The Philadelphia 76ers need a lot of help this offseason to get right back into contention next season, but they definitely do not seem interested in helping themselves first.
Offseason has yet to officially begin, but the franchise is already gearing up to make a slew of key decisions in the next few weeks. The 2025 NBA Draft is coming up, and free agency will follow suit, meaning that the front office has little breating room a couple of weeks from now.
The 76ers are cash-strapped this time around, so Daryl Morey and his crew will have to find a way to maximize their resources and make timely swaps when needed, lest they risk sticking with what has clearly not worked and derail their chances at returning to relevance starting with the 2025-26 campaign.
Unfortunately, a new development points to the front office making a huge mistake and putting the team in a pretty bad footing to kickstart the summer.
The 76ers are about to make a huge mistake to start the offseason
According to The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Keith Pompey, there is a strong chance that veteran guard Kyle Lowry will return to the 76ers in free agency for a third season with the team.
“At the conclusion of this season, the 39-year-old expressed his desire to play one more season. And the former Cardinal Dougherty and Villanova standout specifically wants to do it with his hometown Sixers.”
The 76ers admittedly need a playmaker to bolster their rotation, but Lowry filling that role would disappoint many, especially given the kind of season he turned in this year. He declined so much in his 19th season in the league that it seemed like a foregone conclusion that he had already played his last game for the franchise.
But apparently, Philadelphia is sticking with the former All-Star, who is undoubtedly a favorite of Nick Nurse. Still, there is little merit to this impending move. After all, Lowry is coming off a campaign where he registered 3.9 points and 2.7 assists per game on a putrid 35 percent shooting from the field, including a meager 33 percent conversion rate from three-point territory, which is below league average.
At this point in time, the Philadelphia 76ers can no longer afford to make patently marginal moves like re-upping Kyle Lowry. Both the numbers and the eye test confirm in unison that he is way past his productive years, and by planning to gloss over those and welcome him back, we can probably say that the front office is of to a poor start this offseason.