As the Philadelphia 76ers’ season winds down, fans have only one event in mind — the 2025 NBA Draft Lottery. Philadelphia hopes it can retain its first-round pick in the upcoming draft and if it's fortunate enough, it could land Cooper Flagg, who most believe is the best prospect in his class. It's easy for fans to fantasize about Flagg landing in Philadelphia, but one has to wonder, how will the 76ers move forward if this becomes a reality?
Flagg could change the 76ers' offseason plans
A player of Flagg’s potential could instantly change any organization's plans for the future, especially a team with a lot of uncertainty such as Philadelphia. If the 76ers acquire Flagg with the first overall pick, their short-term outlook could alter as the player selected first in this year’s draft will make $12.6 million next season. Philadelphia will likely want to retain Quentin Grimes and Guerschon Yabusele this summer and Flagg’s potential salary could make that extremely difficult.
Still, with Flagg’s two-way skillset, he’d perfectly complement Joel Embiid in the front-court — diminishing the need to break the bank to re-sign Yabusele. Heading into next season, the 76ers could roll out a starting lineup consisting of Embiid, Flagg, Tyrese Maxey, Paul George, and Jared McCain — depending on what happens with Grimes in the upcoming free agency period. Nonetheless, this unit is one of the best starting fives in the Eastern Conference on paper, but Philadelphia would need to stay healthy for it to work.
Should the 76ers enter a complete rebuild with Flagg?
While we’re on the subject of health, many have pitched for the 76ers to enter a full-on rebuild if they obtain Flagg. The rationale for this is that Philadelphia would have a foundation of Maxey, McCain, and Flagg that it could build on for years to come. For this to be a reality, the 76ers would have to ship off Embiid and George, but that task is easier said than done considering each player’s questionable longevity and expensive long-term contracts.
Embiid has one season remaining on his four-year/$213.2 million deal and will enter a three-year/$192.9 maximum contract extension in the 2026-27 campaign. With the 2023 Most Valuable Player set to undergo an arthroscopic procedure on his left knee this week, many have questioned if he can return to the level of dominance that we’ve grown accustomed to throughout the past few years. Simply put, Embiid’s trade market could be underwhelming and the 76ers may end up with pennies on the dollar in a potential trade package.
George will enter the second year of his four-year/$211.6 million contract next season, which will pay him $51.7 million for the year. Lingering injuries have kept George in and out of the lineup this season and he has shown visible regression as an offensive engine. Time will quickly tell if George’s injuries simply limited his impact or if he is indeed entering a phase of regression. Still, the nine-time all-star’s contract is now one of the worst deals in the NBA in terms of value – meaning his trade market could be just as poor as Embiid’s.
My Verdict
If Philadelphia is lucky enough to win the Flagg sweepstakes, it should stay put in terms of trading Embiid or George for now. With a core of Embiid, Maxey, George, McCain, Flagg, and possibly Grimes, the 76ers are one of the better teams in the NBA on paper and bound for the postseason. If Philadelphia can stay healthy and develop chemistry, we’re looking at one of its best rosters of the Embiid era. However, if that can’t be achieved, the 76ers should look to pivot to a new era consisting of Maxey, McCain, and Flagg in the 2026 offseason.