlanc and Cavan Sullivan have joined U.S. national team programs. These young players represent both Philadelphia and American soccer on the global stage.

    Philadelphia formed early partnerships with international clubs. Their affiliation with Deportivo Saprissa created opportunities for player exchanges and training partnerships. These relationships helped the Union learn from experienced international organizations and strengthen its presence in global soccer networks.

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  • 5 Sixers thoughts: What to make of Clippers scandal; does Cam Thomas taking qualifying offer set the stage for Quentin Grimes?

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    Happy Monday! We are inside of three weeks away from the Sixers beginning their 2025-26 season, a journey which will lead them to Abu Dhabi for two exhibitions in the first week of October before returning home for a few more preseason games and then an 82-game marathon.

    And then, the Sixers hope, will come a lengthy playoff run.

    As always, let’s begin the week with 5 Sixers thoughts, with the NBA’s newest potential scandal serving as the headliner.

    Also inside: Jared McCain providing an injury update, the first of Quentin Grimes’ restricted free agency cohorts to make a decision and more.

    Los Angeles Clippers cap circumvention story through a Sixers lens

    Last week, “Pablo Torre Finds Out” broke a potential scandal that could become a massive, league-altering one in the NBA: a potential case of salary cap circumvention involving superstar Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers. The entire story is fascinating and you can listen to/watch it in full here.

    The natural inclination when observing this story is to think of Joe Smith and the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2000. The league found that the team and Smith were working in tandem to circumvent the cap, as Smith took multiple short-term deals below his market value with the promise of a lucrative long-term deal once the team attained his Full Bird rights. The penalty was massive: Smith’s rights were voided, the team was fined, owner Glen Taylor had to step away from basketball operations for a period and lead executive Kevin McHale was forced to take an unpaid leave of absence. And none of that compared to the five consecutive first-round picks the league office docked from the Timberwolves.

    Cap circumvention is a massive sin in any sport, and the prevailing expectation seems to be that if the NBA can definitively prove that Clippers owner Steve Ballmer directed payments to Leonard off the books, Ballmer and his organization will risk facing massive penalties. Speculation has already begun about how that would look, particularly in terms of draft-related penalties, because the Clippers do not have actual control of any first-round picks until 2030. They have two significant obligations to the Sixers from the James Harden trade:

    2028 2029
    Clippers owe Sixers unprotected first-round pick Clippers owe Sixers first-round pick swap rights (top-three protected)

    To be clear, the NBA would not strip Los Angeles of picks it has already traded and actually penalize other teams for the Clippers’ wrongdoing. If the NBA concluded that there was wrongdoing worth punishing in the form of docking three first-round picks, for example, they would take away picks that the Clippers actually own, even if that means waiting until the next decade.

    If there is any non-Sixers development that would benefit the long-term health of the franchise in the next five years, it would be the Clippers falling into a state of mediocrity or worse. As has been covered here extensively over the last year, there is a world in which the Harden trade of 2023 eventually nets the Sixers two premium draft picks that ease their transition into a post-Joel Embiid world.

    Are there any possible ramifications of Torre’s reporting that could lead to a worse outlook for the Clippers two years from now? Perhaps Leonard’s contract being voided is one, but that would actually gift the Clippers cap space to pursue a more reliable star.

    Ballmer has already flatly denied all accusations of salary cap circumvention, and it would take a mountain of evidence to give the NBA comfort going after the richest owner in the league by far. But if the hammer does come down on the Clippers, the Sixers could be beneficiaries.

    MORE: VJ Edgecombe discusses offseason work, season ahead with PhillyVoice

    Cam Thomas takes the qualifying offer. Will Quentin Grimes follow suit?

    Grimes’ restricted free agency is still ongoing, more than two months after he officially reached the open market for the first time in his NBA career. The same is true for two of the other three high-profile restricted free agents, as Chicago’s Josh Giddey and Golden State’s Jonathan Kuminga remain without new deals. But Cam Thomas, always seen as the most likely of the foursome to take the qualifying offer, did just that last week. He has returned to the Brooklyn Nets on a one-year deal worth just under $6 million that comes with a no-trade clause and pathway to unrestricted free agency as a 24-year-old next summer.

    Thomas taking the qualifying offer was not shocking. In addition to being in a brutal, barren salary cap environment this summer with only one significant cap space player (Brooklyn), Thomas has perhaps the largest disconnect with the marketplace in terms of his optimal role on an NBA team. Thomas’ own team having all of the financial flexibility in the world and still declining to make him any long-term offer speaks volumes.

    With an Oct. 1 deadline to accept the qualifying offer, the clock is beginning to tick on Grimes, Giddey and Kuminga if they want to go with the nuclear option. For Grimes in particular, the qualifying offer feels like a lose-lose scenario. There is some theoretical upside for the player and none for the team, but that upside will be tremendously difficult to reach.

    When Grimes emerged as a dynamic three-level scorer in a two-month audition with the Sixers, he was the most important trade deadline acquisition on a team that would be remembered as an abject failure. His blossoming was a much-needed organizational win, and he received every chance to prove he was capable of surpassing expectations.

    But of the four talented young guards expected to suit up for the Sixers next year, Grimes is clearly fourth in terms of long-term importance. If Grimes prevents the Sixers from securing him on a long-term deal or making him a trade asset by taking the qualifying offer, it will be much easier for the Sixers to discard the goal of maximizing his talents in favor of providing Jared McCain and VJ Edgecombe with as much runway as possible.

    Grimes has made about $11 million in four NBA seasons despite spending much of that time as a definitively good player. He has been traded three times; two of those deals came despite Grimes giving his team quality production. Someone so familiar with the situational volatility that comes with being an NBA player should have a strong understanding of the importance of long-term security. Grimes will not get a deal that is commensurate with his ability and room for improvement, but taking the qualifying offer backs him into a corner. He would be a bad break or two away from missing out on the three- or four-year deal every free agent hopes to sign.

    Jared McCain says he is ‘on pace’ for training camp

    It has been nearly nine months since Jared McCain underwent a season-ending meniscus surgery, cutting short an electric rookie campaign at 23 games. McCain was the clear favorite to win Rookie of the Year before the knee injury sidelined him; even without playing after the second week of December his torrid scoring run was the most exciting and encouraging aspect of the 2024-25 Sixers season. McCain, the No. 16 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, proved that he has legitimate star upside. His brilliant shooting touch was as advertised and he showed considerably better on-ball scoring chops than anyone would have guessed as an NBA rookie.

    McCain accompanied the Sixers for Summer League in Salt Lake City and Las Vegas and worked out with the team in a limited capacity, but did not play in games. At an event for the renaming of the Sixers’ arena – the Wells Fargo Center is now officially the Xfinity Mobile Arena, by the way – McCain spoke to the media and reportedly indicated he is optimistic about being fully prepared for training camp in just a matter of weeks.

    “Right now, I’m on pace,” McCain said, according to the Associated Press.

    The Sixers have no reason to rush McCain back, but this far removed from his surgery, it is not too challenging to imagine the 21-year-old being a full go. The team’s eventual depth at guard once Grimes’ free agency is resolved has been discussed frequently, but without McCain, this team does not have a viable backup point guard right now. They need McCain to handle the ball when Tyrese Maxey is off the floor.

    MORE: McCain’s case to be a starter

    A Delaware Blue Coats legend departs

    It is hard for any player to accumulate more experience and respect with an NBA G League affiliate than Jared Brownridge has with the Delaware Blue Coats. Dating back to their days as the 87ers, the 6-foot-3 guard has been firing threes in Delaware. Brownridge’s eight-year tenure with the organization has come to an end, as he was part of a trade near the end of August.

    Speaking of the Blue Coats, the Sixers named Vice President of Player Personnel Ariana Andonian as the first-ever female general manager of the Blue Coats on Friday.

    A possible Sixers target goes overseas

    As soon as Guerschon Yabusele departed Philadelphia after one strong year – leaving the Sixers to sign with the rival New York Knicks at the taxpayer’s mid-level exception – how the Sixers attempted to piece together a quality power forward rotation became of interest. One free agent whose fit seemed clear was Trey Lyles, who does and does not check a lot of the same boxes as Yabusele (even if it looks a whole lot different).

    Lyles, a 10-year NBA veteran, does not come with a ton of upside, but his stable skills would have come in handy for a Sixers team that could have even used an innings-eater at the four. Lyles, however, will not be joining the Sixers in the near future, as he has reportedly agreed to a contract with Real Madrid. He will be taking his talents overseas.

    Speaking of Yabusele, the 29-year-old had a dominant EuroBasket performance for Team France last week, posting 36 points against Poland:

    Yabusele and the Knicks will face the Sixers in a pair of preseason games on the aforementioned Abu Dhabi trip. New York’s front office is hoping he can be a critical component new head coach Mike Brown’s bench in their pursuit of a championship.

    MORE: Why Sixers declined to match Yabusele’s offer from Knicks

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  • Sixers rookie VJ Edgecombe talks offseason work, season ahead before first pitch at Phillies game

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    After Brandon Marsh helped him find a glove, Sixers No. 3 overall pick VJ Edgecombe began having a catch with a television host interviewing him. He looked like he knew what he was doing. Has he played baseball before?

    “Yeah, I did,” Edgecombe said. “I played baseball growing up. It’s a sport I played just for the fun of it. I love baseball. It’s been a long time since I played… [I played] second base and outfield.”

    Edgecombe took the field at Citizens Bank Park late Friday afternoon to fulfill some television duties with Apple before throwing out a ceremonial first pitch. After having a quick catch, Edgecombe chatted with some members of the Phillies. Many folks nearby were intrigued by how tall Edgecombe was.

    First it was special assistant Howie Kendrick. Marsh stopped by multiple times. Nick Castellanos had some words of encouragement for Edgecombe, and later on the 20-year-old had an extended conversation with Alec Bohm, the only other person around of a similar height:

    Once Edgecombe was done greeting some of his Philadelphia sports cohorts, he spoke with PhillyVoice about his goals for his upcoming rookie season in the NBA, his offseason work, budding bonds with Tyrese Maxey and Jared McCain plus much more. 

    Edgecombe and his teammates will not officially convene for Media Day, training camp and a preseason trip to Abu Dhabi for another four weeks or so. But he has gotten plenty of work in with his teammates, both at the team’s practice facility in Camden, N.J. and in Los Angeles where Sixers assistant coach Rico Hines holds runs full of NBA talent.

    Among the players Edgecombe has worked with: Tyrese Maxey, Trendon Watford, Jared McCain, Justin Edwards and Jabari Walker. Developing chemistry with as many teammates as possible is something Edgecombe believes will pay dividends moving forward, he said.

    “It’ll help a lot. Basketball’s a team sport. We’re all going to be out there together, playing for each other,” Edgecombe said. “We just want to stay connected as much as possible. It goes a long way. We just want to stay connected as a team.”

    Maxey is taking ownership of his role as the leader of the Sixers’ youth movement. He is turning 25 years old in a few months and is set to begin his sixth NBA season, but Maxey is the clear centerpiece of the organization’s longer-term ambitions. He will need players like Edgecombe to reach their potential to help him down the line. Many recent Sixers youngsters have lauded Maxey’s leadership skills. What has Edgecombe experienced?

    “He’s a great person, man,” Edgecombe said. “Like they said, he’s a leader. That’s true. He’s a real leader, someone that’s just looking forward to getting better every day in the gym. He helps us out, [answers] questions, all that. It’s been great… getting to know him as a person.”

    Minutes after he was drafted by the Sixers in June, Edgecombe proudly beamed talking about the concept of Maxey being his backcourt mate for years to come and the two of them hopefully retiring as Sixers together. The Sixers’ three most important young players — Edgecombe, Maxey and McCain — are all guards. Edgecombe and McCain knew each other from Edgecombe’s recruiting visit at Duke and grew closer in Las Vegas during the 2025 NBA Summer League. While McCain and Edgecombe are closer in age and experience to each other than they are to Maxey — just a year apart — all three players have the opportunity to grow together.

    “I’m super excited. They’re great players, but they’re even better people,” Edgecombe said. “They have great heart, great personality, so I’m definitely looking forward to growing with them, continuing to get better, just looking forward to winning. Keep building the bond, brotherhood, chemistry.”

    McCain only has 23 NBA games under his belt and Edgecombe has never stepped on an NBA court. But because they are both guards on a team set to pay Maxey over $168 million over the next four years, there is already a lot of speculation about whether there is an eventual odd man out or if head coach Nick Nurse can devise a scheme creative enough for all three guards to coexist (with restricted free agent Quentin Grimes likely to join the mix as well).

    Edgecombe did not get into specifics about his offseason work — “literally just trying to get better in all aspects of my game” were his exact words when asked which skills he was focused on developing over the summer” — and he did not show much interest in discussing the makeup of his eventual role with the Sixers. He said he still does not know what it will look like because his conversations with Nurse have not been about basketball.

    “He just cares about my well-being,” Edgecombe said. “That’s the main thing we’ve talked about. Just wondering how am I doing as a person after being drafted, stuff like that. That’s the main thing. We haven’t been talking about basketball or what my role would be or what expectations he has for me.”

    One way for Edgecombe to secure a more significant workload on a guard-heavy team is proving capable of defending above his size. If Edgecombe can be the biggest of three guards on the floor at one time without the Sixers becoming vulnerable defensively, he has a path to major minutes right away. Edgecombe has not paid much thought to the possibility of guarding NBA wings.

    An early takeaway from Edgecombe’s interviews and media availabilities since joining the Sixers: he has so much confidence in his abilities that he never worries about not being up for a task. The idea of playing alongside two other guards is not an exception to that rule.

    “I’m comfortable with whatever Coach Nurse wants me to do. I’ll do it. It’s as plain and simple as that,” Edgecombe said. “Whatever he needs me to do, I’m going to go out there and do it. Just play my hardest, give my max potential, best I can. Three-guard lineups, two-guard lineups, it doesn’t matter. I’m just happy to be on the floor. I’m looking forward to competing.”

    Speaking of competing, there is some irony in this: Edgecombe’s competition for the fourth guard spot in Nurse’s rotation — assuming Grimes returns — will be Eric Gordon.

    Gordon is a mentor of sorts for Edgecombe, as the two played together for Team Bahamas. Edgecombe laughed when reminded of his comment on draft night — “EG is old, man,” he said at the time — before raving about why Gordon remaining with the Sixers this summer excited him.

    “Just how great of a person and how great of a vet he is,” Edgecombe said. “He helped me with Team Bahamas, he helped me a lot. And that’s someone I’m definitely looking forward to being on the same team with again… He’s a great vet, so I’m definitely looking forward to learning from him.”

    Edgecombe’s aforementioned confidence in his abilities is unflappable, but it does not necessarily translate to arrogance. He knows he will have to learn a lot to reach the heights those talents could take him. He hopes to do a lot of learning on a roster featuring a mix of veterans who have seen it all and young players who have recently been in the spot he finds himself in now.

    “They all have been in my shoes. They all were once rookies. They all had vets. So I’m just looking forward to being a part of the team,” Edgecombe said. “[Tyrese] and Jared are obviously younger, we’re all going to share similar experiences. I’m just looking forward to learning. They’re going to give me advice, what to do and what not to do, how to be a better pro, whatever it is. I’m just looking to soaking all the advice in as much as I can.”

    MORE: Everything to know about Sixers’ 2025-26 schedule

    There is so much coming for Edgecombe. Many years of NBA basketball are in his future. There will be triumphs and hardships. His noticeable intensity will help him endear himself to Philadelphia fans, but those same people will inevitably grow frustrated at a poor stretch of games or a blown assignment.

    For now, he is an exciting young prospect whose presence signals some hope. And when legendary Phillies public address announcer Dan Baker bellowed his name as he walked out to the mound, it was the first time Edgecombe appeared in front of a crowd in Philadelphia.

    Edgecombe heard a lot about Philadelphia fans. Now, he has heard a lot from Philadelphia fans. He is ready for more.

    “Philly [has] great people, great fans,” Edgecombe said. “I’m looking forward to celebrating with them, looking forward to getting to know fans, getting to know why they’re so passionate and stuff like that.”

    Follow Adam on Twitter: @SixersAdam

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  • 76ers Predicted to Move Paul George in Trade for $175 Million All-Star

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    There were high hopes for the Philadelphia 76ers’ ‘Big Three’ of Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and Paul George, but injuries destroyed their chances of making serious noise in the 2024-2025 season.

    While Maxey was relatively healthy, appearing in 52 games, Embiid played in just 19 and George in 41. It seems a bit foolish to give up on this trio already, but George underwhelmed even when on the floor. He averaged 16.2 points and 5.3 rebounds on 43% shooting and 35.8% from three-point range.

    Maxey’s youth makes him arguably the least likely of the Sixers’ stars to see a change of scenery, and Embiid’s situation is so complex that it would be tough to find a respectable return and realistic destination for him.

    Paul George #8 of the Philadelphia 76ers looks on against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first quarter at Target Center on March 04, 2025 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

    Photo by David Berding/Getty Images

    This leaves George, who Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley predicts Philadelphia could give up on in a trade for nine-time All-Star and Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo. The proposed details see Paul George, Jared McCain, a 2028 first-round pick (via LAC), a 2030 first-round pick and a 2032 first-round pick go to Milwaukee for Antetokounmpo.

    Buckley wrote, “If Embiid is flashing MVP form, maybe that’s reason for Daryl Morey and Co. to throw caution to the wind and try capitalizing on whatever remains of the big fella’s prime.”

    MORE NEWS: NBA Fans Trash Viral Video of Thunder Star Chet Holmgren

    “Losing McCain, the biggest breakout of the 2024 draft class despite having his rookie year cut short, would sting a lot and maybe qualify as full-on reckless if he was attached to these picks, but a clean bill of health may be all that an Embiid-Antetokounmpo-Tyrese Maxey trio would need to take over the NBA,” Buckley concluded.

    Let’s get the obvious out of the way, which is this trade is incredibly unlikely to take place. The Bucks can certainly find a better return package for Antetokounmpo than this, and the 76ers are likely not looking to move George and McCain so soon.

    This move would become even riskier a year from now, as Antetokounmpo would be entering the final guaranteed season of his three-year, $175 million extension.

    It’s a fun scenario to explore with some upside for both parties, but the cons and risks simply outweigh the pros.

    For more on the Philadelphia 76ers and general NBA news, head over to Newsweek Sports.

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  • Philadelphia Sports Culture: From Tailgates To Game Day Cheers – Philadelphia Sports Nation

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    This blog contains links from which we may earn a commission.Credit: Kelly/Pexels

    Philadelphia is a city where sports aren’t just games—they’re a way of life.

    From tailgating traditions to the roar of fans inside iconic stadiums, the energy, passion, and loyalty of Philadelphia sports fans are unmatched.

    The city’s sports culture spans generations, blending historic rivalries, community spirit, and unique fan rituals that make every game day an unforgettable experience.

    In this post, we’ll explore the essence of Philadelphia sports culture, highlighting the elements that make it one of the most vibrant fan experiences in the country.

    From Pre-Game Gatherings To Stadium For Philadelphia Sports

    Tailgating Traditions

    Tailgating in Philadelphia is more than a pre-game ritual—it’s a full-fledged cultural experience. Fans arrive hours ahead of kickoff or first pitch, bringing grills, food, music, and team decorations. Tailgates serve as social hubs where fans swap stories, celebrate their team’s history, and enjoy the communal atmosphere. 

    Food plays a significant role, from Philly cheesesteaks to local favorites, creating an authentic taste of the city. These gatherings are lively, welcoming, and inclusive, often attracting families, longtime supporters, and newcomers alike. Tailgating is where the city’s sports passion comes alive, showing how deeply games are intertwined with Philadelphia’s social and cultural life.

    PHOTO: Kelly/Pexels

    Pre-Game Rituals and Superstitions

    Many Philadelphia fans bring their own unique touch to game day with personal rituals and superstitions. From wearing lucky jerseys to following specific routines, these practices add a personal layer to the city’s sports culture. Fans often share stories of rituals passed down through generations, creating a sense of continuity and tradition. 

    While these rituals vary widely, they all serve one purpose: enhancing the excitement and personal connection to the game. Whether it’s a family tradition, a pre-game chant, or a favorite tailgating spot, these rituals contribute to the city’s reputation for dedicated, passionate, and enthusiastic fans.

    Passionate Fan Chants and Cheers

    Philadelphia fans are legendary for their energy inside stadiums and arenas. Chants, cheers, and coordinated applause are more than noise—they are expressions of city pride and loyalty. Whether supporting the Eagles, 76ers, Flyers, or Phillies, fans create an atmosphere that energizes teams and intimidates opponents.

    Signature chants and team songs echo through stadiums, uniting fans in a shared celebration of their city and teams. This level of enthusiasm helps define Philadelphia sports culture, where every cheer carries history, meaning, and community spirit, making attending a game an unforgettable experience.

    Rivalries That Define the City

    Rivalries are the lifeblood of Philadelphia sports, fueling fan passion and excitement. Historic matchups, such as Eagles vs. Cowboys or 76ers vs. Celtics, bring out the best—and sometimes the most intense—of fan energy. Rivalries in Philadelphia aren’t just about wins and losses; they’re about pride, tradition, and the collective identity of the city. 

    Fans take these games seriously, engaging in friendly debates, pre-game discussions, and community traditions that heighten the stakes. These rivalries define Philadelphia’s sports culture, giving fans a sense of belonging while connecting generations of supporters to the city’s competitive spirit.

    Game Day Apparel and Colors

    Wearing team apparel is a visible and celebrated part of Philadelphia sports culture. From jerseys and hats to scarves and painted faces, fans proudly display team colors and logos throughout the city. Game day fashion is more than style—it’s a statement of loyalty, community, and pride. 

    Local businesses, tailgating spots, and even casual meetups reflect this passion, showing how integrated sports are into everyday life. The sea of green, blue, or red in stadiums and city streets demonstrates how deeply teams are embedded in the identity of Philadelphia, reinforcing a shared sense of culture among fans.

    Historic Stadium Experiences

    Philadelphia’s sports venues are more than just places to watch a game—they are landmarks of history, culture, and shared experiences. Lincoln Financial Field, Wells Fargo Center, and Citizens Bank Park host memorable moments that fans recall for years. 

    Visiting these stadiums provides a glimpse into the city’s sports heritage, with every corner telling a story of legendary plays, historic matches, and passionate crowds. The design, traditions, and atmosphere of each venue add layers to the fan experience, making attending a Philadelphia game both an emotional and cultural event, connecting fans to decades of sports history.

    Fan Loyalty Through the Years

    Philadelphia fans are known for their unwavering loyalty. Win or lose, generations of supporters remain steadfast, creating a culture of resilience and pride. Longtime fans pass traditions to younger generations, ensuring that team spirit and city pride continue. 

    This loyalty extends beyond the stadium, shaping local culture, media coverage, and community events. Fans’ dedication is evident in attendance, celebrations, and social media engagement, illustrating how deeply sports are woven into daily life. This long-term commitment helps define Philadelphia as one of the most devoted sports cities in America.

    Community Spirit and Local Hangouts

    Philadelphia sports culture thrives in the city’s neighborhoods, bars, and local gathering spots. Sports bars, pubs, and community centers become hubs for fans to meet, watch games, and celebrate together. Many of these venues offer refreshing options like non alcoholic cocktails in a can, allowing fans to enjoy flavorful drinks while staying entirely engaged in the game day excitement. 

    These hangouts strengthen social bonds, allowing fans to share stories, memories, and experiences. Community events, viewing parties, and local traditions all contribute to the sense of belonging and connection that defines the city’s sports culture. In Philadelphia, sports aren’t just about competition—they’re about community, relationships, and shared identity.

    PHOTO: Ericka Sánchez/Pexels

    Celebrations and Citywide Reactions

    When Philadelphia teams win, the celebration extends far beyond the stadium. Parades, street parties, and social media buzz showcase the city’s collective excitement. Fans gather to commemorate victories, honoring players, teams, and the spirit of the town itself. 

    These celebrations reflect the pride, energy, and passion that define Philadelphia sports culture, turning each win into a citywide experience. From cheering in the streets to sharing moments online, the city collectively rejoices, illustrating how deeply sports are woven into the social and cultural fabric of Philadelphia.

    Final Thoughts

    Philadelphia sports culture is unmatched, blending tailgating traditions, fan rituals, iconic chants, historic rivalries, and citywide celebrations into a vibrant and unforgettable experience.

    From pre-game gatherings to the electrifying energy inside stadiums, fans embody loyalty, pride, and passion in every interaction.

    Game day in Philadelphia is more than watching a team—it’s participating in a living culture that spans generations, neighborhoods, and communities.

    The city’s dedication to its teams, traditions, and fan experiences makes Philadelphia a true sports capital, where every game is a celebration of heritage, identity, and shared excitement.

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  • Scouting the Sixers’ competition: Indiana Pacers crashing down after NBA Finals appearance

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    While the Sixers still have some business to attend to before their offseason can be complete, most of their Eastern Conference cohorts have just about wrapped up their work ahead of the 2025-26 season in the fall.

    Now is as good of a time as ever to survey the landscape of an Eastern Conference that has lost a pair of championship-caliber teams due to superstar injuries. Very few sure things exist in the conference this year, and there is plenty of opportunity for new contenders to arise.

    The Sixers are running back a roster fairly similar to the one that finished out last season in hopes of improved health and continued development from younger players propelling them back into contention. But how have the teams they will have to surpass changed over the summer?

    Up next: the Indiana Pacers, whose dream run to the NBA Finals came crashing down in Game 7, when they fell to the Oklahoma City Thunder after superstar point guard Tyrese Halliburton tore his Achilles. From a victory away from the pinnacle of basketball to a gap year ahead, a lot changed for the Pacers on that night.

    SCOUTING THE SIXERS’ COMPETITION

    Boston Celtics | Indiana Pacers

    Roster changes

    Because of Haliburton’s injury, the Pacers are entering a gap year with unfortunate timing. Nobody expected them to make significant additions, but the anticipation had been that Indiana mainstay Myles Turner would eventually be re-signed. Out of nowhere, Turner ended up signing with the Milwaukee Bucks.

    Indiana pivoted by swinging a minor trade for another stretch five and taking a few shots in the dark at the position: 

    Added: Jay Huff (trade), James Wiseman (free agency), Kam Jones (No. 38 pick in 2025 NBA Draft)

    Retained: Isaiah Jackson

    Extended: none

    Lost: Myles Turner, Thomas Bryant, James Johnson

    Turner’s production is not irreplaceable, but it is hard to find bigs capable of shooting and protecting the rim the way he can. Unless Huff and Jackson turn out to make up a dynamic platoon of sorts for the Pacers that they can rely on at center for years to come, they will have to reorient their team around Halliburton to some degree when he returns from injury.

    MORE: Everything you need to know about the Sixers’ 2025-26 schedule

    Depth chart projection

    With Haliburton out, the guess here is that instead of elevating old friend T.J. McConnell into the starting five, Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle will slide Andrew Nembhard to point guard and start Bennedict Mathurin alongside him. It enables McConnell and Obi Toppin to remain spark plugs off the bench for a team that will rely on Pascal Siakam a whole lot more: 

    PG SG SF PF C
    Andrew Nembhard Bennedict Mathurin Aaron Nesmith Pascal Siakam Jay Huff
    T.J. McConnell Ben Sheppard Jarace Walker Obi Toppin Isaiah Jackson
    Kam Jones Johnny Furphy James Wiseman
    Tony Bradley

    The most interesting pieces of this puzzle are Mathurin – a flawed player whose score-first skill set will be valuable on a team suddenly starved for offense – and Walker, a former lottery pick the Pacers are still waiting on to fully blossom. Walker is more of a four than a three, but he will probably have to log minutes at both forward spots in his third NBA season.

    Sixers ties

    The most significant connection between the Sixers and Pacers is McConnell, whose tenure in Indiana is now much longer and more memorable than his time in Philadelphia. McConnell reached 10 years of NBA service last year, became one of the most important pieces of an NBA Finals team and took over Game 7 of the NBA Finals for a prolonged stretch in the second half. His rise will never not be remarkable to think about.

    Otherwise, fellow old friend Tony Bradley revived his career with Indiana last year. Bradley’s time with the Sixers was not very long, but it included his participation in the infamous “Seven Sixers” game:

    One of Carlisle’s trusted assistant coaches, Lloyd Pierce, became the head coach of the Atlanta Hawks after a decorated run as an assistant under Brett Brown with the Sixers. Pierce, a defensive-minded coach, has often been credited with the development of Robert Covington from a stand-still shooter to an First Team All-Defense honoree.

    MORE: McConnell reflects on hitting 10 years of service

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  • 76ers’ 3-Player Trade Idea Lands $36 Million Forward

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    The Philadelphia 76ers were the biggest disappointment of the 2024-25 NBA season.

    The 76ers entered the season with sky-high expectations, but failed to even reach the playoffs in a lost season for a core that isn’t getting any younger.

    More news: Russell Westbrook Gets Unfortunate Update Regarding Future in NBA as Free Agency Rolls On

    Joel Embiid, the league’s Most Valuable Player just a few seasons ago, appeared in a career-low 19 games, ending a streak of seven consecutive All-Star appearances.

    Paul George, the team’s major offseason acquisition, played in 41 games, averaging his fewest points per game (16.2) in a season in over a decade.

    While the 76ers had a lost season, finishing 24-58 and as the No. 13 seed in the Eastern Conference, Philadelphia is a candidate to have a major bounce back year.

    Before the new season rolls around, though, Philadelphia was urged to make a trade to finalize its roster. Grant Hughes of Bleacher Report proposed a three-player trade in which the 76ers would add a durable forward from the Sacramento Kings.

    More news: Pistons Would Land $285 Million Superstar in Blockbuster Trade Idea With Celtics

    “Trade idea: Philadelphia 76ers acquire Keegan Murray from the Sacramento Kings for Jared McCain and Kelly Oubre Jr.”

    PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA – JANUARY 29: Keegan Murray #13 of the Sacramento Kings and Kelly Oubre Jr. #9 of the Philadelphia 76ers reach for the ball during the second half at the Wells Fargo Center on…


    Emilee Chinn/Getty Images

    “McCain played 23 games last year with minimal stakes, so let’s be sure not to overstate how much he’s proved as a pro to this point in his career. His profile might be on equal footing with Murray’s, but should it be?” Hughes wrote.

    “Murray set the rookie record with 206 made triples, has been a durable three-year starter and would give the Sixers some badly needed 3-and-D support alongside (or as a replacement for an injured) Paul George.”

    The 76ers drafted McCain in the first round of last year’s draft, and he impressed in limited action, averaging 15.3 points per game on 46 percent shooting from the field and 38.3 percent from deep. However, he appeared in just 23 games before suffering a torn meniscus.

    More news: Lakers’ Luka Doncic, Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic Send Internet Into Frenzy Following Viral Moment

    Oubre, on the other hand, averaged 15.1 points per game last season across 60 contests, and would be able to fill Murray’s role for Sacramento.

    For Philadelphia, they’re betting on Murray continuing to stay healthy, providing valuable minutes as a 3-and-D forward. While it could be fair to wonder if McCain has more potential than Murray on his own, Hughes seems to believe Murray is a safer bet, which could make sense for a team in a win-now window with George and Embiid.

    For more NBA news, head over to Newsweek Sports.

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  • Tyrese Maxey to be re-evaluated in a week after suffering strained right hamstring, Sixers say

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    LOS ANGELES, CA — Sixers All-Star point guard Tyrese Maxey has a right hamstring strain, the Sixers said on Thursday. He will be re-evaluated in approximately one week.

    Sixers head coach Nick Nurse told reporters after the team’s practice that it is unclear if Maxey suffered the injury on any particular play, but an MRI revealed that he will need to be sidelined for the time being.

    Maxey was removed during the second half of the Sixers’ road loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night, but Nurse indicated after the game that the team had merely been playing it safe with one of their stars.

    “I don’t think [Maxey will miss time],” Nurse said. “I don’t have any idea at this point. But again, just precautionary. Really precautionary… That type of game, there was not much of a reason to try to push him through.”

    MORE: Postgame sounds from Sixers-Clippers

    Now, though, the Sixers will be without Maxey for at least a week — and Shams Charania of ESPN, who first reported the news Thursday morning, said Maxey was expected to miss multiple weeks.

    In the interim, Nurse said his plan is to elevate Kyle Lowry into the starting point guard role, with veteran Reggie Jackson backing him up. Two-way point guard Jeff Dowtin Jr. could also be involved at some point.

    With Maxey out for at least a week and Joel Embiid serving a suspension for two more games, suddenly the Sixers’ lone star is Paul George, who has only played two games this season and has had his minutes and workload monitored. Nurse said that there is no specific timeline on when George will be a full go, but that the nine-time All-Star will at least be “limited” when the Sixers take on the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night.

    The Sixers have struggled mightily on the offensive end of the floor all season, and things are only going to get tougher without Maxey in the fold for the time being.

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  • Joel Embiid shoves columnist in 76ers locker room, per sources; NBA to investigate the incident

    Joel Embiid shoves columnist in 76ers locker room, per sources; NBA to investigate the incident

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    By David Aldridge, Tony Jones and Sam Amick

    Philadelphia 76ers star center Joel Embiid shoved a Philadelphia Inquirer columnist in the Sixers locker room Saturday night, multiple league sources confirmed to The Athletic. The physical altercation occurred after Embiid and the columnist, Marcus Hayes, argued following Philadelphia’s 124-107 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies.

    Hayes, a longtime columnist for the Inquirer, and previously, the Philadelphia Daily News, recently wrote a column that Embiid considered personally disparaging to him and his family, which Embiid expressed to reporters after Friday’s practice.

    In part, Embiid said he had done “way too much for this f—–g city to be treated like this.” The column in question, written Oct. 23, brought up Embiid’s son and his brother, Arthur, who died in a car crash at age 13 in 2014, a tragedy that Embiid has said on multiple occasions almost caused him to stop playing basketball. Embiid’s 4-year-old son is named Arthur, after his brother.

    Embiid has yet to play in a game this season, one that has begun with a 1-4 start without Embiid and star forward Paul George, including Saturday’s loss.

    Hayes went to the game Saturday and entered the team’s locker room after the game ended. Embiid sought him out, and their conversation soon deteriorated.

    Hayes did not respond physically to Embiid’s shove, a team source said.

    An NBA spokesman said Saturday, “We are aware of reports of an incident in the Sixers locker room this evening and are commencing an investigation.”

    Embiid’s playing status this season has been a consistent source of conversation and frustration for the team and the seven-time All-Star, who has been injured every postseason for the past several years, a contributing factor to the franchise failing to get out of the second round of the playoffs during his tenure. Embiid and the 76ers have worked on a potential plan for the center to be able to play in the regular season but play fewer games to try to keep him healthy for the postseason.

    Embiid had surgery on his left knee last February, which kept him out for much of the second half of the 2023-24 regular season. He returned for a first-round playoff series against the New York Knicks and was noticeably hobbled throughout the series. The Knicks won it in six games.

    But Embiid played in the Paris Olympics for Team USA this summer, serving as its starting center, and appeared to be healthy. In 76ers training camp, though, minor swelling was discovered in his knee, and Embiid has been shelved since.

    Hayes has written multiple columns in the last week-plus that have been harshly critical of Embiid, chiding him for his poor conditioning coming into the season after playing in the Olympics, and knocking Embiid for his numerous absences over the years.

    “The degree of contempt Embiid has for his organization, for his industry, and, especially, for the fans who pay him all of his money is utterly flabbergasting,” Hayes wrote in an Oct. 23 column in the Inquirer. “Because fans buy the tickets, and fans watch TV, and fans buy the products on TV that are advertised. Embiid’s part of the bargain is to show up and play basketball. But he doesn’t even bother to be in good enough shape to hold up this part of the bargain.

    It is incredible dereliction of duty. It is entirely unacceptable.”

    In initial versions of the column, Hayes wrote this:

    “Joel Embiid consistently points to the birth of his son, Arthur, as the major inflection point in his basketball career. He often says that he wants to be great to leave a legacy for the boy named after his little brother, who tragically died in an automobile accident when Embiid was in his first year as a 76er.”

    That paragraph was taken out of later versions of the column that ran online.

    This past Wednesday, after the NBA fined the 76ers $100,000 for what it called “inconsistent” statements from the team regarding Embiid’s health status, Hayes criticized Embiid again. Hayes suggested the team offer refunds to fans who bought tickets in good faith for home games this season, only to learn that Embiid would likely miss several games during the year to avoid playing in back to backs.

    “Furthermore, it’s highly unlikely that Embiid will play in all of the ensuing home games, even if they’re not back-to-backs; after all, he’s missed 46 percent of regular-season games since the Sixers drafted him in 2014,” Hayes wrote. “So it’s fair to assume that he’ll miss 10 home games, none of them due to injury. That’s about 25 percent of what every full season-ticket holder paid for.”

    On Friday, Hayes again criticized Embiid after Embiid clapped back against the criticism, saying he’d “done way too much for this f—–g city to be treated like this, so I’ve done way too f—— much.”

    GO DEEPER

    Joel Embiid to critics: ‘I’ve done way too much for this f—— city’

    In his Friday column, Hayes acknowledged Embiid’s MVP award, as well as his having carried the franchise, and said Embiid “might wind up being the best player in franchise history. But, unlike Wilt Chamberlain, Julius Erving, Moses Malone, and Allen Iverson, to name a few, Embiid’s teams have not advanced past the second round of the playoffs. And while Embiid has played through injury and sickness in the postseason, well, he’s not the only one. Here’s a thought: Be in better shape when the playoffs roll around and it won’t be so hard to play with any injuries that crop up.”

    Embiid, 30, is in his 10th season with the Sixers, who drafted him with the No. 3 pick in 2014. He missed his first two NBA seasons due to a right foot injury, surgery and re-injuring his foot. But he began to assert himself in his third pro season and hasn’t looked back since, becoming the face of the controversial rebuilding plan the Sixers undertook that became known as “The Process.”

    In eight seasons, Embiid has averaged 27.9 points, 11.2 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 433 regular-season games. But he’s been plagued by lower-body injuries throughout his career, many of which occurred either late in regular seasons or in playoff series.

    After the Sixers made public comments about their plan to keep Embiid out of back-to-back games this season and then held him out for a nationally televised game against Milwaukee on Oct. 23, the NBA launched an investigation that ultimately confirmed the concern about his left knee.

    go-deeper

    GO DEEPER

    NBA fines 76ers for misrepresenting statements regarding Embiid’s absence

    If the league had discovered that Embiid was, in fact, healthy and that the Sixers had decided to prioritize the playoffs while routinely resting him during the regular season, then the league’s hammer would have certainly fallen hard. But league sources told The Athletic that Embiid’s left knee, in the eyes of the NBA and the Sixers, was unstable enough that there was concern about further damage being done if he had played in these opening games to the regular season.

    The league still fined the 76ers $100,000, but it was due to the public statements.

    Required reading

    (Photo: Justin Casterline / Getty Images)

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    The New York Times

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  • Sixers weekly preview: Three-game West Coast trip on tap

    Sixers weekly preview: Three-game West Coast trip on tap

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    For the first time in 2024-25, the Sixers are shifting time zones: they will spend the upcoming week on the West Coast, where they play three games that figure to be competitive. 

    Per the usual, on the morning of each game we will have team-specific previews of each Sixers game. But here is some handy information about the week ahead for the Sixers:

    At Suns (Monday night)

    It remains to be seen if Paul George will make his Sixers regular season debut in Phoenix. If he does, there will likely be no easing in for the nine-time All-Star. Not only are the Suns a formidable opponent, but they have three high-powered perimeter scoring threats — Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal — which means the Sixers will need to start three players they can trust to handle difficult defensive assignments.

    Caleb Martin and Kelly Oubre Jr. are safe bets to take on two of those matchups, which means one more Sixer must prepare for a long night on the defensive end of the floor. In an ideal world, George would be able to guard a low-usage player in his first game back as he tries to find a groove without any stressful matchups. A debut against the Suns might stand in the way of that.

    The city of Phoenix has not been kind to the Sixers in quite some time: the last time they won a game there came on Jan. 2, 2019. The Sixers’ starting five that night was made up of Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, Furkan Korkmaz (!), Jonah Bolden (!!) and the current head coach of their third and final opponent this week.

    At Clippers (Wednesday night)

    This will be the first meeting between these two teams to take place at the Clippers’ brand new home, the Intuit Dome, but there will be plenty of familiar faces — on both sides. The list of players who could be suiting up against their former teams:

    • Paul George, who spent five years with the Clippers before departing for Philadelphia last summer.

    • KJ Martin, who logged a whole two games as a Clipper in between being traded to Los Angeles and then getting rerouted to the Sixers.

    • Eric Gordon, who spent the first three years of his NBA career — 2008 through 2011 — with the Clippers, and then spent the final months of the 2022-23 season with them as well.

    • Reggie Jackson, who spent parts of four seasons with the Clippers — reviving his career from 2019 through 2023 — before spending a year and change with the Denver Nuggets and eventually heading to the Sixers to team with which he reunited with an old friend in George.

    • James Harden, whose messy departure from Philadelphia was well-documented and has now taken total control of the Clippers’ offense with George gone and Kawhi Leonard sidelined indefinitely.

    • Nic Batum, who also revived his career with the Clippers, spending three full seasons with the team before being traded to the Sixers after three appearances in his fourth season in Los Angeles. Batum finished last season with the Sixers, became a free agent and took a below-market deal to return to the Clippers.

    • Mo Bamba, who made 57 appearances and 17 starts for the Sixers as a third-string center last season. Bamba signed with the Clippers over the summer with a pathway to being their backup center, but has not yet played for the team due to an injury. That has created an opportunity for someone else…

    • Anyone who remembers the Sixers tenure of Kai Jones deserves a prize — and maybe a therapy session, too. Jones, who inked a 10-day contract with the Sixers last season, never appeared in a game for the team. He received a training camp deal with the Clippers and showed enough in preseason to earn a two-way contract. He has been the team’s primary backup center with Bamba sidelined.

    I cannot remember the Sixers facing so many former Sixers at once — let alone also having the same amount of players who used to play for the opposition.

    MORE: Draft picks Sixers acquired from Clips in Harden trade proving valuable

    At Lakers (Friday night)

    Fair or not, Sixers rookie Jared McCain will be compared by many of his skeptics to Lakers rookie Dalton Knecht, who has opened the young season as Redick’s ninth man. The Sixers drafted McCain at No. 16 overall in last June’s NBA Draft despite Knecht’s stunning fall; one pick later the Lakers nabbed him. Knecht was viewed as one of the most NBA-ready prospects in his draft class and boasts similar shooting excellence as McCain. He will be 24 years old by the time the regular season ends, though, and many front offices stray away from such old prospects these days.

    In other news, former Sixers shooting guard JJ Redick is now the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers. What a world! Redick appears to be off to a strong start, as a Lakers team notorious for early-season struggles finally bucked that trend and picked up some early wins. Anthony Davis looks absolutely outstanding right now, and Redick has said the team is being very intentional about giving him every opportunity to assert himself as a dominant force on both ends of the floor.

    MORE: Sixers Ties: Pacific Division

    Follow Adam on Twitter: @SixersAdam

    Follow PhillyVoice on Twitter: @thephillyvoice

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    Adam Aaronson

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