The past couple of years haven’t been ideal in Philadelphia, but things could soon turn in the right direction.
Last season, the 76ers missed the playoffs for the first time since Joel Embiid’s rookie season. With their MVP missing most of the season, it was difficult to make up any ground in a tight Eastern Conference play-in race.
After tanking the final weeks of the season, the 76ers ended up with VJ Edgecombe, who projects to be a solid player for the foreseeable future in Philadelphia. While the 76ers are moving in the right direction, their downward trend began when they traded away James Harden in the opening stages of the 2023-24 season.
While the on-court return for Harden wasn’t exactly great, the draft capital the 76ers received could go a long way. The centerpiece of the trade was always the 2028 first-round pick from the Clippers, which Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley tabbed as one of the five best trade chips in the entire league.
Considering the Clippers are already old and don’t have much in terms of potential future stars, the 76ers could end up with a top pick in 2028. Of course, the 76ers’ title window revolves around Embiid, so sending that pick out to add some more star power or grab the perfect role player for a title run could be the right move.
Considering the Clippers owe their picks in 2026 and 2027 to Oklahoma City, there likely won’t be any incoming young talent to keep LA in playoff contention by 2028. While the Harden trade has led to some unfortunate times in Philadelphia, it might also be the key to achieving the best part of the Embiid era.