The Philadelphia 76ers haven’t made it past the second round of the NBA Playoffs since the days of Allen Iverson in the 2000-01 season and that means it may be time to take a different approach.
Obviously, this team will always be built around Joel Embiid as long as he’s healthy enough to be on the court.
But his supporting cast (Tyrese Maxey excluded) isn’t cutting it, and the front office needs to make some drastic changes if they want to hope for a different result next season.
Let’s break down some prime candidates to depart from Philadelphia this offseason – freeing up money and roster space for some better contributors.
Tobias Harris
Only Embiid has been a Sixer longer than Harris, who inked a five-year $180 million deal back in 2019.
He’s been a steady contributor during that time, but he hasn’t really lived up to that type of contract in the NBA Playoffs.
Harris averaged 17.2 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.1 assists this season, shooting 48.7% from the field and 35.3% from beyond the arc.
Those are solid numbers, but his stats have only been declining over the past three seasons, and he’s likely to command a sizable AAV (average annual value), with rumors already swirling about other teams potentially having interest in him.
Considering he’s about to turn 32-years-old in July, the Sixers would be better off staying out of that bidding war and instead spending those resources on younger/better talent.
1. Kyle Lowry 
It’s hard to imagine that any Sixers fans thought Lowry was a long-term answer when the team acquired him from the Miami Heat midway through this season.
He’s been a serviceable point guard, averaging 8.0 points and 4.6 assists per game, including 40.4% shooting from 3-point range.
But he just turned 38-years-old and he’s not exactly the most fit player in the NBA. Unfortunately, those two facts aren’t changing.
The Sixers would be better suited giving his minutes (28.4 minutes per game) to Cameron Payne or a free-agent addition.
2. Nic Batum
Another midseason acquisition, Batum could be a candidate to return, but he’d have to take a significant pay cut, and it still might not be worth it.
Batum made $11.28 million this season and averaged over 25 minutes per game with Philly. But he didn’t have the stats to match it, averaging just 5.5 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists on 45.6% shooting from the field.
When you throw in the fact that he’s 35-years-old and has played in the league for 16 seasons, it doesn’t sense to invest much into him.
The money spent on Batum could be better used to save up for a big-time acquisition.
3. Robert Covington
Covington is another player who earned north of $11 million this past season and getting rid of him could prove pivotal in signing a bigger talent.
Covington hasn’t averaged over 10 points per game since the 2021-22 season and he hasn’t played in 50+ games since the 2020-21 season!
Injured again this year with a bone bruise in his knee, Covington averaged 4.5 points and 3.4 rebounds across 26 games played.
It would be extremely risky to invest any significant amount of money in Covington considering his injury history and recent performance.
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