Sixers Mailbag: Management, Minutes, Matchups and Making Moves

With the trade deadline and All-Star weekend firmly in the rearview mirror, the Sixers have about one-third of their regular season left to play. With games picking back up this week, it's time to pulse the fans with a new Sixers mailbag. Surprise! They're not quite happy with how business has been conducted the last few weeks.

Captain Obvious on Bluesky

"What is a method we can take to make Josh Harris so miserable as the governor that he leaves and we get the chance at a non-[expletive] governor?"

I can’t imagine what would make a billionaire miserable. But what if there was some sort of rule in place where owners were ineligible to purchase NBA teams if they already owned other teams in other leagues? At least, in some sense, you're trying to foster a Buss-like enterprise that is wholly about the love of the game and the team.

Kellen Pastore on Bluesky

"Maxey's offensive output has decreased as the season has gone on. Is this due to him taking a lighter workload with Embiid healthy, the toll of heavy minutes dragging on him, or just a regression to the mean?"

I think the efficiency has probably dropped as a result of minute load. But the production sans Embiid is probably a result of the Sixers not having a fourth consistent source of offense.

In theory, that would be Quentin Grimes, Kelly Oubre Jr. or VJ Edgecombe. But Grimes has been helter skelter, Oubre has been more consistent but is still a little bit unreliable as a decision-maker with the ball and Edgecombe has been, well, pretty good for a rookie.

As such, teams are trapping Maxey out by halfcourt (see the Golden State game as the most extreme example of that) and making anyone else beat them. You don’t really think about Maxey in a game like that because everyone else did their jobs. The big problem is when you play a team like the Knicks, who have the personnel to stay in front of the ball in single coverage and feel welcomed to help one pass away.

In an ecosystem that doesn’t have Paul George, that’s when the Sixers are solved. I think one more consistent scorer would make a real difference for Maxey in the non-Embiid minutes and games.

Hypothetically the NBA playoffs start today, who do you feel very confident in the East that beats the @sixers in a series?
— KarateMark215 (@KarateMark215) February 11, 2026

This is my favorite argument for why people shouldn’t just give up on the season just because the Sixers didn’t make an additive trade at the deadline. Truthfully, it would’ve been my argument for why you should buy in before the trade deadline even arrived, anyway.

I don’t think there’s any team that warrants significant fear. Let’s review.

They’ve played close games against the Detroit Pistons twice, both without Joel Embiid. They’ve played the Boston Celtics three times and beat them twice. The one loss came down to a last-second shot by Embiid. They split the season series against the Knicks, beat them twice in New York and played a third game very close. They split the season series against the Toronto Raptors and, had it not been for some end-of-game nonsense, they’d have beaten them three out of four times.

The only team they haven’t solved is the Cleveland Cavaliers, and they added James Harden. I suppose the answer has to be Cleveland. They’re the only team that has firmly and decisively solved the Sixers.

Why should I still be a sixers fan when they are owned by a cheap owner who refuses to spend a single extra cent to help the team win
— Jiggin Jalen (@JigginJalen) February 11, 2026

I understand your frustration. I’d say your emotional tie to the team, or any team for that matter, has nothing to do with ownership. You care for the players in the jerseys. People don’t cheer for teams because they stand in support of the owner. They root for the representation of the market and the players in the uniforms.

Will Josh Harris sell the team

Will Daryl Morey get fired
— EmotionalSixerFan 🔥😭 (@HarrisMooreMM) February 12, 2026

It’s difficult for me to foresee a scenario in which Daryl Morey loses his job if he’s accomplishing ownership’s goals. Only Harris Blitzer Sports and Entertainment can truthfully answer that. I will say, I think most league executives, if feeling immense pressure to save their jobs, would be inclined to take a big swing in the season's final transaction window instead of trading a guy on the fringe of the rotation for draft capital.

The better question is whether they’ll sell. There is no behind-the-scenes intel to this answer, but a private equity-minded owner would ostensibly conclude that his team’s value will reach its peak once it's in its own arena. So I would be surprised if it happened any time soon.

What is more likely to be added from morey’s perspective on the buyout market a forward like a Haywood Highsmith or Georges Niang type or a guard type like a Lonzo ball or someone a Cole Anthony?
— Dan (@DanielB49713903) February 11, 2026

The answer should be a forward or wing type because adding another guard to this mix is wasteful even if they truthfully could use some guard depth after the Jared McCain trade. I just don’t think that player type has much of a chance to contribute when there are three guards who have been around all season long. There is an actual need for a wing or forward with George out for quite a while still. The reality is none of these candidates are going to be true playoff players if the Sixers advance beyond the first round. So you’re looking for a playable body who can step in and eat regular-season minutes while quickly adapting to teammates they haven't played with yet this season.

Of course, between signing Cam Payne, promoting Jabari Walker to a standard contract and signing Tyrese Martin to a two-way deal, they're at the roster limit. Anything else they do this season will have to accompany waiving someone else on the roster.