Our Philadelphia 76ers rumors page is back up and running following a premature exit from the 2023 NBA Playoffs.
Philadelphia finds itself at a crossroads after falling to the Boston Celtics in the conference semifinals. Head coach Doc Rivers is out after three seasons. He’s since been replaced by Nick Nurse. The future of impending free agent James Harden is up in the air. Meanwhile, other teams are quietly paying attention to the situation involving reigning NBA MVP Joel Embiid.
Instead of scouring the internet for one piece of information at a time, here’s our Philadelphia 76ers rumors page with updates on a never-ending loop.
Related: Top NBA head coach candidates of 2023
Update: June 12, 5:55 PM ET
Philadelphia 76ers linked to high-scoring shooting guard
Bill Simmons of The Ringer reported recently that Philadelphia is the odds-on favorite to land Bradley Beal should the Washington Wizards star request a trade. Washington could very well end up going into full-scale rebuild mode. If so, the high-scoring Beal would be its best asset in a trade this summer.
Bradley Beal stats (2019-23): 27.6 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 5.5 APG, 47% shooting
The idea for Philadelphia would be to replace Harden with Beal as a running partner with Tyrese Maxey in the backcourt. In this scenario, the 76ers offer up Tobias Harris’ expiring contract and multiple future first-round picks to get a deal done. Though, this is all dependent on Harden’s future in Philadelphia (more on that below).
Fred VanVleet appears to be a target of the Philadelphia 76ers
Again, this all depends on whether Harden bolts Philadelphia in free agency. Should that come to fruition, the 76ers need to find another starting guard.
Having just recently opted out of his contract for the 2023-24 season, VanVleet will hit free agency. Averaging 19.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, 6.8 assists and 1.7 steals since the start of the 2020-21 season, VanVleet will have a strong market. Unfortunately for Philadelphia, it would have to work out a sign-and-trade with the Toronto Raptors to make this happen.
Update: June 7, 4:08 PM ET
Philadelphia 76ers rumors: James Harden’s future
It’s already being reported that Harden will decline the $33.6 million option on his contract for next season. A recent report from Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer indicates that league executives believe Harden will return to the Houston Rockets during NBA free agency.
- James Harden stats (2022-23): 21.0 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 10.7 APG, 44% shooting, 39% 3-point
This could very well be bad news for a 76ers team that is already over the NBA salary cap. In short, they would not be able to find a competent replacement using the midlevel exception in free agency.
Philadelphia could very well look to work out a sign-and-trade with Houston. That would likely include bringing in wing Kevin Porter Jr. Whether he can be a No. 3 option behind Embiid and Tyrese Maxey remains to be seen. But we do expect front office head Daryl Morey to turn over every stone in order to remain in contention should Philadelphia lose Harden to Houston or another team.
Related: If you’re a fan of the 76ers, check out #PhilaUnite rumors, rankings, and news here.
Other teams keeping a close eye on Joel Embiid situation
Is the reigning NBA MVP unhappy with the 76ers? It’s too early to tell. What we do know is that the conference rival New York Knicks have been quietly keeping an eye on the situation should Embiid become the latest disgruntled star to request a trade.
Despite Embiid’s individual excellence, he has struggled leading Philadelphia to championship contention with a ton of different running mates. That includes Jimmy Butler, Ben Simmons and the aforementioned Harden.
- Joel Embiid stats (2022-23): 33.1 PPG, 10.2 RPG, 4.2 APG, 55% shooting
Philadelphia would only entertain trade offers for Embiid if the team was willing to blow this thing up and start “the process” all over again. Still in his prime at 29 years old, the 76ers would receive an otherworldly amount of compensation for Embiid in a trade. However, we still view this possibility as an extreme unlikelihood.
Related: Full 2023 NBA mock draft
Other Philadelphia 76ers rumors
- We’ve read that forward Tobias Harris continues to be on the trade block. These rumors have existed for the better part of the past two calendar years. With only one more season remaining on his current five-year, $180 million contract, Harris could actually be a valuable asset to find a replacement for Harden should things come to that. Harris, 30, averaged 14.7 points and 5.7 rebounds on 50% shooting this past season.
Bookmark this page for live Philadelphia 76ers rumors updates throughout the entire offseason and summer.