The Easiest Way for the Sixers to Improve in 2026-27

The best way to get better while also not compromising the future is to leverage the league-provisioned resources to add free agents.

Apr 10, 2026; New York, New York, USA; Toronto Raptors forward Sandro Mamukelashvili (54) runs up court after makes a three point basket during the second half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Likely armed with somewhere between $25 million and $30 million in space under the first luxury tax apron heading into free agency 2026, the Sixers don't need cap space to investigate strategies for improving their team.

Mathematically, even contemplating departures of large salaries like those owed to Joel Embiid and Paul George isn't necessary. If they decide to pick up club options for Trendon Watford, Dominick Barlow and Dalen Terry, they'll have 11 NBA roster spots filled. That's four openings to meet the maximum roster capacity, and a little more than $20 million in exception money theoretically available to spend.

With the ideas of getting out of the Embiid or George businesses likely costing Philadelphia coveted draft capital, the best way to get better while also not compromising the future is to leverage the league-provisioned resources to add free agents.

There is a catch, of course.

As we covered a few days ago, if the Sixers start spending money at the opening bell of free agency, it likely means at least one of Kelly Oubre Jr., Quentin Grimes and Andre Drummond are not returning. That's because Philadelphia will need to know what the markets are for their own free agents before they subject themselves to the restraints known as the tax aprons.

To recap, the Sixers will hard-cap themselves at the second apron ($222 million) if they use the taxpayer mid-level exception. That would give them nearly $40 million of flexibility to maneuver the roster over the course of the upcoming league year.

However, the distribution of salary across the roster is quite imbalanced. Any realistic move to break up money into multiple players likely revolves around trade concepts that send George out. But given that it may be less damaging to the Sixers' draft stock to not assess that market until the trade deadline, when there's only a year and a half left on his maximum contract, that salary may not move any of the other 29 teams' needles during the summer.

So if the Sixers can't realistically make the most of that near-$40 million of flexibility below the second apron, it may just make the most sense to use a portion or all of the non-taxpayer mid-level and bi-annual exceptions.

To recap again, if the Sixers dip into the non-taxpayer mid-level or use the bi-annual exception, they are hard-capped at the first apron. In other words, if they spend even a dollar more than the taxpayer mid-level exception, they'd only have about $26.2 million of roster flexibility for the duration of the new league year.

You could very reasonably argue that they should go big or go home, exhausting the approximate $20.5 million in exception money under the first apron. That would leave Philadelphia roughly $5 million in wiggle room for the rest of the season.

Anyone have any 38-year-olds on the prorated league minimum around, say, February in mind? That's Kyle Lowry music.

In all seriousness, while there isn't extensive history of the second apron era, the Sixers have historically preferred to operate with more flexibility than a hard-capping at the first apron can offer.

On the other hand, they haven't typically had this few roster spots to fill. Perhaps under Bob Myers, Mike Gansey and company, they decide to splurge above the taxpayer mid-level. After all, you don't have to spend the entire non-taxpayer mid-level and bi-annual exceptions. And depending on what comes of the 22nd overall pick in the 2026 draft, they likely won't have the room below the first apron to spend that exception money entirely.

But, frankly, spending that money is likely the easiest way to improve the team.

The logic is simple. Embiid doesn't miss a month with an oblique injury or the end of the regular season with appendicitis. George doesn't get hit with a 25-game suspension. Even with this roster's flaws, that time back for the two highest earners probably pushes Philadelphia over the 50-wins threshold.

Still, it would be a difficult sell for anyone to run this exact group back and hope that Embiid gets a little luckier and George's run of form late in the season wasn't a mirage. Some roster tweaks are necessary.

Shooting is the simplest skill of need. Not because Philadelphia just lacks that talent. But because if you're planning for stretches of games without Embiid, the offense is running through Tyrese Maxey and V.J. Edgecombe.

In an ecosystem that dedicated more than veteran minimums to players like Oubre, Grimes and Drummond, there was incentive for teams to throw the kitchen sink at Maxey. Putting two on the ball against him and simply showing Edgecombe more respect than you'd typically show a rookie were enough to keep Philadelphia searching for sustainable offense.

If the made-over front office adds the ingredient of credible shooting to the roster, two propositions are created.

If defenses throw two at the ball, Maxey has to find the open shooter and it's an open look. If defenses respect the lineup around the fulcrum, Maxey and Edgecombe will be able to attack a more open floor.

Shooting, if you haven't heard, is a premium skill. But this free-agent class is not short of it. Furthermore, there is some positional depth for the Sixers to not just boost the skill at the guard or wing spots, but in the frontcourt, too.