No team has made more noise this summer than the 76ers. In a single offseason window, they traded Paul George for Jaylen Brown and convinced LeBron James to play his 24th season in Philadelphia on the minimum salary. NBA.com calls it the most talented core the franchise has ever assembled around Joel Embiid. At the same time, it's the team with the most unanswered questions in the entire league.
Where They Come From: The Game 7 They Waited 44 Years For
The 2025-26 season was inconsistent through April. The 76ers finished 45-37, seventh in the East, and had to go through the play-in, where they beat Orlando. In the first round came the defining moment of the Embiid era. Down 1-3 against Boston, the second seed in the East, they rallied to win Game 7 at TD Garden (100-109). Embiid, just three weeks removed from appendicitis, posted 34 points, 12 rebounds, and 6 assists; Tyrese Maxey added 30, 11, and 7. It was Philadelphia's first series win over the Celtics since 1982.
The momentum was short-lived. In the semifinals, the Knicks swept them 4-0, with a blowout in Game 4 in Philadelphia (114-144). The next day, a summer of changes began.
The Offseason: Brown and LeBron
The first bombshell came on July 1st. Philadelphia sent Paul George, two first-round picks (2028 and 2031), and two second-rounders to Boston in exchange for Jaylen Brown, coming off the best season of his career: 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 5.1 assists, second-team All-NBA and sixth in MVP voting. It's a trade that, according to Philadelphia media, wasn't even on fans' radar weeks before.
That move convinced LeBron. Three weeks later, he signed a two-year deal worth roughly $8 million, with a player option in the second year, to pursue his fifth championship. At 41 years old, he averaged 20.9 points with the Lakers last season, the lowest of his career, but he's still the player with the most points in the paint over the last 30 years.
The rest of the market was used to fill out the rotation: Anfernee Simons, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Dean Wade, Ariel Hukporti, and rookie Labaron Philon Jr. Departing, besides George, were Andre Drummond, Kelly Oubre Jr., Quentin Grimes, Kyle Lowry, Johni Broome, Dalen Terry, and Trendon Watford.
The Rotation
The starting five is probably the best on paper in the league. Maxey comes off his best season, with 28.3 points and 6.6 assists, second-team All-NBA and league leader in minutes. VJ Edgecombe averaged 16.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 4.2 assists as a rookie and finished third in Rookie of the Year voting. With Brown, LeBron, and Embiid, Nick Nurse has five elite starters.
Off the bench, Simons, Caldwell-Pope, and Wade provide shooting and defense. NBA.com highlights Simons as a potential breakout player: over the last six years, he's shot 42.7% from three after catch-and-shoot, and he knows Brown from their time in Boston.
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The Season's Big Questions
The first, and always the same, is Embiid's health. He's played 96 regular-season games over the last three years, and last season only 45 of 94 possible. His mobility affects both the team's offense and defense.
The second is ball distribution. NBA.com provides a telling stat: in last year's playoffs, Embiid and Brown were the two players with the highest usage percentage in the entire league, and Maxey was second in time of possession. With LeBron added, everyone will have to give ground. Brown will need to run fewer isolations, Maxey will operate more off-ball, and Embiid will spend more time near the basket.
The third is defense. With such a veteran core, Nurse could lean on zone defenses to keep Embiid near the basket.
And the fourth is LeBron's age. At 41 years old, the challenge is arriving intact in May after carrying so much weight during the regular season.
The Schedule: Key Dates
The 76ers open the season on October 20th at Madison Square Garden, the night of the Knicks' championship ring ceremony. Their home debut comes two days later against the Cavaliers, the franchise where it all started for LeBron. On November 6th, LeBron returns to Cleveland, now wearing a 76ers jersey.
On Christmas, LeBron returns to Los Angeles to face the Lakers. On January 6th, the Thunder arrive, having won their last four matchups against Philadelphia by an average of 23.5 points. On January 21st, Brown returns to Boston for the first time as an opponent, and on March 21st, Embiid hosts Wembanyama.
Piratas' Prediction
If the five starters stay healthy, the 76ers have the highest ceiling in the East and can compete for their first championship since 1983. That "if" is enormous: Embiid hasn't been consistently available for three years, LeBron is 41 years old, and fitting so much talent around the ball remains unproven. Our forecast: between 50 and 55 wins, a fight for the East's top three, and the conference finals as a realistic goal. They'll be the league's most unpredictable team this season: they could win it all or fall again to injuries.