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What the Sixers Could Realistically Do to Improve in the Offseason

Philadelphia’s offseason focus should be adding more all-around depth, and there are ways to do so.
Jacob Moreno|
Jan 27, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) celebrates with guard Tyrese Maxey (0) after their alley oop dunk connection against the Milwaukee Bucks during the second quarter at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
Jan 27, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) celebrates with guard Tyrese Maxey (0) after their alley oop dunk connection against the Milwaukee Bucks during the second quarter at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

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Philadelphia 76ers

The New York Knicks are the Sixers’ third Eastern Division rival to hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy in the last seven years.

But the Knicks’ triumph prompted Philadelphia and 28 other teams to reflect on why they could not get it done this season. Where the Sixers lost was in the margins.

Philadelphia’s revamped front office, led by new President of Basketball Operations Mike Gansey, has to remedy the issue. 

Here’s how the Sixers can realistically do so: this offseason.

The draft

Philadelphia trading Jared McCain to the Oklahoma City Thunder killed the fanbase’s vibe for the rest of the regular season. But it did yield the 22nd overall pick in the 2026 NBA draft.

The Sixers have the chance to bolster their future foundation with Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe, and the practical choice is Allen Graves. The 6-foot-9 forward recorded 11.8 points on 41.3% shooting from deep, 6.5 rebounds, 1.9 steals and 1.8 assists while coming off the bench for Santa Clara this season.

There are questions about Graves’ non-starting role on a West Coast Conference team, but his IQ on both ends of the court is undeniable. What the one-and-done didn’t have in athleticism, he made up for using defensive anticipation.

Graves is also a quality shooter without the ball and a strong connector. His unique skill set would make him a sound fit alongside Philadelphia’s core.

It’s just a shame that Morez Johnson Jr. will likely be off the board by the time that the Sixers are on the clock.

Pending free agents

The Sixers have nine players whom they can part with this summer between team options, non-guaranteed money and unrestricted free agents. This is what they could—and maybe should—do.

Dominick Barlow: The Sixers should accept Barlow’s $3.4 million team option unless they plan to decline it to sign him to a longer-term deal. He's coming off a career-best year of 7.7 points on 53.9% shooting from the field and 4.8 rebounds that featured 59 starts. His rebounding and athleticism at a low cost would be luxurious.

Trendon Watford: If the Sixers weren’t hard-pressed for financial and roster space, they should offer Watford another chance, but that is not their reality. They must decline their $2.8 million team option on him to have flexibility for the following moves.

Dalen Terry: The third-year wing showed little reason why the Sixers should keep him around in the 14 games he played this season. They figure to decline $2.6 million team option.

Adem Bona: Although Bona had a pedestrian sophomore year, the Sixers should still guarantee his $2.3 million salary for next season. He did not improve as hoped, with foul trouble in particular being a struggle. But Bona still had moments of brilliant rim protection, which the Sixers need.

Jabari Walker: Similar to Watford, Walker was decent for his low cost. But the Sixers need wiggle room, and and only $250,000 of his $2.6 million contract for 2026-27 is guaranteed. He's on the chopping block.

Kelly Oubre Jr.: This will cause the most controversy, but Philadelphia may have to let him walk.

Oubre, who's coming off his best year as a Sixer, will likely demand a significant portion of the non-taxpayer mid-level exception. But there are better-fitting players that Philadelphia should target with that money instead.

Quentin Grimes: The 26-year-old’s value has plummeted since last offseason’s fiasco, but he will likely want more money than the Sixers could or should give him. Replacing his reserve production will be tricky, but Grimes’ future in Philadelphia seems over on many fronts.

Andre Drummond: The veteran caught a new wind this year, with career-bests of 35.6% shooting from 3-point range on 1.4 attempts. However, the Sixers can do better at backup center.

Kyle Lowry: The 40-year-old Philadelphia native’s retirement announcement seems inevitable. It would be cool for him to rejoin the Sixers as a coach or front office executive, though.

Signings and trades

If the Sixers do let Oubre and Grimes walk, they should have access to the full $15.1 million non-taxpayer mid-level exception this summer. They might even have enough wiggle room under the first apron to hand out the $5.5 million bi-annual exception as well.

Here's what they could do with it.

Dean Wade: Fans have linked Wade to the Sixers ever since Gansey arrived, and for good reason. Wade is reportedly to become one of the most coveted free agents among teams with access to the non-taxpayer MLE.

His camp will probably drive a hard bargain. If Rui Hachimura, Ayo Dosunmu and Payton Watson aren't realistic targets for the Sixers, they should pay it.

The Sixers could use the full non-taxpayer MLE to sign him to a four-year, $63.1 million deal. They might have been able to get him cheaper in past seasons, but players who can shoot, pass and defend are expensive in today’s NBA, and Wade is all those things. Plus, with the salary cap likely to increase each year, his contract likely wouldn't to handicap the Sixers.

Wade tallied 5.8 points on 36.2% shooting from downtown, 4.2 rebounds and 1.5 assists in only 22.3 minutes per game this season. He is a quality point-of-attack defender whose two-way prowess, fit around stars and intangibles were on display throughout the year.

Jock Landale: The Sixers should use the bi-annual exception to sign Landale to a two-year, $11 million deal. He is a steady backup center with physicality, rebounding on both ends of the court, and an expanding jump shot.

Landale averaged 10.6 points on 38.3% shooting from distance, 5.7 rebounds, and 1.7 steals with the Memphis Grizzlies and Atlanta Hawks this season. He and Bona’s skill sets contrast in a way that would add versatility to Philadelphia’s center room.

Scotty Pippen Jr.: Reserve ball-handling was something the Sixers lacked this year. Pippen could be the resolution.

I mock-traded a 2027 second-round pick (via the Miami Heat) and a 2028 second-rounder (via the Detroit Pistons) to the Grizzlies for Pippen and absorbed his contract via the $4.2 million McCain trade exception.

Pippen’s value is at a weird place, as toe injuries limited him to 10 games this year. He notched 9.9 points on 48% shooting from the field, 4.4 assists and 1.3 steals in those games.

Pippen is a respectable perimeter defender for his 6-foot-2 size and would add needed ball-handling in non-Maxey minutes. He's entering the third year of his four-year, $9.6 million contract.

Justin Champagnie: It won’t undo waiving his brother, Julian, but Champagnie would supply two-way production to a Sixers second unit that desperately needs it. Philadelphia would hypothetically deal Johni Broome, a 2027 second-rounder (via the Phoenix Suns) and two 2028 seconds (via the Milwaukee Bucks and Golden State Warriors) to the Washington Wizards for him.

That might sound like an overpay, but the Sixers have plenty of second-round picks to spare.

If Washington drafts AJ Dybantsa first overall, it will have an abundance of forwards, which could make Champagnie expendable. The 24-year-old posted 8.7 points on 50.2% shooting and 5.6 boards in only 20.0 minutes per game this past season.

Champagnie's motor, defensive versatility and off-ball play would make him a sound fit in Philadelphia. He's heading into the third season of his four-year, $9.8 million deal.

Aaron Holiday: Quality, affordable guards are at a premium at this juncture, but Philadelphia reuniting with one of the Holiday brothers on a veteran minimum would be decent value.

Holiday shot 39.4% from beyond the arc with the Houston Rockets this season. We just saw how valuable low-cost, plug-and-play guys were for the Knicks this year, so why not Holiday?

Javonte Green: This is probably the most unrealistic signing, as he will be difficult to pry from Detroit. But if Philadelphia can sign Green to a veteran-minimum contract, it would be great value.

Green is a scrappy defender who shot 38.1% from 3-point range and tallied 1.2 steals. The Sixers should consider even throwing in a player option for 2027-28 if Green punches above his weight as he did for the Pistons this year.

The embedded tweet shows the depth chart, for those not keeping score:

The vision

Breaking up the Maxey/Joel Embiid/Paul George tandem doesn’t seem realistic, so building a well-rounded team that can fit around them is the best course of action. I tried to do so within the confines of the tax aprons and without negating flexibility that they’ll need for the 2027 trade deadline and beyond. 

If Gansey and Co. followed this plan, the Sixers would have one open roster spot and would be approximately $1.7 million below the first apron. 

Soon, we'll see how all of this goes down in real life.

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Published
Jacob Moreno
JACOB MORENO

Jacob Moreno is a Sports Media major at Temple University who aspires to become a 76ers beat writer. He previously contributed to The Sixer Sense and also covers Temple Athletics for The Temple News. He is a huge Marvel nerd and falls victim to expensive Lego sets.

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