Resetting the Sixers’ roster after their blockbuster trade for Jaylen Brown and free-agency moves

Free agency began slowly for the 76ers, with zero news until Dean Wade agreed to a four-year contract late Tuesday night.

Legitimate movement occurred Wednesday, when the Sixers added Ariel Hukporti but rotation players Kelly Oubre Jr. and Quentin Grimes reportedly decided to join other teams.

Then the Sixers smacked the NBA with a blockbuster stunner, acquiring Jaylen Brown from the Boston Celtics in exchange for Paul George and four draft picks.

It was a seismic winnow swing for new president of basketball operations Mike Gansey, banking on the Joel Embiid-Tyrese Maxey era rather than toggling between two timelines or fully pivoting into a rebuild around the Maxey-VJ Edgecombe backcourt. It also was an effort to keep up in an Eastern Conference that already boasts the NBA champion New York Knicks, along with revamped Miami Heat and Toronto Raptors teams that recently traded for Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kawhi Leonard, respectively.

» READ MORE: The Sixers just turned Paul George into Jaylen Brown and transformed themselves for an unbelievable price

After a dizzying Wednesday, here is a reset on where the Sixers’ roster stands.

A five-time All-Star and the 2024 NBA Finals MVP, Brown is an elite attacker and shotmaker along with a stout defender. He has demonstrated he can create a successful tandem with a fellow star and be the top scoring option when needed. Last season he finished sixth in MVP voting, after averaging 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 5.1 assists to spearhead the Celtics’ surprising 56-win season to finish in second place in the Eastern Conference.

After spending his first 10 NBA seasons cultivating a wing partnership with Jayson Tatum, it will be fascinating to track how the 6-foot-6, 230-pound Brown fits with the Sixers’ roster construction with Maxey and Edgecombe in the backcourt and Embiid (presumably) in the middle. Brown also is one of the NBA’s more outspoken personalities — even his comments on Twitch streams have caused past stirs — which will need to mesh within the Sixers’ locker room.

Wade instantly projects into the other starting forward spot next to Brown. The 6-9, 225-pound Wade is another strong on-ball defender with size and versatility. The 29-year-old also averaged 4.2 rebounds in less than 23 minutes during the past two seasons, and is a career 36.7% three-point shooter.

The knock on Wade? Health. He has played in more than 60 games only once in his nine-year career.

Hukporti is the latest contender to become Embiid’s backup center. The 24-year-old was the third-team big man behind Karl-Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson on the Knicks’ title squad, and averaged less than 10 minutes across 79 games in his first two NBA seasons.

» READ MORE: Early reactions to the Jaylen Brown-Paul George trade: ‘The East offseason is crazy’

An athletic 7-footer, Hukporti offers more pure size than Adem Bona, though Bona might be more switchable defensively and capable of playing power forward next to Embiid. And it is a bit troubling that Hukporti has struggled in similar areas — too many fouls, not enough consistency — as Bona.

Perhaps an opportunity for increased playing time will kickstart Hukporti’s development — and productivity.

Once a perennial All-Star and splashy free-agency signing, George’s two seasons with the Sixers will go down as a disappointment. He sustained numerous injuries in 2024-25, and last season was suspended 25 games for violating the NBA’s anti-drug policy.

Though George was terrific on both ends of the floor down the stretch of the regular season — including in the Sixers’ rally to upset the Celtics in the playoffs’ first round — his contract had been considered difficult to trade because of his age and injury history.

Until Wednesday, that is.

Oubre’s three-year Sixers tenure, meanwhile, should be considered a success. He morphed from late-offseason addition on a veteran’s minimum contract, to starter who played with force and flair, to veteran who put together his most efficient season at age 30.

Before (and after?) the Brown blockbuster, it was puzzling that the Sixers decided not to match (or offer a similar deal) to the two years and “nearly” $17 million that ESPN reported Oubre agreed to with the Pacers. The Sixers held Oubre’s full Bird rights, which allows teams to re-sign their own free agents even if they are already over the salary cap.

It is possible Oubre wanted a change of scenery — Indiana, which made the 2025 NBA Finals, is expected to regain contender status once All-NBA point guard Tyrese Haliburton recovers from Achilles surgery — or that Gansey did not value Oubre as much as former lead executive Daryl Morey. But the most cynical observer could conclude that letting Oubre walk was a move to help stay under the luxury tax.

Grimes’ four-year, $60 million reported deal with the Lakers is a significant raise on the $8.7 million qualifying offer he played on this season following a messy restricted free agency.

» READ MORE: Quentin Grimes reportedly agrees to $60 million deal with Lakers, ending Sixers contract saga

Grimes flashed his “attack mode” scoring punch and tenacious defense in spurts as a sixth man. But he shot a career-low 33.4% from three-point range last season, and, other than an excellent Game 5 performance on both ends in Boston, was not good enough during the playoffs for a Sixers second unit that desperately needed scoring production.

His departure means the Sixers likely will need immediate contribution from new draftee Labaron Philon Jr., whom many evaluators considered a first-round steal at 22nd overall.

Swapping out George’s contract for Brown’s still creates a top-heavy cap sheet. The Sixers are now about $2 million under the luxury tax and $10 million below the first apron, where they are hard-capped. And assuming Hukporti’s salary comes out of the nontaxpayer midlevel exception, the Sixers still have $2.6 million from that to spend along with the $5.5 million biannual exception.

The Sixers could add two more players to reach 15 on the full-time roster, though they have often only carried 14 to stay under the luxury tax.

It is reasonable to expect the Sixers will focus on adding one more guard — unless LeBron James wants to come to Philly, of course.

James’ agent, Rich Paul, told Max Kellerman during the pair’s Game Over podcast released Wednesday that he had spoken to between 12 and 14 teams about James. The Sixers would be silly not to be among that group that has reached out, or to join it after the addition of Brown. Gansey’s brother, Steven, also threw gas on the social media speculation when he posted a photo on X of Gansey and James as high-schoolers in Ohio and the eyeballs emoji.

Additionally, Bona’s $2.3 million salary for 2026-27 becomes guaranteed on July 7, while Jabari Walker and Dalen Terry’s deals become fully guaranteed Jan. 10. As of Wednesday night, unrestricted free agents Andre Drummond, Trendon Watford, and Kyle Lowry (who is expected to retire) had not committed to signing with any team.

Point guard: Tyrese Maxey, Labaron Philon Jr.

Shooting guard: VJ Edgecombe, Dalen Terry

Small forward: Jaylen Brown, Justin Edwards

Power forward: Dean Wade, Dominick Barlow, Jabari Walker

Center: Joel Embiid, Adem Bona, Ariel Hukporti, Johni Broome