76ers got the change Daryl Morey wanted, but their grace period is over

Despite a challenging season marked by injuries to franchise players Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, a near-bottom conference finish, and drama, the Philadelphia 76ers organization, led by executive Daryl Morey, maintained a strong belief throughout February and March that they could turn things around quickly. While acknowledging the difficulty of rebounding, Morey now asserts that the Eastern Conference is unexpectedly wide open heading into the next season, presenting a unique opportunity for a bounce-back year.

Morey elaborated in an interview at the Las Vegas Summer League, stating the East's openness is partly due to significant injuries affecting other teams like the Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers. He emphasized that while the Sixers feel they can compete with the top teams if everything comes together, they must prove it on the court. The team has also maintained roster flexibility to make upgrades during the season.

The health of Joel Embiid remains paramount. After a knee injury suffered over a year ago derailed much of last season, Morey reports Embiid is "on track" to be healthy for training camp, preseason, and the regular season opener. However, league sources indicate Embiid has only resumed partial basketball activities and not yet returned to full on-court work, though the front office remains optimistic.

Philadelphia's championship hopes depend heavily on Embiid's health. However, the current roster might be better equipped to handle a potential regular-season absence than in previous years. A backcourt led by Tyrese Maxey, potentially including restricted free agent Quentin Grimes (whom Morey expects to re-sign), could be one of the league's deepest and most dynamic, capable of creating offense even without Embiid.

Roster construction for the summer is largely complete, barring an unexpected trade or the Grimes signing. Morey focused on making the team younger and more athletic. He used the No. 3 draft pick on Baylor guard VJ Edgecombe to support this goal, though Edgecombe suffered a left thumb sprain in Summer League. Veteran re-signings included Kyle Lowry and Eric Gordon, while Andre Drummond exercised his player option. Morey also prioritized improving the roster's margins.

Building this roster required difficult decisions, primarily the choice between trying to retain Quentin Grimes or Guerschon Yabusele, who was a valuable bench contributor last season playing both power forward and center. Financial constraints ultimately made it impossible to keep both players.