NBA playoffs 2026: Where do the 76ers go from here?

Another season, another late-year issue for Joel Embiid.

The center was recently diagnosed with an appendicitis, continuing an unfortunate trend of him running into medical issues or injuries leading into the postseason, where this time the Philadelphia 76ers play host to the Orlando Magic in the play-in tournament Wednesday night (7:30 p.m. ET, Prime).

It's not fair to Embiid or the 76ers to list all that has gone wrong, as that will distract from the larger point, but the question must be asked:

Are the Sixers on a path to anywhere?

Savings and big-game hunting

The organization is one of contrasts and conflicting actions.

On the one hand, the 76ers will happily offer a then-34-year-old Paul George the full four-year max, despite little to no competition at that price point.

On the other hand, they'll trade Jared McCain, who was perhaps on his way to winning Rookie of the Year last season before an injury removed him from the equation, to get under the luxury-tax limit and save a buck.

They swing big but scale back in the margins, which — historically speaking — leads back to an ownership group that struggles to choose a path.

Let's dial it back to the George signing. At the time, the idea was simple: build a big three around Embiid, George and Tyrese Maxey. They might have overestimated George's value and drastically overpaid, but the idea at least had some merit.

Whenever a team decides on such a path, it's only reasonable to expect a willingness to spend further by rounding out the roster with quality role players and accept that the tax will be a part of the immediate future.

Yet this is where the Sixers differ.

Despite allocating an enormous percentage of the cap for three stars, they sacrificed depth by insisting on scaling back on spending.

This season proved just how big of an emphasis that is for team owner Josh Harris, with the McCain trade underlining the issue.

McCain was shipped to the Oklahoma City Thunder, the best team in the league, with the primary objective of ducking the tax.

Now, some will make the fair counter-argument that the trade became significantly more attractive for the Sixers after George was suspended for 25 games for violating the league's anti-drug policy.

Paul's lost wages put the Sixers, who originally were over the tax line, so close to it, that it was like dangling a chew toy in front of a golden retriever. Good luck not getting ownership to consider getting under.

Yet, however attractive it might have been to get under the tax and share in the revenue of tax teams, the Sixers seem to fail to understand the message it sends.

The future of Tyrese Maxey

With Maxey, the organization's star point guard and franchise player, you have to wonder how he felt seeing the team relinquish talent in order to save money.

Maxey, who is fiercely competitive and plays with a motor that allows him to leave everything on the floor, has become the 76ers’ primary scorer (28.4 points per game) and the key to their offense.

He's leading the league in minutes (38.2), and the Sixers have no issue squeezing him for everything he’s got.

It's reasonable to wonder if quick savings and a lack of emphasis on roster depth will eventually force the star to ask some uncomfortable questions about his future with the team.

While he's known as a highly loyal player, let's not diminish his desire to win consistently and compete for championships.

The breaking point won't be the McCain trade, but this is about more than just a poor trade. It's about culture, and it's about finding a sense of calm within a season.

Philadelphia always seem to find itself in the midst of unnecessary drama and off-the-court issues. Add that to the almost constant stream of injuries and the lack of commitment from ownership, and that becomes bad recipe to build a winning culture.

What's next?

The Sixers struck gold by drafting VJ Edgecombe, which will certainly go a long way. That's not insignificant.

Furthermore, Embiid played a lot better than anticipated before his appendicitis ended his regular season and potentially the postseason.

As such, there are plusses … but paying $112 million for just Embiid and George next year is a major financial disadvantage, which only strengthens the need for depth and a real investment in rounding out the roster.

A trade seems unlikely. Teams aren't inclined to take on long-term max money for older players with stark injury patterns, and they certainly won't be interested in relinquishing assets to take those contracts.

So we're back to where the Sixers found themselves before the beginning of The Process almost 13 years ago.

They're stuck in the middle, with no obvious path out unless Edgecombe takes such an enormous step that he becomes a Tier-1 superstar. But that won't fix the salary cap structure, nor will it fix the constant drama that seems to perpetually hover above this team.

It's time for the 76ers to think outside the box and get creative.

The most obvious avenue is to embrace the Maxey era, meaning every transaction from here on out has to be with him in mind.

They can't dump Embiid or George unless they attach assets to entice teams. But relinquishing assets — like they did with McCain — does not help them.

The Sixers must enter into a phase of asset acquisition in which they balance the presence of both Embiid and George, understanding — and accepting — there is no way out.

This means prioritizing young players in free agency, taking swings on high-upside players in the later stages of the draft and generally making a concerted effort to get younger to optimize their eventual upswing when those players improve.

This will need to be thoroughly communicated with Maxey, as any investment in the future that centers around younger players could be viewed as an attempt to not go all-in for a championship run.

Yet, these are the cards they have been dealt, even if it's entirely self-inflicted.

They don't have money to spend on big-name players, they don't have fantastic control of their own draft picks (the next time they have their outright own first-rounder is in 2030), and their trade options are severely limited.

Look, is "looking under every rock for talent" a good plan? Perhaps not, but it's the only one they've got.