The Philadelphia 76ers will enter the offseason determined to lay the groundwork necessary for an epic comeback. After the year-long mess they turned in, the franchise should be hungry to prove that what transpired this season is nothing more than a mere aberration, lest they lose face to everyone for pulling off all those bold win-now moves for nothing.
A return to relevance for this team, however, is much easier said than done. At this point, all the 76ers have is a dormant deck, and there remains approximately half a calendar year before they get to showcase what they have in store in hopes of proving everyone wrong.
To make things even more difficult for them, the Eastern Conference has only gotten stronger. Even with the 76ers failing to make the playoffs for the first time since 2018, the conference managed to tout a very strong pool of championship hopefuls, so much so that two 60-win teams have already been booted out of the postseason.
Put simply, returning to the playoffs will be much tougher for the 76ers next season.
Rumored Giannis Antetokounmpo destination does not help the 76ers one bit
Expectations for the East next season, however, turned a tad sour as of late as Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo has become the hottest commodity in the trade market. Early on, he was rumored to likely end up in the Western Conference which, if consummated, would deprive the conference of a defining power player.
However, a more recent development on that front points to the two-time MVP staying put in the conference. While the 76ers are nowhere near those talks, they will get no favor as one of their strongest nemeses will most likely remain in the East.
The Greek Freak will reportedly meet the Bucks shortly, and the expectation is that both camps will discuss his future with the franchise. Conjunctively, he is rumored to have a strong preference toward playing in New York, which raises the possibility of either the Knicks or the Nets moving the needle in that respect.
Either way, the 76ers will continue to deal with Antetokounmpo with just the same frequency, albeit with a potentially stronger supporting cast. The Bucks have started to dismantle this season, and him going to the Knicks, which are already in the Conference Finals, or even the Nets, which have a slew of assets they can capitalize on to build a good team around the superstar, would make life tougher for Philly in the East.
The Philadelphia 76ers may be absent in all of these, but such things matter in their escapade to make it back to relevance. After all, Giannis Antetokounmpo is an immovable force by himself, and any team which lands him would instantly become a strong contender.