Sixers Offseason Primer: Free Agents, Draft Capital, Salary Cap Space, Trades

It's funny how quickly the playoffs can change the vibes around an NBA team.

In the first round of the playoffs, the Sixers overcame a 3-1 series deficit for the first time in franchise history to topple the Boston Celtics, whom they hadn't defeated in a playoff series since the early 1980s. One week later, they were on the receiving end of a demoralizing sweep at the hands of the New York Knicks.

While team president Daryl Morey and head coach Nick Nurse seemed safe after the Celtics series, the Sixers decided to part ways with Morey two days after their season ended. Bob Myers, the president of sports for Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, has taken over basketball operations in the interim until the Sixers hire Morey's replacement.

Once the Sixers get their new front office in place, they'll need to turn their attention to their roster.

With that in mind, we've put together a primer with everything you need to know about the Sixers heading into a pivotal offseason.

Sixers Free Agents

The Sixers have four unrestricted free agents this summer: Quentin Grimes, Kelly Oubre Jr., Andre Drummond and Kyle Lowry.

Lowry is all but certain to retire. Drummond is an adequate fill-in for Joel Embiid during the regular season, but the Celtics and Knicks brutally exposed his limitations in the playoffs. It wouldn't be surprising if the Sixers explore their other options at backup center, particularly if Drummond wants more than a minimum contract.

Grimes and Oubre are their two big-ticket free agents. The Sixers didn't come close to signing Grimes to a new contract last offseason when he was a restricted free agent, which is why he accepted his $8.7 million qualifying offer. As it turns out, the Sixers' reported four-year, $39 million offer was likely more in line with Grimes' actual value than the $25-30 million per year that his camp reportedly wanted last year.

Oubre started 41 of the 50 games that he appeared in this past season and has started 150 games for the Sixers over the past three seasons. He's likely looking at an eight-figure annual salary on his next contract after averaging at least 14 points and five rebounds per game in each of the past three years.

The Sixers also have team options on Dominick Barlow ($3.4 million), Trendon Watford ($2.8 million) and Dalen Terry ($2.6 million). A minimum contract for someone with two or more years of NBA experience in 2026-27 projects to be around $2.5 million, so the Sixers figure to decline their option on Terry.

Watford and Barlow are tougher calls. Watford didn't crack the Sixers' playoff rotation, but his versatility was an asset when healthy during the regular season. It also wouldn't be surprising if the Sixers declined their options on either Barlow or Watford to try to negotiate a longer-term contract with them.

Sixers Draft Capital

The Sixers have the No. 22 overall pick in the 2026 NBA draft. They traded their second-round pick to the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2021 for George Hill.

They owe their 2028 first-round pick to the Brooklyn Nets if it falls outside the top eight, but they otherwise have full control over all of their other first-rounders. They also own a fully unprotected Los Angeles Clippers first-round pick in 2028, and they have the right to swap first-rounders with the Clippers in 2029 as long as the Clippers land outside of the top three.

Here's a look at their full draft capital:

First-round picks

2027 PHI 1st
2028 PHI 1st (if it falls between 1-8)
2028 LAC 1st (unprotected)
2029 PHI 1st (can swap with Clippers if they aren't in the top three)
2030 PHI 1st
2031 PHI 1st
2032 PHI 1st
2033 PHI 1st

Second-round picks

2027 PHI 2nd
2027 GSW/PHX 2nd (more favorable)
2027 OKC/HOU/IND/MIA 2nd (most favorable)
2028 PHI 2nd
2028 DET 2nd (protected 31-55)
2028 GSW 2nd
2028 MIL 2nd
2028 OKC 2nd
2029 PHI 2nd
2030 PHX/POR 2nd
2030 WAS 2nd
2031 PHI 2nd
2032 PHI 2nd (MEM can swap)
2033 PHI 2nd

The Sixers are not allowed to trade their 2027 first-round pick until after the draft due to the Stepien Rule, which prohibits teams from being without first-rounders in back-to-back drafts. If they do trade their 2027 first-round pick, they will not be allowed to trade the Clippers' 2028 first-rounder unless they add creative protections on it or if their own 2028 first-round pick lands in the top eight.

Either way, the Sixers could have as many as four tradable first-round picks on draft night (2026, LAC 2028, 2030 and 2032 or 2027, 2029, 2031 and 2033).

Sixers Cap Space

The Sixers have only six players under guaranteed contract at the moment: Embiid, Paul George, Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, Justin Edwards and Johni Broome. Those six alone are earning roughly $169 million. The 2026-27 salary cap is projected to be $165 million.

In other words: The Sixers are not going to have cap space this summer. Their bigger concern will be the luxury-tax threshold (projected to be $201 million), the first apron ($209 million) and the second apron ($222 million).

If the Sixers pick up their team options on Barlow, Watford and Terry, fully guarantee the contracts of Jabari Walker and Adem Bona and keep the No. 22 pick, they'd have roughly $186 million in salary on their books. That would leave them about $15 million away from the luxury tax, $23 million away from the first apron and $36 million away from the second apron.

The Sixers can trim that down a bit by declining their option on Terry, although whomever they replace him with will be earning nearly as much. Even if they wound up waiving all of Barlow, Watford, Terry, Walker and Bona, they'd still have more than $172 million on their books, which would leave them $28.5 million below the tax, $36.5 million below the first apron and $49.5 million below the second apron.

The Sixers would be hard-capped at the first apron if they use the $15.0 million non-taxpayer mid-level exception, and they'd be hard-capped at the second apron if they use the $6.1 million taxpayer MLE. If they re-sign both Grimes and Oubre, they aren't likely to have access to the non-taxpayer MLE this offseason.

Granted, the hard caps only matter if the Sixers are willing to pay the tax at all. Since Josh Harris, David Blitzer and Co. purchased the team in 2011, they've paid the tax twice over the past 15 years.

Sixers Trade Options

The top-heavy structure of the Sixers' cap sheet limits their trade options this offseason.

Maxey and Edgecombe should be more or less untouchable unless the San Antonio Spurs suddenly decide to trade Victor Wembanyama. The Sixers very well could win the bidding war for Giannis Antetokounmpo if they did dangle either Maxey or Edgecombe, but that might only further deplete their already shallow depth.

Embiid may be untouchable for a different reason. It's hard to imagine any team would be willing to take on the three-year, $185-plus million extension that he's about to begin without receiving additional compensation. Spending assets to offload his contract this offseason would make no sense for the Sixers.

Like Embiid, George also tends to show up on the "worst contract in the NBA" lists. However, after speaking to executives at the NBA draft combine, Jake Fischer of The Stein Line wrote that it sounds "as though George has somewhat rehabilitated his trade value around the NBA."

"George just bounced back from a 25-game suspension for a banned substance during the regular season to shoot 49.2% from deep in the postseason," Fischer added. "If the cost is [Trae] Young-like—Atlanta, remember, settled for two team-friendly contracts (CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert) and no draft compensation in that trade—it gets easier to picture teams showing in George and the shooting/creating/wing defense he can still provide."

Beyond that, the Sixers could use whichever MLE they have (if any) as a trade exception. But outside of Embiid, George, Maxey and Edgecombe, the Sixers don't have another player earning more than $3.4 million next year. That will greatly limit their trade options this offseason.

The Sixers could pursue sign-and-trades with Oubre or Grimes if they don't intend to re-sign either player. Doing so would hard-cap them at the second apron, but that's a non-issue for them until they prove that they're willing to pay the tax.

While the Sixers have plenty of work to do this offseason to improve their supporting cast, trades do not seem like their most likely avenue to accomplish that goal.

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Unless otherwise noted, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball Reference. All salary information via Spotrac and salary-cap information via RealGM.

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