Even if somehow the Sixers were able to shut down a couple of those five players mentioned, tanking their way to make sure their first-round pick doesn’t convey to Presti and the Thunder is far from simplistic.
The Sixers are 8-16. That’s currently the seventh-worst record in the NBA. Their 2025 first-round pick is top-six protected. So just lose a little more and you’re golden, right? Not really.
In order to be guaranteed that their pick lands in the top six, they have to have one of the two worst records in the NBA. They have to finish bottom five to have better odds of keeping the pick than the Thunder.
Right now, the Washington Wizards are putting on a tanking clinic at 3-21 and only stand to get worse as they sell off veterans. The New Orleans Pelicans have somehow been even more injury-ravaged than the Sixers and there are already talks of them having a fire sale at 5-22. The Utah Jazz are 5-20 and Danny Ainge is essentially using Presti’s playbook. The Toronto Raptors, Charlotte Hornets and Portland Trail Blazers have a much better shot at the No. 1 pick than the play-in.
And don’t forget about teams like the Brooklyn Nets — who already started selling this past weekend (check out their box score from Monday) — Chicago Bulls and Detroit Pistons. They’re currently ahead of the Sixers, but they’re all a few veteran trades away from racing to the bottom. And arguably none of them have a single star the caliber of Embiid, Maxey or George, let alone three.
As we saw Monday night, when Maxey and George are in the lineup and playing well, the Sixers should be able to beat up on the teams that currently have similar records. In the seven games Maxey and George have started and finished together, the Sixers are 5-2. And yes, Embiid’s on-court presence is sporadic, but he’s going to play again this season.
As crazy as it sounds, it will likely be easier for the Sixers to be good enough to make the playoffs than be bad enough to keep their pick. They’re as close in the loss column to the worst record in the NBA as they are to the Orlando Magic, Milwaukee Bucks and Miami Heat, the respective fourth, fifth and sixth seeds in the horrid East.
And getting playoff experience for the Big 3 — plus a young player like McCain — could prove to be valuable for next season, even if it is short-lived.
If everything continues going south for the Sixers and they find themselves in a grim spot late in the year, maybe then Morey will consider asking his stars to step aside. An organic tank can happen if things maintain, but there are still 58 games left in the season and the Sixers likely have too much talent. All of this talk feels reactionary and a bit fatalistic. Understandable given the start to the season and this franchise’s track record, but perhaps not based in reality.
When you have guys like Tony Wroten, Isaiah Canaan and Hollis Thompson leading the way it’s much easier and more practical to tank than when it’s three All-Stars.
Sam Hinkie was right. The Process was the correct strategy for a long-suffering franchise in NBA purgatory.
If Adam Silver and the league hadn’t shut down the most brazen tanking in professional sports history, maybe Hinkie would be revered in the same way Oklahoma City’s Sam Presti is with his Thunder atop the Western Conference and an embarrassment of riches in draft capital.
Alas, what’s done is done. Despite the disastrous Bryan Colangelo and collaborative front office eras, the Sixers have been on their most successful run since Allen Iverson. This past offseason was arguably one of the most successful in franchise history with the signing of perennial All-Star Paul George, a max contract for Tyrese Maxey, and an extension for Joel Embiid. It’s a collection of star talent Hinkie once dreamed of.
The last thing any of us were expecting was an 8-16 start to the season. What we were expecting even less — and something we thought we’d put behind us for a bit — was tanking discourse.
Let’s lay it bare: the Sixers should not tank the rest of the 2024-25 season. More importantly, there’s no realistic path to them even deploying a tanking strategy.
The biggest problem with attempting a tank is that the Sixers — believe it or not — are too healthy and talented to do it.
Yes, uncertainty around Embiid’s knee has been the biggest culprit to the team’s putrid start and his current sinus fracture doesn’t help, but Embiid has no season-ending injury. After all Embiid has been through trying to get his knee ready to play, you expect Daryl Morey to come to him and tell him he’s being shut down?
Yeah, surely that conversation would go great.
If Embiid were open to that possibility and thought it was the best course of action for himself, by all means, let him get right physically and mentally for next season (more below on why even that’s not so simple). That doesn’t seem like the case though. Despite what some folks believe, Embiid wants to play basketball.
And even if you were to get Embiid on board, you still have two other All-Stars you have to convince to go along with this plan. Maxey is 24, just received a max deal and is in serious jeopardy of not being an All-Star this season. Plus, have you heard this guy talk? Do you think he’s going to be willing to go along with a losing strategy? Do you remember what he went through just last season when Embiid was out and the toll it took on him?
Then you have George. He’s a nine-time All-Star and has barely played this season. George certainly wants to at least finish out his four-year contract here in Philadelphia, but who knows how long he’ll continue to play this game. And you want him to fabricate an injury or be on a team that’s trying to lose during his age-34 season?
Again, good luck with those conversations.
That’s not even factoring in Silver’s anti-Process agenda. You saw how much scrutiny the Sixers were under for the handling of Embiid to start the season. You think the league is just going to sit back and let the Sixers shut down their stars, no questions asked?
Beyond the stars, players like Jared McCain and Caleb Martin are dealing with unfortunate injuries. Neither of them is likely to be season-ending, though we’ll need to see the full extent of McCain’s meniscus surgery before we know for sure. With that said, we all know the former Rookie of the Year favorite will do everything he can to get back on the floor this season. Caleb Martin has gutted his way through 20 games with multiple injuries. He’s a player who’s very difficult to get to take time off, let alone put on the shelf for a season.
Some fans feel like the Sixers should just tank this season after their horrific start, but in reality it's not exactly realistic.
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