Sixers Q&A: Biggest draft need, chances of moving up, Joel Embiid’s future, and more

The 76ers’ offseason is about to ramp up, with the NBA draft next week and free agency beginning at 6 p.m. on June 30.

These are the first opportunities for new president of basketball operations Mike Gansey to make roster decisions — within the constraints of having three players (Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid, Paul George) still on max contracts.

That means there is a lot to ponder and discuss. And you brought questions.

Let’s get to them.

A: This is a great place to start. Based on Gansey’s vague comments at his introductory news conference, the Sixers will aim for a combination of both with the 22nd overall pick. It’s cliche, but also makes sense in that range. I’m perhaps most intrigued by the options at center and power forward — think Houston’s Chris Cenac Jr. or Santa Clara’s Allen Graves — though a wing could make sense if the Sixers’ front office believes they are in danger of losing Kelly Oubre Jr. and/or Quentin Grimes in free agency. So could a guard — yes, again — if they can provide a three-point shooting boost.

The Sixers absolutely could find somebody as good as McCain, given Maxey went even lower at 21 in the bizarre COVID-impacted 2020 draft. But as recent drafts illustrate, picking here is always a crapshoot. Who the Sixers select next week, however, will likely help determine free agency priorities.

» READ MORE: What can the Sixers expect with the No. 22 draft pick? Past drafts illustrate the unpredictability.

A: There’s always a chance, especially if the front office falls in love with a specific prospect during this week’s workouts. But right now it feels more likely that a good option could slip to 22, rather than the Sixers aggressively trying to move up. Gansey’s general draft approach also still comes with some uncertainty. He ran the draft with the Cleveland Cavaliers, but was not in the higher-ranking position that he holds with a new organization.

A: Never say never, given Luka Dončić was abruptly traded on a January Saturday night in the middle of his prime. But, putting it bluntly, Embiid’s contract is regarded as extremely difficult to trade given his age and injury history. If you were a fan of another team, would you be interested in trading for Embiid?

For now, the Sixers have to accept Embiid’s optimism that he and the medical/training staff have figured out how to manage his knee. He has no surgeries scheduled and plans to play more next season. That, of course, does not prevent the freak injuries like the oblique strain that kept him out for a month, or the ankle sprain and hip soreness that sidelined him for Game 2 of the playoff series against the New York Knicks, or the other random ailments like orbital fractures and Bell’s Palsy that have hampered postseason runs. One guarantee: He no longer has an appendix, and therefore will not need another emergency appendectomy.

» READ MORE: Would Daryl Morey still be here if the Sixers had slowed the Knicks’ runaway train? At least one NBA source thinks so.

The Sixers flashed what they could be with Embiid and George during that playoff comeback in the first round against the Boston Celtics. Gansey said he must operate (at least for now) as if he is building a roster with the core four of those three max players, plus VJ Edgecombe. And they all must cross their fingers for health, and that health leads to continuity.

A: Solid observation. The Sixers have already dabbled in this, even going back to a preseason scrimmage in Delaware. And Bona has vocalized his eagerness to play in those lineups, as an additional way to get on the floor long-term.

The Sixers could use Bona’s athleticism, particularly as a defender, given Embiid clearly is not as mobile and vertical as the once-dominant player used to be. Bona’s limited offensive repertoire, in turn, is balanced by Embiid’s excellent skills for his size in the mid-post and perimeter. And that all helps fill the void at power forward.

Embiid did not play enough during the regular season to really experiment with this lineup for significant stretches. I’d imagine it is something Nick Nurse and the coaching staff are examining this summer.

A: First, Maxey has never publicly expressed anything resembling disgruntlement or wanting out if the Sixers make the type of pivot you are suggesting.

I think it greatly helps the Sixers that Maxey legitimately believes in Edgecombe and has immediately established an on- and off-court connection and mentorship with him. I also think Maxey understands his unique situation: that he was drafted to an immediately competitive team with an MVP contender, instead of trudging through a rebuild like so many star-caliber young players do early in their careers. That now has made Maxey a tweener, of sorts, on this roster between Embiid/George and Edgecombe — and bridging that during a transitional period always felt like a possibility. Heck, Maxey has already been part of several iterations of this team, from Embiid-Ben Simmons, to Embiid-James Harden, to the most recent version.

» READ MORE: Who could the Sixers draft at No. 22? Here’s our take on projected picks, and other players to watch

Maxey, though, is also fiercely competitive. He also has already done right by the organization in waiting a year to sign his max contract, so that the Sixers could have a smaller cap hold on him and also sign George. In the current NBA landscape, partnerships between players and teams run their course more times than not (see Giannis Antetokounmpo). But right now, Maxey is a franchise cornerstone.

A: Just throwing this out there: A month ago, one could have asked if it was possible to win a title if that team’s best player was a small, ball-dominant guard who was a second-round draft pick and did not even make the All-NBA first-team this season.

(This is Jalen Brunson, of course.)

A team almost certainly needs a certified dude to win a championship. But getting the right players around that dude — whatever archetype they fill in regards to physical stature, skills, or intangibles — is the biggest key to building the correct team. And I do think that, under the new Collective Bargaining Agreement’s constraints, the star collecting method might be phasing out in place of compiling depth at the right spots. That is something Bob Myers mentioned during his news conference before the executive search that landed on Gansey.