As everyone knows, the Philadelphia 76ers remain entrenched in their ambitious track to win a championship and snap a title drought lasting more than four decades. Put more simply, the franchise is still firmly on its win-now disposition, and there is nothing stopping them from going full throttle with their current direction despite the utter lack of encouraging returns in recent years.
True enough, the 76ers have a top-heavy roster with most of their cap space already occupied by and earmarked for their troika of All-Stars in Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and Paul George. In effect, one might say that the team has actually handcuffed itself into settling with this nucleus, even though the initial results have been flat-out ugly.
Moving forward, Daryl Morey and his cohorts will most likely remain aggressive on the market, be it in free agency or in trades. That has been a defining characteristic for the franchise, for better or for worse, and it is definitely here to stay for as long as the decision-makers for the team remain in the fold.
But having said that, the 76ers actually boast something that other teams in their position simply cannot. And if they play their cards right, they might just be able to effect some pretty major changes whenever they want to.
The 76ers have a crest full of draft picks moving forward
Teams of the same ilk as the 76ers are often those that have become comfortable mortgaging their future to maximize their chances to win at present. Recent league trends show that such a disposition no longer works, yet there are still franchises that subscribe to that roster design.
But what sets Philly apart is that it actually has ample control over their draft picks moving forward. From 2026 to 2031, the 76ers will have a first-round pick, albeit subject to some protections of varying degrees. Still this does not change the fact that the front office has a very valuable crest of draft picks just waiting to be unleashed.
If the 76ers so desire, they can even attempt to cast a fishing expedition to potentially land the next big star, using those draft picks as the equalizer in value. Conversely, they can keep building their youth base and just retain those picks for later use, which is most certainly not a shabby idea, either.
Clearly, the Philadelphia 76ers have optionality working for them. And given the franchise’s draft assets, the front office should not have a lot of issues when it comes to picking a direction and accordingly building the roster for the foreseeable future.