The guy doesn't get enough credit for sticking it out as long as he has and, seemingly, wants to play his whole career as a Sixers. I bet 9/10 other stars would've requested a trade with all the team's been through.
Also...guess I need to turn notifications on for Shams now. RIP WOJ
The guy doesn't get enough credit for sticking it out as long as he has and, seemingly, wants to play his whole career as a Sixers. I bet 9/10 other stars would've requested a trade with all the team's been through.
Also...guess I need to turn notifications on for Shams now. RIP WOJ
I was gonna say - Shams is Woj now right? Assuming he'll go to ESPN and get paid 50MM
It's been my biggest fear, honestly, for this team: at some point him just saying "ya know, fuck it."
"The Philadelphia 76ers announced this morning that they have signed Joel Embiid to a three-year, $192.9 million contract extension that will keep the star big man under contract through the 2028-29 season.
“I started a Sixer and want to be right here for the rest of my career. I had no idea when I was drafted as a 20-year-old kid from Cameroon how lucky I was to be in Philadelphia,” Embiid said in a press release issued by the team announcing the signing. “Through all the ups and downs, this city and the fans have been everything, and I am so grateful for how they’ve embraced me. I want to thank Josh, David, and the entire organization. Philadelphia is home and it’s time to bring this community an NBA championship.”
Embiid, selected by the Sixers out of Kansas with the third overall selection in the 2014 NBA draft, is a 7x All-Star, 5x All-NBA Team selection, has led the league in scoring twice, was the 2023 NBA MVP, and just recently won a gold medal with Team USA in the 2024 Olympics.
Here’s a quick explainer on some of the details of the contract.
Contract length
The deal is being billed as a 3-year, $192.9 million contract, but it only extends Embiid for an addition two years beyond what he was already under contract for.
The reason for that is because under Embiid’s previous deal the 2026-27 season was a player option. In order to extend Embiid that option has to be declined, with a new, guaranteed season in its place. So one of the the three seasons in the three-year deal is really just a slight modification to a season that Embiid was already under contract for.
Here’s a breakdown of the contract that Embiid was previously signed to, compared to what he is now signed to. (P) indicates that the season is a player option. The rest of the seasons are guaranteed.
Season
Previous deal
New deal
2024-25
$51.4m
$51.4m
2025-26
$55.2m
$55.2m
2026-27
$59.0m (P)
$59.5m
2027-28
n/a
$64.3m
2028-29
n/a
$69.1m (P)
The final three seasons are based on salary cap projections
The 2026-27, 2027-28, and 2028-29 seasons are currently projections, and can change slightly depending on what happens to the salary cap between now and when the new deal kicks in at the start of the 2026-27 season.
Essentially, the new extension starts in 2026-27 and at 35% of the salary cap, whatever that ends up being. Currently, the cap for the 2026-27 season is projected to come in at $170.112 million, and 35% of that is $59.539 million, which we are using as the starting point of his new deal. The 2027-28 and 2028-29 seasons then increase by 8% off of the base year, good for annual raises of $4.763 million.
The rising salary cap Seeing Embiid scheduled to earn upwards of $70 million at the end of this contract will create a lot of sticker shock for fans, especially since Embiid was making less than half of that ($33.6 million) just a season ago.
But it’s always important to remember that it’s not the dollar amount that impacts a team’s flexibility, but what percentage of the salary cap that a player takes up. And the cap, which stood at just $94 million when Embiid made his NBA debut back in 2016, is projected to be more than $200 million at the end of this new contract.
In fact, because the salary cap is projected to increase at a faster rate than the 8% max raises that players can negotiate, Embiid will take up less of the salary cap at the end of the deal than he currently does.
Season
Embiid’s salary
Salary cap
% of cap
2024-25
$51.4m
$140.6m
36.6%
2025-26
$55.2m
$154.6m
35.7%
2026-27
$59.5m
$170.1m
35.0%
2027-28
$64.3m
$187.1m
34.4%
2028-29
$69.1m
$205.8m
33.6%
Which isn’t to say that there are no concerns with the Embiid contract, as he is a 280-pound, oft-injured big man with a long list of lower body injuries who will turn 35 years old during the final season of this contract. But in terms of flexibility under the salary cap, it’s always important to look at the new contract in relation to the salary cap, as the consistent, year-over-year increases to the cap will present a lot of sticker shock over the next few years
A really expensive core of Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Paul George The impacts of the new luxury tax system, the apron, and second apron, on team building are beyond the scope of this article*, but it’s important to acknowledge that this core is going to be really, really expensive.
* Note: I detailed the impacts of the revamped, and far more punitive, luxury tax system, along with the team building limitations that the apron and second apron rules place on high-spending teams, in a series of Diehard articles over the summer. Those are worth checking out if you want to get deep in the weeds of what this all means.
That means that Daryl Morey has to get creative to field a capable team of role players around them, and that Josh Harris is going to have to put his money where his mouth is to keep this team competitive throughout the rest of Joel Embiid’s prime.
Here is a quick table displaying how the contracts of just Embiid, Maxey and George put the Sixers in relation to the projected salary cap, luxury tax, and apron thresholds over the next four seasons, of which all three of the Sixers’ tentpole stars will be under contract.
Salary
2024-25
2025-26
2026-27
2027-28
Embiid, Maxey, George
$135.8m
$144.8m
$154.4m
$164.5m
Cap
$140.6m
$154.6m
$170.1m
$187.1m
Tax
$170.8m
$187.9m
$206.7m
$227.4m
Apron
$178.1m
$196.0m
$215.5m
$237.1m
2nd Apron
$188.9m
$207.8m
$228.6m
$251.4m
Expressed another way, here is what percentage of the salary cap, luxury tax, apron and second apron that just the big three will take up in their four seasons together.
Percentage
2024-25
2025-26
2026-27
2027-28
Cap
96.6%
93.7%
90.8%
87.9%
Tax
79.5%
77.1%
75.0%
72.3%
Apron
76.2%
73.9%
71.6%
69.4%
2nd Apron
71.9%
69.7%
67.5%
65.4%
None of which is to suggest that you should shed a tear for Josh Harris, as the rising salary cap is only happening because revenue is increasing across the league.
But this is an ownership group that has paid the luxury tax just twice in their 13 years of ownership, and have never footed a luxury tax bill of more than $16 million in a season. They could have seasons coming up where the tax bill is 10x that.
The franchise that Harris and Co. bought for a reported $280 million back in 2011 is now valued at upwards of $4.3 billion in the latest Forbes estimate. It is time for Josh Harris to show up."
From the beginning the Sixers stated they're not using public funds. And I understand not believing it until it's actually done, but that can be said for anywhere they go. If anything if they went to Camden they would get a gross amount of incentives & tax advantages.
From the beginning the Sixers stated they're not using public funds. And I understand not believing it until it's actually done, but that can be said for anywhere they go. If anything if they went to Camden they would get a gross amount of incentives & tax advantages.
I believe they are leasing the land from the city so they don't have to pay taxes though.
Also saw they want to bring a WNBA team to the new arena. That would be cool.
From the beginning the Sixers stated they're not using public funds. And I understand not believing it until it's actually done, but that can be said for anywhere they go. If anything if they went to Camden they would get a gross amount of incentives & tax advantages.
I believe they are leasing the land from the city so they don't have to pay taxes though.
Also saw they want to bring a WNBA team to the new arena. That would be cool.
Yeah I think the WNBA team is now a slam dunk, and we'll overdue for a city our size.
Right, they're paying PILOTS, which aren't great, ala UPenn. But it's better than the project literally being funded by bonds/public financing.
I know the Bears basically leased the land from Chicago and are (I think they still are) leaving for the 'burbs. Which is incredibly dumb, that stadium and location kicks ass.
From the beginning the Sixers stated they're not using public funds. And I understand not believing it until it's actually done, but that can be said for anywhere they go. If anything if they went to Camden they would get a gross amount of incentives & tax advantages.
I believe they are leasing the land from the city so they don't have to pay taxes though.
Also saw they want to bring a WNBA team to the new arena. That would be cool.
Yeah I think the WNBA team is now a slam dunk, and we'll overdue for a city our size.
Right, they're paying PILOTS, which aren't great, ala UPenn. But it's better than the project literally being funded by bonds/public financing.
I know the Bears basically leased the land from Chicago and are (I think they still are) leaving for the 'burbs. Which is incredibly dumb, that stadium and location kicks ass.
They almost put the Jets/Giants stadium in the midtown where Hudson yards is now. I could only imagine the traffic that would have caused...
8/28/98- Camden, NJ
10/31/09- Philly
5/21/10- NYC
9/2/12- Philly, PA
7/19/13- Wrigley
10/19/13- Brooklyn, NY
10/21/13- Philly, PA
10/22/13- Philly, PA
10/27/13- Baltimore, MD
4/28/16- Philly, PA
4/29/16- Philly, PA
5/1/16- NYC
5/2/16- NYC
9/2/18- Boston, MA
9/4/18- Boston, MA
9/14/22- Camden, NJ
9/7/24- Philly, PA
9/9/24- Philly, PA
Tres Mts.- 3/23/11- Philly. PA
Eddie Vedder- 6/25/11- Philly, PA
RNDM- 3/9/16- Philly, PA
Vegas 93, Vegas 98, Vegas 00 (10 year show), Vegas 03, Vegas 06
VIC 07
EV LA1 08
Seattle1 09, Seattle2 09, Salt Lake 09, LA4 09
Columbus 10
EV LA 11
Vancouver 11
Missoula 12
Portland 13, Spokane 13
St. Paul 14, Denver 14
You ready for the Maxey All NBA jump, wobs?!? He's coming!
I think I’m ready. Not sure.
If I had known then what I know now...
Vegas 93, Vegas 98, Vegas 00 (10 year show), Vegas 03, Vegas 06
VIC 07
EV LA1 08
Seattle1 09, Seattle2 09, Salt Lake 09, LA4 09
Columbus 10
EV LA 11
Vancouver 11
Missoula 12
Portland 13, Spokane 13
St. Paul 14, Denver 14
How the 76ers plan to get Joel Embiid to the Finals: 'There's one thing missing'
THE PHILADELPHIA 76ERS might have won the NBA offseason, but not before massively gambling on the franchise's future.
After falling in six games to the New York Knicks in the first round of the 2024 playoffs, Philadelphia entered the offseason with just two players under contract: 2023 undrafted rookie guard Ricky Council IV and 2023 Most Valuable Player Joel Embiid.
"It's probably not recommended," 76ers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey told ESPN with a laugh while speaking on the team's high-wire act this summer. "But it was definitely the best plan -- even though it was a very, very risky plan."
It was a risk the franchise believed it needed to take.
After several years of instability, drama and a revolving door of stars slotting next to Embiid -- from Jimmy Butler to Ben Simmons to James Harden -- the 76ers have surrounded Embiid with a stable cast of supporting talent, led by a pair of co-stars in Maxey and George. And after years of watching their superstar center deal with season-defining injuries, the 76ers appear to have ramped up their plan to keep Embiid healthy as he chases the feat eluding his Hall of Fame career.
"I've accomplished everything [individually]," Embiid told ESPN. "But there's one thing missing, which is to win a championship."
EMBIID'S CAREER HAS been hampered by ill-timed injuries, most notably in the playoffs.
He suffered facial fractures in 2018 and 2022 and knee injuries in 2021 and 2023. Last season, Embiid was on pace to join Wilt Chamberlain as the only players in NBA history with more points than minutes played, but a left knee injury in late January forced him out until April with little ramp-up time heading into the postseason. (Embiid also revealed during the first round that he had been playing through Bell's palsy.)
As a result, after the Knicks series ended, Embiid texted Morey.
"'We got to do whatever it takes to make sure that in the postseason I'm healthy,'" Embiid recalled at the team's media day last month.
The 30-year-old Embiid is doing his part, arriving at training camp having lost 25 to 30 pounds with the goal to lose more. Pointing to how Hall of Fame big man Tim Duncan transformed his body as his career progressed as inspiration, Embiid hopes a slimmer version of himself can better handle the rigors of the NBA season. "It's just the evolution of your body, and getting older and finding ways to stay afloat and be as dominant as I've always been," he said.
And, after playing in just 433 of a possible 637 games across the past eight seasons -- not counting the first two years of his career that were lost to foot injuries -- Embiid's days of playing back-to-backs appear to be over.
"If I had to guess," Embiid said, "I would probably never play back-to-backs the rest of my career."
"We're going to be smart about it," Morey said. "Part of being smart about it is having both Paul and Joel probably not play many back to backs, if any."
Paul George joins Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey in the quest to end the 76ers' 41-year title drought. Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images
It has become an organization-wide priority to get Embiid, who on Sunday was ruled out for the rest of the preseason as he ramps up for the 76ers' season opener against the Milwaukee Bucks, to the playoffs in the best health possible.
For Nurse, Philly's plan should look familiar. Nurse coached Kawhi Leonard during the Raptors' breakthrough championship season in 2018-19, during which Leonard played just 60 games and sat one leg of every back-to-back. The plan helped Leonard play all 24 games during Toronto's postseason run, averaging 30.5 points and 39.1 minutes per game en route to Finals MVP.
For Embiid and Philadelphia, emulating that plan could present a challenge. In 2018-19, the Raptors went 17-5 in the 22 games Leonard sat. Nurse, though, was quick to point out that the version of the East was far shallower, in terms of top-end teams, than the current conference projects.
"It wasn't the same deal," Nurse told ESPN. "But I'm OK with that. I don't think we can get super caught up with [getting to] 45 wins, 55 wins or 65 wins."
Embiid will also -- begrudgingly -- continue to wear a brace on the left knee he injured in January. But while he has always been uncomfortable wearing either a facemask or brace at any point in his career, he said it won't stop him from doing the things that have made him one of the league's most dominant forces.
"It's the right thing to do, and the right thing that's going to give me the support for the rest of my career," Embiid said. "For me, it's a mental thing. I hated it. [But] I started telling myself, 'OK, I have to do it, that's the only way they're going to let me play. ...
"It might not look as good as it used to, with the jab or the pull-up and all that stuff, but it'll still work."
IN THE OPENING hours of free agency, Drummond looked at his phone and saw a surprising name pop up. It was Embiid. He was hoping for a reunion.
"Getting a phone call from the best center in the NBA saying, 'I need you here' ... it's hard to tell him no," Drummond told ESPN with a smile. "I spoke to a lot of teams this summer, and he was probably the third or fourth person to call me.
"I wasn't even expecting to hear from him. ... He just gave me an idea of what he was looking for and he needed me to come back to really help him out to win something bigger than him. He's already been an MVP, he's got his scoring title ... he's done everything.
"And now he's going to try to win a championship."
Landing Drummond -- arguably the best backup center in the NBA and someone, sources told ESPN, Philadelphia has repeatedly tried to get back with the franchise since trading him in the Harden deal two years ago -- should help the 76ers avoid hemorrhaging points whenever their superstar center is on the bench.
Across each of the past four seasons, the 76ers have been at least 10 points per 100 possessions better with Embiid on the court than when he sits. And even with the series of injuries he has had in the playoffs, and when his individual numbers have dipped, that disparity has carried over.
For example, Philadelphia outscored New York by 46 points in 248 minutes with Embiid on the court in their six-game series in last season's playoffs. The Knicks outscored the the 76ers by 47 points in the 45 minutes he sat.
"The splits the last couple years, and even the series against New York, we can't have that," Embiid said. "When we put another team on the floor, we got to make sure that we have enough to stay afloat, so [recruiting] was a big deal for me."
Philadelphia knew it would need more than just Drummond to solve its depth issue. The 76ers initially expected to be in play for Martin only if George opted to stay with the Clippers or went elsewhere in free agency. Instead, Philadelphia swooped in and landed him on a four-year deal when the market broke against him. Now, Martin, George and Oubre -- one of the best value signings in the league last season who returned on a two-year, $16 million deal -- will all start, with Gordon and Lowry both providing veteran depth.
"I like where we stack up," George told ESPN. "As we've been saying, Joel, he's still a trump card, right? There's nobody that can really match up with him. And then you just have great complimentary pieces around him.
"There's just so much talent in this group. We can play fast, we can play small, we can play big, we can be a great defensive group. We can be really good offensively. ... it's definitely going to make for a fun season."
Still, the 76ers are hopeful this season will see them tell a different story after repeated postseason disappointments. By making the number of quality additions that it did, Philadelphia believes it can stick to its plan to monitor the games and minutes for both Embiid and George, preserving their health for later. The drama from the past few years has seemingly been left in the past, too, with annual roster uncertainty giving way to a core under contract for the next several years.
"The names on the sheet look really good, but this isn't 2K. It's not fantasy basketball. It's real life," Maxey told ESPN. "So the pieces got to fit together. If we get the pieces to fit together, then we play extremely hard, then we have a chance."
"That's a question I can only answer after we get on the floor," Embiid said, when asked if he saw this season as his best chance to break through for a title. "We've got a pretty good amount of talent, but you've still got to go out and figure out how to do it.
"That's why I'm excited for everybody to just be locked in for a couple years. ... We've got a pretty good chance to accomplish something."
8/28/98- Camden, NJ
10/31/09- Philly
5/21/10- NYC
9/2/12- Philly, PA
7/19/13- Wrigley
10/19/13- Brooklyn, NY
10/21/13- Philly, PA
10/22/13- Philly, PA
10/27/13- Baltimore, MD
4/28/16- Philly, PA
4/29/16- Philly, PA
5/1/16- NYC
5/2/16- NYC
9/2/18- Boston, MA
9/4/18- Boston, MA
9/14/22- Camden, NJ
9/7/24- Philly, PA
9/9/24- Philly, PA
Tres Mts.- 3/23/11- Philly. PA
Eddie Vedder- 6/25/11- Philly, PA
RNDM- 3/9/16- Philly, PA
My bro in law who's buddy works at the Sixers confirmed it's not a new thing with Jo, just that the ramp up is a little behind due to the workload over the summer. Hopefully will be ready next week.
it's not a new thing with Jo, just that the ramp up is a little behind due to the workload over the summer. Hopefully will be ready next week.
huh? workload?
If I had known then what I know now...
Vegas 93, Vegas 98, Vegas 00 (10 year show), Vegas 03, Vegas 06
VIC 07
EV LA1 08
Seattle1 09, Seattle2 09, Salt Lake 09, LA4 09
Columbus 10
EV LA 11
Vancouver 11
Missoula 12
Portland 13, Spokane 13
St. Paul 14, Denver 14
it's not a new thing with Jo, just that the ramp up is a little behind due to the workload over the summer. Hopefully will be ready next week.
huh? workload?
The Olympics?
I didn’t think he played, but I guess he did. Seems dumb to me. I hate pros playing in the Olympics.
anyway, weren’t the olympics like three months ago? seems like a guy could have rested and “ramped up” by now.
If I had known then what I know now...
Vegas 93, Vegas 98, Vegas 00 (10 year show), Vegas 03, Vegas 06
VIC 07
EV LA1 08
Seattle1 09, Seattle2 09, Salt Lake 09, LA4 09
Columbus 10
EV LA 11
Vancouver 11
Missoula 12
Portland 13, Spokane 13
St. Paul 14, Denver 14
it's not a new thing with Jo, just that the ramp up is a little behind due to the workload over the summer. Hopefully will be ready next week.
huh? workload?
The Olympics?
I didn’t think he played, but I guess he did. Seems dumb to me. I hate pros playing in the Olympics.
anyway, weren’t the olympics like three months ago? seems like a guy could have rested and “ramped up” by now.
The Olympics are a tough, grueling test that leaves the competitors unable to participate in basketball activities for months, maybe years after Wob. It greatly affects their ability to perform in NBA openers 75 days later. Just look at the US roster and how they were hampered on opening night:
Bam Adebayo: 26 Minutes, 9 points 5 Rebounds, 1 assist Devin Booker: 32 Minutes, 15 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists Steph Curry: 25 minutes, 17 points, 9 rebounds. 10 assists Anthony Davis: 38 minutes, 36 points, 16 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 blocks, Kevin Durant: 44 minutes, 25 points, 7 rebounds, 0 assists Anthony Edwards: 41 minutes, 27 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists Joel Embiid: Resting and ramping up due to the workload Tyrese Haliburton: 35 minutes, 15 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists Jrue Holiday: 31 minutes, 18 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists LeBron James: 35 minutes, 16 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 hug with unqualified to be on NBA roster son Jayson Tatum: 30 minutes, 37 points, 4 rebounds, 10 assists Derrick White: 27 minutes, 24 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists
Comments
Also...guess I need to turn notifications on for Shams now. RIP WOJ
It's been my biggest fear, honestly, for this team: at some point him just saying "ya know, fuck it."
“I started a Sixer and want to be right here for the rest of my career. I had no idea when I was drafted as a 20-year-old kid from Cameroon how lucky I was to be in Philadelphia,” Embiid said in a press release issued by the team announcing the signing. “Through all the ups and downs, this city and the fans have been everything, and I am so grateful for how they’ve embraced me. I want to thank Josh, David, and the entire organization. Philadelphia is home and it’s time to bring this community an NBA championship.”
Embiid, selected by the Sixers out of Kansas with the third overall selection in the 2014 NBA draft, is a 7x All-Star, 5x All-NBA Team selection, has led the league in scoring twice, was the 2023 NBA MVP, and just recently won a gold medal with Team USA in the 2024 Olympics.
Note: You can listen to an emergency podcast where Devon Givens and I reacted to the news here.
Here’s a quick explainer on some of the details of the contract.
Contract length
The deal is being billed as a 3-year, $192.9 million contract, but it only extends Embiid for an addition two years beyond what he was already under contract for.
The reason for that is because under Embiid’s previous deal the 2026-27 season was a player option. In order to extend Embiid that option has to be declined, with a new, guaranteed season in its place. So one of the the three seasons in the three-year deal is really just a slight modification to a season that Embiid was already under contract for.
Here’s a breakdown of the contract that Embiid was previously signed to, compared to what he is now signed to. (P) indicates that the season is a player option. The rest of the seasons are guaranteed.
The final three seasons are based on salary cap projections
The 2026-27, 2027-28, and 2028-29 seasons are currently projections, and can change slightly depending on what happens to the salary cap between now and when the new deal kicks in at the start of the 2026-27 season.
Essentially, the new extension starts in 2026-27 and at 35% of the salary cap, whatever that ends up being. Currently, the cap for the 2026-27 season is projected to come in at $170.112 million, and 35% of that is $59.539 million, which we are using as the starting point of his new deal. The 2027-28 and 2028-29 seasons then increase by 8% off of the base year, good for annual raises of $4.763 million.
The rising salary cap
Seeing Embiid scheduled to earn upwards of $70 million at the end of this contract will create a lot of sticker shock for fans, especially since Embiid was making less than half of that ($33.6 million) just a season ago.
But it’s always important to remember that it’s not the dollar amount that impacts a team’s flexibility, but what percentage of the salary cap that a player takes up. And the cap, which stood at just $94 million when Embiid made his NBA debut back in 2016, is projected to be more than $200 million at the end of this new contract.
In fact, because the salary cap is projected to increase at a faster rate than the 8% max raises that players can negotiate, Embiid will take up less of the salary cap at the end of the deal than he currently does.
Which isn’t to say that there are no concerns with the Embiid contract, as he is a 280-pound, oft-injured big man with a long list of lower body injuries who will turn 35 years old during the final season of this contract. But in terms of flexibility under the salary cap, it’s always important to look at the new contract in relation to the salary cap, as the consistent, year-over-year increases to the cap will present a lot of sticker shock over the next few years
A really expensive core of Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Paul George
The impacts of the new luxury tax system, the apron, and second apron, on team building are beyond the scope of this article*, but it’s important to acknowledge that this core is going to be really, really expensive.
* Note: I detailed the impacts of the revamped, and far more punitive, luxury tax system, along with the team building limitations that the apron and second apron rules place on high-spending teams, in a series of Diehard articles over the summer. Those are worth checking out if you want to get deep in the weeds of what this all means.
That means that Daryl Morey has to get creative to field a capable team of role players around them, and that Josh Harris is going to have to put his money where his mouth is to keep this team competitive throughout the rest of Joel Embiid’s prime.
Here is a quick table displaying how the contracts of just Embiid, Maxey and George put the Sixers in relation to the projected salary cap, luxury tax, and apron thresholds over the next four seasons, of which all three of the Sixers’ tentpole stars will be under contract.
Expressed another way, here is what percentage of the salary cap, luxury tax, apron and second apron that just the big three will take up in their four seasons together.
None of which is to suggest that you should shed a tear for Josh Harris, as the rising salary cap is only happening because revenue is increasing across the league.
But this is an ownership group that has paid the luxury tax just twice in their 13 years of ownership, and have never footed a luxury tax bill of more than $16 million in a season. They could have seasons coming up where the tax bill is 10x that.
The franchise that Harris and Co. bought for a reported $280 million back in 2011 is now valued at upwards of $4.3 billion in the latest Forbes estimate. It is time for Josh Harris to show up."
https://x.com/jmoreno76ers/status/1839063865327497514?t=JicTKgP0jlHFA_JbKzadxA&s=19
From the beginning the Sixers stated they're not using public funds. And I understand not believing it until it's actually done, but that can be said for anywhere they go. If anything if they went to Camden they would get a gross amount of incentives & tax advantages.
Also saw they want to bring a WNBA team to the new arena. That would be cool.
Right, they're paying PILOTS, which aren't great, ala UPenn. But it's better than the project literally being funded by bonds/public financing.
I know the Bears basically leased the land from Chicago and are (I think they still are) leaving for the 'burbs. Which is incredibly dumb, that stadium and location kicks ass.
https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:US:b46f6990-7498-439f-89fb-7f0174916ab7
58 is way to young.
RIP Dikembe
10/31/09- Philly
5/21/10- NYC
9/2/12- Philly, PA
7/19/13- Wrigley
10/19/13- Brooklyn, NY
10/21/13- Philly, PA
10/22/13- Philly, PA
10/27/13- Baltimore, MD
4/28/16- Philly, PA
4/29/16- Philly, PA
5/1/16- NYC
5/2/16- NYC
9/2/18- Boston, MA
9/4/18- Boston, MA
9/14/22- Camden, NJ
9/7/24- Philly, PA
9/9/24- Philly, PA
Eddie Vedder- 6/25/11- Philly, PA
RNDM- 3/9/16- Philly, PA
RIP
Vegas 93, Vegas 98, Vegas 00 (10 year show), Vegas 03, Vegas 06
VIC 07
EV LA1 08
Seattle1 09, Seattle2 09, Salt Lake 09, LA4 09
Columbus 10
EV LA 11
Vancouver 11
Missoula 12
Portland 13, Spokane 13
St. Paul 14, Denver 14
Vegas 93, Vegas 98, Vegas 00 (10 year show), Vegas 03, Vegas 06
VIC 07
EV LA1 08
Seattle1 09, Seattle2 09, Salt Lake 09, LA4 09
Columbus 10
EV LA 11
Vancouver 11
Missoula 12
Portland 13, Spokane 13
St. Paul 14, Denver 14
Looks to be about the same for PG---excited to see him play tonight.
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/41782531/how-76ers-plan-get-joel-embiid-nba-finals
How the 76ers plan to get Joel Embiid to the Finals: 'There's one thing missing'
THE PHILADELPHIA 76ERS might have won the NBA offseason, but not before massively gambling on the franchise's future.
After falling in six games to the New York Knicks in the first round of the 2024 playoffs, Philadelphia entered the offseason with just two players under contract: 2023 undrafted rookie guard Ricky Council IV and 2023 Most Valuable Player Joel Embiid.
But within a few weeks, the 76ers had transformed themselves into a championship threat once again. Paul George left his hometown of Los Angeles to join Philly on a four-year maximum deal, the first current All-Star to change teams in free agency in five years. Tyrese Maxey, after being told to wait his turn the prior summer to preserve cap space rather than signing a rookie contract extension, landed a new five-year max contract. Kelly Oubre Jr. and Kyle Lowry re-signed, and Caleb Martin, Eric Gordon and Andre Drummond were brought in. And last month, Embiid signed a three-year contract extension of his own.
"It's probably not recommended," 76ers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey told ESPN with a laugh while speaking on the team's high-wire act this summer. "But it was definitely the best plan -- even though it was a very, very risky plan."
It was a risk the franchise believed it needed to take.
After several years of instability, drama and a revolving door of stars slotting next to Embiid -- from Jimmy Butler to Ben Simmons to James Harden -- the 76ers have surrounded Embiid with a stable cast of supporting talent, led by a pair of co-stars in Maxey and George. And after years of watching their superstar center deal with season-defining injuries, the 76ers appear to have ramped up their plan to keep Embiid healthy as he chases the feat eluding his Hall of Fame career.
"I've accomplished everything [individually]," Embiid told ESPN. "But there's one thing missing, which is to win a championship."
EMBIID'S CAREER HAS been hampered by ill-timed injuries, most notably in the playoffs.
He suffered facial fractures in 2018 and 2022 and knee injuries in 2021 and 2023. Last season, Embiid was on pace to join Wilt Chamberlain as the only players in NBA history with more points than minutes played, but a left knee injury in late January forced him out until April with little ramp-up time heading into the postseason. (Embiid also revealed during the first round that he had been playing through Bell's palsy.)
As a result, after the Knicks series ended, Embiid texted Morey.
"'We got to do whatever it takes to make sure that in the postseason I'm healthy,'" Embiid recalled at the team's media day last month.
The 30-year-old Embiid is doing his part, arriving at training camp having lost 25 to 30 pounds with the goal to lose more. Pointing to how Hall of Fame big man Tim Duncan transformed his body as his career progressed as inspiration, Embiid hopes a slimmer version of himself can better handle the rigors of the NBA season. "It's just the evolution of your body, and getting older and finding ways to stay afloat and be as dominant as I've always been," he said.
And, after playing in just 433 of a possible 637 games across the past eight seasons -- not counting the first two years of his career that were lost to foot injuries -- Embiid's days of playing back-to-backs appear to be over.
"If I had to guess," Embiid said, "I would probably never play back-to-backs the rest of my career."
"We're going to be smart about it," Morey said. "Part of being smart about it is having both Paul and Joel probably not play many back to backs, if any."
It has become an organization-wide priority to get Embiid, who on Sunday was ruled out for the rest of the preseason as he ramps up for the 76ers' season opener against the Milwaukee Bucks, to the playoffs in the best health possible.
For Nurse, Philly's plan should look familiar. Nurse coached Kawhi Leonard during the Raptors' breakthrough championship season in 2018-19, during which Leonard played just 60 games and sat one leg of every back-to-back. The plan helped Leonard play all 24 games during Toronto's postseason run, averaging 30.5 points and 39.1 minutes per game en route to Finals MVP.
For Embiid and Philadelphia, emulating that plan could present a challenge. In 2018-19, the Raptors went 17-5 in the 22 games Leonard sat. Nurse, though, was quick to point out that the version of the East was far shallower, in terms of top-end teams, than the current conference projects.
"It wasn't the same deal," Nurse told ESPN. "But I'm OK with that. I don't think we can get super caught up with [getting to] 45 wins, 55 wins or 65 wins."
Embiid will also -- begrudgingly -- continue to wear a brace on the left knee he injured in January. But while he has always been uncomfortable wearing either a facemask or brace at any point in his career, he said it won't stop him from doing the things that have made him one of the league's most dominant forces.
"It's the right thing to do, and the right thing that's going to give me the support for the rest of my career," Embiid said. "For me, it's a mental thing. I hated it. [But] I started telling myself, 'OK, I have to do it, that's the only way they're going to let me play. ...
"It might not look as good as it used to, with the jab or the pull-up and all that stuff, but it'll still work."
IN THE OPENING hours of free agency, Drummond looked at his phone and saw a surprising name pop up. It was Embiid. He was hoping for a reunion.
"Getting a phone call from the best center in the NBA saying, 'I need you here' ... it's hard to tell him no," Drummond told ESPN with a smile. "I spoke to a lot of teams this summer, and he was probably the third or fourth person to call me.
"I wasn't even expecting to hear from him. ... He just gave me an idea of what he was looking for and he needed me to come back to really help him out to win something bigger than him. He's already been an MVP, he's got his scoring title ... he's done everything.
"And now he's going to try to win a championship."
Landing Drummond -- arguably the best backup center in the NBA and someone, sources told ESPN, Philadelphia has repeatedly tried to get back with the franchise since trading him in the Harden deal two years ago -- should help the 76ers avoid hemorrhaging points whenever their superstar center is on the bench.
Across each of the past four seasons, the 76ers have been at least 10 points per 100 possessions better with Embiid on the court than when he sits. And even with the series of injuries he has had in the playoffs, and when his individual numbers have dipped, that disparity has carried over.
For example, Philadelphia outscored New York by 46 points in 248 minutes with Embiid on the court in their six-game series in last season's playoffs. The Knicks outscored the the 76ers by 47 points in the 45 minutes he sat.
"The splits the last couple years, and even the series against New York, we can't have that," Embiid said. "When we put another team on the floor, we got to make sure that we have enough to stay afloat, so [recruiting] was a big deal for me."
Philadelphia knew it would need more than just Drummond to solve its depth issue. The 76ers initially expected to be in play for Martin only if George opted to stay with the Clippers or went elsewhere in free agency. Instead, Philadelphia swooped in and landed him on a four-year deal when the market broke against him. Now, Martin, George and Oubre -- one of the best value signings in the league last season who returned on a two-year, $16 million deal -- will all start, with Gordon and Lowry both providing veteran depth.
"I like where we stack up," George told ESPN. "As we've been saying, Joel, he's still a trump card, right? There's nobody that can really match up with him. And then you just have great complimentary pieces around him.
"There's just so much talent in this group. We can play fast, we can play small, we can play big, we can be a great defensive group. We can be really good offensively. ... it's definitely going to make for a fun season."
In the East race, the defending champion Boston Celtics brought back their entire rotation, with Morey telling ESPN that he believes Boston is the NBA's best team since the Golden State Warriors had Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant together five years ago. The Knicks swung a pair of massive trades for Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns; the Milwaukee Bucks still have Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard; the Miami Heat still have Butler, Bam Adebayo and coach Erik Spoelstra; and young, up-and-coming teams, such as the Indiana Pacers, Cleveland Cavaliers and Orlando Magic, all believe they can finish in the top four in the conference.
Still, the 76ers are hopeful this season will see them tell a different story after repeated postseason disappointments. By making the number of quality additions that it did, Philadelphia believes it can stick to its plan to monitor the games and minutes for both Embiid and George, preserving their health for later. The drama from the past few years has seemingly been left in the past, too, with annual roster uncertainty giving way to a core under contract for the next several years.
"The names on the sheet look really good, but this isn't 2K. It's not fantasy basketball. It's real life," Maxey told ESPN. "So the pieces got to fit together. If we get the pieces to fit together, then we play extremely hard, then we have a chance."
"That's a question I can only answer after we get on the floor," Embiid said, when asked if he saw this season as his best chance to break through for a title. "We've got a pretty good amount of talent, but you've still got to go out and figure out how to do it.
"That's why I'm excited for everybody to just be locked in for a couple years. ... We've got a pretty good chance to accomplish something."
10/31/09- Philly
5/21/10- NYC
9/2/12- Philly, PA
7/19/13- Wrigley
10/19/13- Brooklyn, NY
10/21/13- Philly, PA
10/22/13- Philly, PA
10/27/13- Baltimore, MD
4/28/16- Philly, PA
4/29/16- Philly, PA
5/1/16- NYC
5/2/16- NYC
9/2/18- Boston, MA
9/4/18- Boston, MA
9/14/22- Camden, NJ
9/7/24- Philly, PA
9/9/24- Philly, PA
Eddie Vedder- 6/25/11- Philly, PA
RNDM- 3/9/16- Philly, PA
Anyone watch the game last night? Have a feeling the non Embiid minutes will be dramatically improved this year.
My bro in law who's buddy works at the Sixers confirmed it's not a new thing with Jo, just that the ramp up is a little behind due to the workload over the summer. Hopefully will be ready next week.
Vegas 93, Vegas 98, Vegas 00 (10 year show), Vegas 03, Vegas 06
VIC 07
EV LA1 08
Seattle1 09, Seattle2 09, Salt Lake 09, LA4 09
Columbus 10
EV LA 11
Vancouver 11
Missoula 12
Portland 13, Spokane 13
St. Paul 14, Denver 14
Vegas 93, Vegas 98, Vegas 00 (10 year show), Vegas 03, Vegas 06
VIC 07
EV LA1 08
Seattle1 09, Seattle2 09, Salt Lake 09, LA4 09
Columbus 10
EV LA 11
Vancouver 11
Missoula 12
Portland 13, Spokane 13
St. Paul 14, Denver 14
Just look at the US roster and how they were hampered on opening night:
Bam Adebayo: 26 Minutes, 9 points 5 Rebounds, 1 assist
Devin Booker: 32 Minutes, 15 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists
Steph Curry: 25 minutes, 17 points, 9 rebounds. 10 assists
Anthony Davis: 38 minutes, 36 points, 16 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 blocks,
Kevin Durant: 44 minutes, 25 points, 7 rebounds, 0 assists
Anthony Edwards: 41 minutes, 27 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists
Joel Embiid: Resting and ramping up due to the workload
Tyrese Haliburton: 35 minutes, 15 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists
Jrue Holiday: 31 minutes, 18 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists
LeBron James: 35 minutes, 16 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 hug with unqualified to be on NBA roster son
Jayson Tatum: 30 minutes, 37 points, 4 rebounds, 10 assists
Derrick White: 27 minutes, 24 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists