The Philadelphia 76ers may have just laid down a daunting ultimatum

Parity is at an all-time high in the NBA. Normally, the Philadelphia 76ers, given the collection of talent they have on the roster, would be a hands-down favorite to win the championship, but times have changed. The team is only one of the many ones actually vying for a chance to hoist Larry at the end of next season.

The organizational win-now edict in Philly has never been this vivid. After snagging Paul George in free agency, the team went on to secure Joel Embiid for the immediate future, inking him to another three-year, $193 million extension on top of the two remaining years on his current deal, ensuring that he stays with the franchise for at least five more seasons.

That begs the question — are the 76ers now operating under a five-year window?

The 76ers have now set a clear ultimatum with Joel Embiid extension

Embiid’s new extension can be construed as the 76ers brass laying down an ultimatum for the team to win a championship. During that span, the 2023 MVP will probably be slowing down gradually, affecting their title shot during that period.

This timeline also uncoincidentally goes hand-in-hand with Paul George’s four-year max deal this summer. The nine-time All-Star is starting to decline athletically, though he remains a legitimate All-Star caliber player thanks to his skill set.

Tyrese Maxey, also with a newly minted max extension of his own, should be in the middle of his prime at that juncture. It’s unlikely that he plateaus in his continual growth, but it’s a tad more possible to plot the points as to how his game will look a few years from now.

A five-year ultimatum for the team to win a championship is only appropriate temporally, if not generous. After all, it implies the team exhausting every bit of its juice — a rather bold proposition for a club led by two of the most inury-prone stars in the NBA.

The Philadelphia 76ers still have time to let their stars acclimate to each other and bolster their might as co-pilots, but if they can’t meet their ultimate ends in the next five (if not four) seasons, it would preempt a good ending to this eventful chapter in franchise history.