76ers Reportedly Plan to Give Embiid, George, Maxey Trio 2nd Shot to Compete for Title

The Philadelphia 76ers reportedly plan on keeping the same core together for the 2025-26 campaign.

NBA insiders Marc Stein and Jake Fischer reported Wednesday the 76ers plan "to give Joel Embiid, Paul George and Tyrese Maxey another shot to try to contend for a championship after they managed to appear in just 15 games (7-8) together this season."

To call this past season a disappointing one for Philadelphia would be a massive understatement.

After all, it surely had championship aspirations when it signed George ahead of the 2024-25 campaign and added him to a roster that already included a league MVP in Embiid and a blossoming star in Maxey.

Yet injuries largely derailed those hopes, as Embiid was limited to 19 games while George played 41. Maxey played the most, but even he was sidelined for extended stretches on the way to 52 games.

As a result, the 76ers struggled on the way to a 24-58 record and didn't even come close to making the Eastern Conference play-in tournament, let alone a run at a championship.

However, the front office reportedly remains resolute on the trio working together if they are able to stay healthy. That will likely mean not cutting much salary, as Stein and Fischer pointed out the team is in line to add an $11.1 million salary with the No. 3 pick in the 2025 NBA draft.

By doing so, "the Sixers expect to operate near (or maybe even above) the second apron for this upcoming campaign."

In a perfect world, this will all work out for Philadelphia. Embiid will return to his MVP form and remain on the floor at 31 years old, George will bounce back at 35 years old and be the dominant two-way player he was at his peak, and Maxey will continue to establish himself as a go-to option in the offense.

What's more, Jared McCain will take a step in his second season after he played just 23 games in his rookie campaign, while the rookie the team adds at No. 3 overall will quickly become a contributor.

That is a lot of ifs, though, especially given the age and injury history of George and Embiid.

But it seems like the front office plans on running things back for at least one more season before making any drastic changes.