After an all-time flop of a campaign for the Philadelphia 76ers, the front office will undoubtedly look forward to varying the team’s dynamics in the summer for the 2025-26 season. As things currently stand, this roster is nowhere close to even being in championship talks, with the playoffs also standing as a hazy target for them at this juncture.
The front office has already bared one of its guiding benchmarks in filling out the roster for next season — by going after younger and fresher legs. Daryl Morey himself admitted that he and his corps doubled down too much on chasing veteran commodities with ample playoff experience which, while ideal in theory, carried with it the risk of flashing greater injury tendencies.
No one knows until it’s done, but given how persistent the injury bug has ben in its clingy disposition with the 76ers, the front office will definitely follow through on its new edict. That being said, that should already spell the end for these four veteran players from this campaign’s roster.
The 76ers have no more reason to keep these 4 veterans
1. Kyle Lowry
Lowry is already probably contemplating retirement this time around. He turned in a slew of career-lows this season, and at this juncture, the idea of him still being a viable role player is only feasible from a simulated talking point.
The former All-Star simply doesn’t have the juice to be a reliable contributor anymore. Aside from his rather shaky spot-up shooting, he no longer has what it takes to break down defenses or bother other players on defense, although to be fair, asking him to do those is already too much.
2. Andre Drummond
Unlike Lowry, Drummond can still probably function as a low-minute role player in the league. After all, he is still an imposing force on the boards — an erstwhile textbook skill that has become a niche skill set in a league that insists on playing small as much as possible.
Unfortunately for him, the 76ers need an upgrade. Drummond was a one-dimensional rebounder for them this season, and his inability to finish efficiently around the basket and complete dearth of rim protection simply cannot be ignored any longer.
3. Eric Gordon
Gordon, unlike his contemporaries on this list, actually capped off his season rather neatly, going on a hot streak shooting the ball from rainbow country before an untimely injury sidelined him for good.
Yet despite his uncanny skill as a spot-up shooter, the 76ers need a more dynamic option to fill his role. After all, the last thing Philadelphia needs is a one-trick pony who can easily be taken out of the hardwood with more defensive attention.
4. Kelly Oubre Jr.
This might be an unpopular take, but Kelly Oubre Jr. is emblematic of the 76ers’ offensive profile in the last couple of seasons — explosive at times, yet ultimately inefficient. The team could do much worse than bring him back, but there is a counterargument to that point that carries the same heft, if not greater.
Oubre can’t shoot. He canned less than 30 percent of his three-pointers in 2024-25, and going by his career trajectory, expecting that to rocket is like a teeter dance. It’s simply not his strong suit, and Philly desperately needs a player who can stretch the floor and not clog the lane further given its litany of high-usage scorers.