Sixers rebuild being helped by league’s chase of the Warriors

By George Kondoleon | Jul 25, 2017

OAKLAND, CA - MARCH 27: Klay Thompson /

The Sixers are entering the 2017-18 season as favorites to make the Eastern Conference playoffs, and the league’s moves are making it a reality.

There’s no doubt that the days are looking brighter in Philadelphia. Even with the unknowing health of top picks Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid, the Sixers are sitting in prime position to contend for low to mid-seed as soon as this year. Philadelphia will see improvement from within, but are in a position to jump into the playoffs because of outside effects.

The Sixers made their splash of a move by trading a hefty package of picks to obtain the right to draft top prospect Markelle Fultz. Fultz is expected to step in as the perfect complement to Simmons, and will be the final piece to a frightening core. That moved pushed the needle forward for the future, but their free agent signing of J.J. Redick made them contenders now.

Adding a veteran perimeter threat was on the top of the list for the Sixers for at least three offseasons, and they found a premium one in Redick. Signing him to one season takes away any major risk, and it allows for a veteran presence to positively influence this young roster. The two major moves Philadelphia made knocks them forward, but the landscape of the rest of the league allow them to be immediate competitors.

The forming of this Golden State Warriors team was expected to shake up the league, but the results are just short of incredible chaos. The Western Conference are seeming to take a head-on approach, trying to amass as much talent to take down the goliaths currently sitting at the top of league. And they did so by poaching some top talent in the East.

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Jimmy Butler went from Chicago to Minnesota, with the Bulls main return being the chance to draft big man Lauri Markkannen. Paul George was shipped to OKC, with inconsistent young players Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis being the main return. Lastly, these Kyrie Irving talks are seemingly weakening the conference’s top team.

So what do these moves really mean for the Sixers? While the top half of the Eastern Conference will likely stay put in the standings. Washington, Milwaukee, Toronto, and Cleveland have stayed quiet for the most part, exempting the Irving trade rumors of course. Boston made some important improvements, making them a top threat to the Cavaliers.

So the Sixers may not crack the top five, but thanks to the moves some other playoff threats have made, the bottom half is open for the taking. Basically, the Sixers got stronger as the East got weaker. The East is taking the waiting game approach, allowing the Cavaliers and Warriors to eventually implode, though the former seems more inevitable.

Philadelphia really hasn’t made an extreme push for the playoffs either. They made short-term deals with thoughtfulness of the long-term. They have allowed themselves enough room this season to extend Robert Covington to a multiyear deal if they’d like, while also keeping room open for a Joel Embiid extension and a max contact next summer.

So while Redick exclaims he wants to finish his career in Philadelphia, the team can look to add major star power to the trio of young stars. More teams are looking to either beef up or breakdown immediately, but the Sixers have been improving at a rate where they haven’t had to see any important pieces walk.

The Lakers shipped their once-percieved franchise cornerstone to Brooklyn in order to clear the contract of Timofey Mozgov, setting Los Angeles up to recruit George and LeBron James after this season. Of course, Lonzo Ball will step in immediately as D’Angelo Russell‘s superior replacement, but the Lakers had to let a core piece walk.

The Sixers continue to add, rather than lose. Of course you could debate about the future Lakers and Kings picks that were parted with in the Fultz trade, but those assets seem a lot more unpredictable with both teams looking towards an upward trend. Philadelphia is staying calm in a time of chaos, where stars are being moved more freely and at lower value than any other time in the last thirty years.

Stability. A word that has been a hard one to use when talking about the Sixers. Roster turnover and injuries have given the team an elongated list of names and faces, but have allowed the organization the opportunity to collect stable pieces. Now, as the top teams in the league, outside of Golden State, are looking more fragile, the Sixers stand as a knowing figure moving forward.

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English poet Edward Young once said “let thy genius rise through chaos”. Right now, the brilliant moves Philadelphia is making could push them to the top, as the rest of the league scrambles to find answers to compete with the Warriors for the next few seasons.