A first-round NBA playoff loss to the Knicks is going to bring an offseason of significant change to the 76ers.
President of basketball operations Daryl Morey said Monday, four days after the Sixers were eliminated by the Knicks at home in Game 6, that all options will be on the table as they look to surround Joel Embiid with the right pieces to try to compete for an NBA championship.
“There’s going to be a lot of change,” Morey told reporters. “Except for [head coach] Nick Nurse, Joel and Tyrese [Maxey] and Paul [Reed] and Ricky [Council IV], we don’t know for sure who’s gonna be back next year.”
The 76ers have yet to make it past the second round of the playoffs in the Embiid era, and hired Nurse last year after firing Doc Rivers, who as 76ers coach lost in the second round in each of his three seasons with the club.
Philadelphia was the No. 7 seed in the East with Embiid limited to 39 regular-season games due to injury.
Embiid battled through a knee issue and Bell’s palsy throughout the six-game series in which he made himself a villain to Knicks fans with questionable on-court behavior.
“They fought hard. It was an incredible series,” Morey said. “I really wish we could’ve gotten that back to Madison Square Garden. I thought that was a fun fight the whole way.”
The series saw Maxey cement his status as a legit second star, but beyond that there are major question marks on the Sixers’ roster.
Tobias Harris completed his five-year, $180 million contract by averaging just nine points a game in the series loss to the Knicks. Veteran guard Kyle Lowry, 38, might not have much left.
Kelly Oubre Jr., was a significant contributor on a one-year, $2.8 million contract, but he may be looking for a bigger payday this offseason.
The 6-foot-9 Reed, 24, was a second-round pick in 2020, and the 22-year-old Council appeared in 32 regular-season games as an undrafted rookie free agent.
“This offseason’s a big one,” Morey said. “I owe it to the fans, to ownership, to everybody, to get this team in a place where we’re competing for championships.”
