Sixers Big Three

To argue that the Sixers are going all in would be to understate the obvious. In their quest to earn their first National Basketball Association championship since Moses Malone ruled the roost in 1983, they have committed a considerable amount of resources — close to a whopping $600 million — to their Big Three. They got Paul George, who had previously said his heart was with the Clippers, to jump ship for $212 million. They gave Tyrese Maxey the keys to the future for $204 million. And, for good measure, they made sure Joel Embiid stays in the fold through 2029 by adding $192.9 million to his coffers.

To be sure, general manager Daryl Morey isn’t just being a spendthrift. He saw enough potential in their immediate past postseason run to keep his resident stars happy and invest in George as the missing piece to a deep run. And he may well be right. At the very least, the Sixers figure to rub elbows with the league elite when their 2024-25 campaign starts next month. The caveat, of course, is that their anchors need to stay healthy for the long haul — an iffy proposition at best given their history of injury.

This, then, places the onus of success squarely on the shoulders of Sixers head coach Nick Nurse. Given his predilections for playing his most trusted charges heavy minutes, he would need to find ways to make his bench more productive in the understanding that the hardware is attainable only by prepping for a marathon and not a sprint. Whether winning can also come with the changes is up for debate, but there can be no questioning the logic behind preserving his principal playmakers and point producers for the contests that truly count.

Bottom line, the Sixers have the tools to challenge for the hardware. For the most part, their fate is theirs to carve. And, yes, it helps that they’re in the so-called Leastern Conference, which evidently provides more opportunities for them to pace themselves. Whether they actually get close to the Larry O’Brien Trophy, however, is up to them.

Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and human resources management, corporate communications, and business development.