NBA rumors: The 2 biggest reasons 76ers refuse to tank
01/26/2025 10:52 AM
The Philadelphia 76ers are closer to a top draft pick than they are a top seed in the Eastern Conference. Joel Embiid’s prolonged injury saga and the team’s inability to overcome it has ruined Philly’s chances of making a playoff run. Could the Sixers tank the rest of the 2024-25 season — ruling Embiid out the rest of the way, selling at the trade deadline and piling up losses with the hopes of keeping their top-six protected draft pick?
It has been speculated but does not seem likely. According to David Aldridge of The Athletic, the Sixers don't want to tank the rest of the season. There are two major reasons why.
First, they still believe in Embiid and think his knee troubles could be behind him soon. Second, losing the top-six protected pick that they will probably convey to the Oklahoma City Thunder is not the worst thing in the world.
76ers not looking to intentionally tank remainder of 2024-25 season
Aldridge writes that the 76ers "believe that Embiid's knee will not require surgery, and that he can return to the court sometime sooner rather than later. And, they don't believe that extended rest for Embiid is the way to go. To the contrary — they think he does better when he's engaged in trying to ramp up to return to action."
Embiid’s knee issues popping up during recovery from another injury does not inspire confidence in his ability to stay healthy. Still, the franchise fully believes in him. It’s easy to see why when he’s at his very best. However, the chances of him reaching that level don't seem good.
Aldridge also writes the following: "League sources say the Sixers don't think there's a whole lot of difference between the quality of the fifth or sixth pick in this draft and a post-six pick that the Sixers would have to send to OKC. Maybe 15 percent."
The 76ers don’t seem to be motivated that much by the reward their tank could yield. The key word there is "could," as it indicates that the tank could be for nothing. While they surely would be interested in keeping the pick, they clearly don't feel like they would be missing out on a can’t-miss pool of prospects in the range where their pick is likely to fall.
Embiid’s injury issues may force the Sixers’ hand and make a tank job unavoidable. But the team is not going to throw in the towel with the hopes of keeping their pick.
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