Latest news with #Sixers
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Philadelphia 76ers Predicted To Select Supertalented Forward To Team Up With Joel Embiid And Tyrese Maxey
After a disappointing 24-58 season marred by injuries and inconsistency, the Philadelphia 76ers are looking to reset and reload. Despite boasting stars like Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and veteran Paul George, the Sixers crumbled in the regular season, finishing as one of the league's bottom dwellers. However, the NBA Draft Lottery offered a silver lining. Philadelphia landed the No. 3 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, and our expert widely predicts that they will use it to select Rutgers forward Ace Bailey. Advertisement Bailey, a 6'10" super-athletic forward, had a breakout season with the Scarlet Knights. He averaged 17.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.3 blocks, and 1.0 steals per game, while shooting 46.0% from the field and 34.6% from three. His two-way impact and positional versatility make him an ideal fit for a Sixers team desperate for wing help. According to multiple draft insiders, Bailey is viewed as one of the most NBA-ready players in the 2025 class. His combination of size, agility, and defensive instincts allows him to guard multiple positions, while his emerging perimeter game gives him stretch potential as a modern forward. Offensively, he thrives in transition, can knock down mid-range shots, and has flashed the ability to hit threes off the catch. Defensively, he competes hard and has the tools to switch onto guards and bigs alike. For the 76ers, adding Bailey solves several pressing issues. First, they need youth, energy, and size on the wing. Second, with Paul George likely to be moved this offseason, Bailey becomes a seamless long-term replacement. George, though productive when healthy, struggled to stay on the court, and his age and contract are concerns for a franchise looking to retool around Embiid and Maxey. Advertisement The Sixers also desperately need someone who can help defensively on the perimeter, especially given how much Embiid is asked to anchor the paint. Bailey's high motor, defensive versatility, and rebounding ability mean he could contribute right away as a rookie. From a roster construction standpoint, Bailey also fits nicely between the Sixers' two cornerstone players. Tyrese Maxey is an explosive scorer but undersized defensively. Embiid remains one of the league's best two-way bigs but needs healthy and reliable help around him. Bailey gives the Sixers a much-needed balance, he doesn't need the ball to be effective, can defend multiple positions, and has offensive upside that can be nurtured over time. His youth also provides Philadelphia with a longer-term asset. Maxey is only 24. Embiid, despite health concerns, remains in his prime. With Bailey entering as a 19-year-old potential star, the Sixers could develop a new core trio that bridges their present with their future. Advertisement If all goes according to plan, the addition of Ace Bailey could represent a turning point for the franchise. After years of postseason flameouts and constant turnover, the Sixers may finally be positioning themselves for sustained success and Bailey might just be the missing piece they've been waiting for. Related: Lakers Predicted To Select 7'3", 227-Pound, 18-Year-Old Center In 2025 NBA Draft
USA Today
a day ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Philadelphia 76ers free agency: Will veteran guard Kyle Lowry return?
Philadelphia 76ers free agency: Will veteran guard Kyle Lowry return? The Philadelphia 76ers will be looking to move forward in the offseason after a miserable year in 2024-25 as injuries decimated the roster. The Sixers do have the No. 3 pick in their possession so that is what will be helpful for them as they look to bounce back. With that being said, one has to wonder what free agency will look like for Philadelphia. The Sixers have 11 free agents they have to take care of. The cap space will be a bit limited in 2025 after the big spending spree in 2024, so don't expect the Sixers to be major players in free agency, but they will be looking to keep a number of key free agents. Up next in this free agency series is veteran guard Kyle Lowry. The future Hall of Famer was limited to only 35 games in the 2024-25 season and averaged 3.9 points, 2.7 assists, and 1.9 rebounds. He shot 35% from the floor and 33% from deep as he served more of a mentor role in Philadelphia. Lowry's free agency overview Free agency status: Unrestricted 2024-25 salary: $2.1 million Prediction: Goes Reason for the prediction Lowry has stated that he wants to return to Philadelphia. However, he is 39 years old and the Sixers want to get younger. One has to believe that he will not return as he heads into the next, and possibly final, phase of his career. If by chance he does return, it will be in a role similar to the one he played this year when he was more of the mentor for the youngsters. When he made his return from a lengthy injury absence in April, he received a lot of praise from his teammates for the mentorship and how he helps them grow. At the end of the day, Lowry has put together one helluva career. When he does decide to hang it up, he is going to enter the Hall of Fame and be remembered for his accomplishments such as being named an All-Star six times, being named to an All-NBA Team in 2016, and helping the Toronto Raptors win their only title in franchise history in 2019. Whether Lowry returns or not will be up to the front office, but one has to believe the Sixers will be moving on from the Philadelphia native.
USA Today
2 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Sixers star Paul George heaps more praise upon Rutgers' Ace Bailey
Sixers star Paul George heaps more praise upon Rutgers' Ace Bailey The Philadelphia 76ers will have plenty of options to choose from with the No. 3 pick in the 2025 NBA draft on June 25, but it appears that there is one player that continues to pop up in the minds of most: Rutgers star Ace Bailey. It appears that the consensus of this draft will be Duke phenom Cooper Flagg will go No. 1 to the Dallas Mavericks while Rutgers star Dylan Harper will go No. 2 to the San Antonio Spurs. The next logical choice would by Bailey going to Philadelphia with the No. 3 pick. If the Sixers were to select Bailey, it appears he already has a fan on the team in the form of Paul George. The 9-time All-Star continues to praise him as he stated on "Podcast P with Paul George": What I love about him is that I think he has big-time potential. He has big-time talent. He can score from any spot on the floor. He has an isolation game, which you don't see that often in kids that size, that early. He can make plays. He can shoot over top of defenses. He can take advantage of mismatches. He can handle the ball in pick-and-rolls. He can catch-and-shoot. He can defend. I've seen him play elite defense. There is a lot that Bailey can do on the floor. He has a lot of length and athleticism which makes him a valuable player on defense. There are question marks about his ability on the offensive end, but he has the ability to put the ball in the basket at a high level. He just needs to improve his shot selection. That is something that will hold him back in the beginning, but should improve over time.
USA Today
2 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Former Sixers big man Montrezl Harrell signs deal with NBL's 36ers
Former Sixers big man Montrezl Harrell signs deal with NBL's 36ers Former Philadelphia 76ers big man Montrezl Harrell had a productive NBA career in his eight seasons in the league. He won a 6th Man of the Year award with the Los Angeles Clippers in 2020 and has career averages of 12.1 points and 5.0 rebounds in the league. In his last season in the league, Harrell played for the Sixers and averaged 5.6 points and 2.8 rebounds while filling in for a backup role behind Joel Embiid. He was also a mentor to young big man Paul Reed as he continued to push him forward at the time. As he continues with his basketball career, Harrell will remain overseas playing for the NBL's Adelaide 36ers in Australia. Per ESPN's Olgun Uluc: Montrezl Harrell has agreed to a new one-year deal to return to the Adelaide 36ers, his agent Darrell Comer, Senior VP of CSE Talent told ESPN. Harrell, 31, played eight seasons in the NBA, with the last coming with the Philadelphia 76ers during the 2022-23 regular season. He averaged 5.6 points and 2.8 rebounds per game that season. It appears that Harrell has found a home with the 36ers as he continues his professional basketball career.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
3 trade targets for the Philadelphia 76ers in the upcoming offseason
The main goal for the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2025 offseason is to get healthy. They finished 24-58 in what was a miserable season due to all of the injuries suffered by Joel Embiid, Paul George, Tyrese Maxey, and plenty of others. If the Sixers get those three healthy, they will be back in business. However, the Sixers could also use some reliable depth. When one looks around the landscape of the NBA Playoffs at the moment, the teams that went deep into the postseason relied on their depth. It wasn't just a Big 3--like in Philadelphia's case--it's been about making sure players off the bench can help. Advertisement Therefore, there are a handful of moves the Sixers can make to improve their overall depth as time moves on. Here are three trade targets that make sense for Philadelphia: Kenrich Williams Apr 11, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kenrich Williams (34) passes the ball pu the court during the second quarter against the Utah Jazz at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Nicoll-Imagn Images 2024-25 stats: 6.3 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 1.4 apg, 0.6 spg, 48.3% FG, 38.6% 3FG, 16.4 mpg Williams will make $7.1 million in 2025-26 and had a team option for the 2026-27 season. He is a reliable player who can knock down an open 3 and gets after it on the defensive end. The Sixers could always use a player of his stature on the roster. He is somebody that does the dirty work off the bench and would be able to give Philadelphia a spark. He shot 40.9% on catch-and-shoot 3s per the NBA's tracking database and that bodes well for a team like the Sixers. Dalton Knecht Apr 4, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Dalton Knecht (4) reacts after a 3-point basket in the first half against the New Orleans Pelicans at Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images 2024-25 stats: 9.1 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 0.8 apg, 0.3 spg, 46.1% FG, 37.6% 3FG, 19.2 mpg Advertisement The Lakers already tried trading Knecht at the deadline in an effort to acquire a big man. Maybe the Sixers can swoop in and offer up Andre Drummond as a possibility. The Sixers would then clear some more cap space to re-sign Quentin Grimes while Knecht would come off the bench and knock down some wide-open looks. He was a key contributor on LA's playoff team in 2025 so he has the experience of playing in high pressure situations which would help Philadelphia in this case for the second unit. Cam Johnson Mar 29, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Brooklyn Nets forward Cameron Johnson (2) looks on during the second half against the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images 2024-25 stats: 18.8 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 3.4 apg, 0.9 spg, 47.5% FG, 39% 3FG, 31.6 mpg Johnson would be a big addition if the Sixers were interested. He is a legitimated 3-point shooter, can make plays for others when he puts the ball on the floor, and his $20 million salary is reasonable for today's market. The Sixers would likely have to send Brooklyn the No. 3 pick, but that isn't a bad thing. Philadelphia would be bringing in a proven player in Johnson while creating more cap space to bring back both Grimes and Guerschon Yabusele in free agency--by moving off the No. 3 pick's salary for the 2025-26 season. Johnson would slide into the starting lineup and be a reliable offensive option. This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: 3 trade targets for the Philadelphia 76ers in the upcoming offseason
