Back in 2001, I wasn't very aware on what was going on in the basketball world. However, I know that, the Philadelphia 76ers fans were pretty happy with their team. Allen Iverson, the MVP of the league, led the squad consisted of some great role players and Dikembe Mutombo on the late stage of his career to the Finals.
Iverson and company fell heroically to a star-studded Lakers team in five games. Basketball has changed since then, the NBA has more talent and Philadelphia is struggling to make it through the second round of the playoffs. Surely, some unlucky circumstances were involved, but the Sixers have not made a deep playoff run in years.
This June, Nick Nurse's group is watching other NBA teams fighting for the title. The Boston Celtics cruised through their playoff opponents in the East making their second Final appearance in the last three years. Led by the immense talent of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, Dallas reached to its second appearance in the past 13 years.
The 76ers will have a lot of financial flexibility to move in the market this offseason. Therefore, that, they need to pick up some wisdom from their opponents on the necessary steps they need to do to become a real title contender.
The rest of the NBA makes a U-turn regarding roster building and the Sixers need to follow
The 76ers are obsessed over bringing one or more superstars to Philadelphia almost every season. A couple of years ago, they put a large haul of trade assets on the line to bring James Harden. The 76ers were immediately became a title contender in the eyes of the NBA fans, but the pairing did not work for long. Harden demanded out, and the Sixers got back a good amount of future assets to send him to the Clippers.
Evidently, things do not work out every time, but the 76ers remained poised on building a contender with sear star-power. However, the Boston Celtics and the Dallas Mavericks reached the NBA Finals with a superstar duo. Both teams became wary that finding the balance between star power and depth could be the key. The Nuggets lost a lot of depth options following the 2023 NBA title and they ended up with a second-round exit in the 2024 playoffs.
The Celtics made the decision to surround Jason Tatum and Jaylen Brown with great teammates that fit the bill in today's NBA's winning standards. The Sixers will have to discover the right balance in the same way as they wingle between patience and overcompensating for their shortcomings during the past years. However,
this summer is quite crucial for them, as they will have more than $60 million in cap space
Paul George remains the top target and his potential to mesh well with the Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey has been well-documented during the last few months. PG could be the answer to Philly's issues, but the Sixers will have to be careful not giving every inch of their financial flexibility for a top-heavy team.
Dallas became a true contender once they decided to bring more depth to their team with Daniel Gafford and PJ Washington. On the other hand, the Phoenix Suns who gave up everything to bring Bradley Beal alongside Devin Booker and Kevin Durant was a first-round exit in the 2024 postseason. Bringing in capable players that fit the role alongside your stars should be a priority for the 76ers.
All four of the teams that made to the Conference Finals were top-7 in the league regarding the bench production as far as net rating goes.
Currently, the NBA produces a great amount of “lengthy” athletes who have the ability to defend and shoot the ball. As we understand, bringing in players like Alex Caruso or Bruce Brown will help the Sixers create a mix of versatility and skill.
With most of the 2023-24 roster gone, Daryl Morey should stay away from setting the supporting cast purely with veterans. That said, they will need depth and big wings that can defend to become competitive against teams like Boston.
That said, offseason draws near and the 76ers' championship window becomes narrower. Let's hope that the franchise will look into ways of creating a contender without making unwise moves that could lead to another failure next season.