LeBron James wasn’t lying when he said he didn’t care about money when assessing his options in NBA free agency. Any team in the league could have landed James for essentially the veteran’s minimum if they could make the case that they gave him the best chance to win a fifth championship.

In the end, the Philadelphia 76ers won the LeBron sweepstakes. James is joining a lineup that already includes Jaylen Brown, Tyrese Maxey, V.J. Edgecombe, and Joel Embiid. The bench is pretty strong too with Dean Wade, Anfernee Simons, Labaron Philon, Dominick Barlow, Adem Bona, Justin Edwards, and Ariel Hukporti. I predicted the Sixers were the favorites to sign James last weekend, but it’s still hard to believe it actually happened.

The Miami Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers have to be heartbroken over James’ decision. The Golden State Warriors and Minnesota Timberwolves must be kicking themselves that they couldn’t make a couple more moves to woo LeBron. Do the Boston Celtics suddenly regret the shocking Jaylen Brown to Philly trade that set LeBron’s decision into motion?

I released by way-too-early NBA power rankings two weeks ago, and now they’re already irrelevant after LeBron’s decision. With the Oklahoma City Thunder also trading Lu Dort to the Atlanta Hawks in a three-team deal, it feels appropriate to refresh the rankings. Here’s our latest power rankings for the 2026-2027 NBA season. One note: this is based on championship chances, not regular season performance. We’ll have more notes on the changes after the table.

Let’s dive into some changes from the last edition of power rankings.

The Thunder have a weak grip on No. 1 after the Lu Dort trade

The Thunder traded Lu Dort to save on their tax bill, and even Sam Presti admitted as much. I thought Dort was borderline unplayable late in the playoffs last year with a shaky handle, poor passing vision, and an inconsistent three-point stroke, but his defense was still impactful to opponents who feared his physicality. Losing Dort means more minutes for Ajay Mitchell, Cason Wallace, and Jared McCain, which should be a very good thing for OKC. It also means some of the young guns need to step up behind them, and the pressure is now on Nikola Topic and Bennett Stirtz, as well as Aday Mara and Thomas Sorber, to turn into decent rotation pieces.

I thought about moving OKC off the No. 1 spot with this update. The Spurs whooped them all season, right? The Knicks deserve the benefit of the doubt after a championship run, don’t they? The thing that keeps bringing me back to OKC is that we didn’t really get to see this team fully healthy all year, not with Jalen Williams and Mitchell both suffering untimely injuries. I hate the way Chet Holmgren looks in the Spurs matchup against Victor Wembanyama, but to me he’s still a top-15 player against anyone else. At the end of the day, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is still the best guard in the game, and I’ll take my chances with him fully in his prime.

There is part of me that thinks losing Dort could be addition by subtraction for the Thunder. Their season will be determined by Williams’ health, Holmgren’s mindset, and Mitchell’s ability to level up again. I still think this is the strongest roster in the NBA, so they’re No. 1 entering the season to me.

The Sixers’ postseason ceiling is real, but can they get there?

I don’t love the fit with LeBron on the Sixers. Sorry. There are a lot of guys here at their best with the ball in their hands, with Philly’s five projected starters totaling 140% in usage rate. The defense is even more worrisome. Scaling down can be as hard as scaling up, and I just don’t think Jaylen Brown or Joel Embiid as it in their game to do it. Those two will need to prove me wrong for Philly to walk away from this season with a championship.

Can Brown adjust to a more off-ball role where he maximizes his three-point rate and locks in off-the-ball defensively? He only hit 33.1% on 2.5 catch-and-shoot attempts from three per game last year, and he’s always been inattentive defensively when he’s not guarding the ball. Can Embiid forgo his need for post touches and instead use most of his energy to get back to being a monster rim protector? I’m skeptical he’s interested in doing that. The Celtics shopped Brown to the entire NBA and no one wanted him enough to beat Philly’s offer. LeBron is seeing something that the nerds in rival front offices aren’t seeing, and that makes this move feel like a big bet on “Jaylen Brown, the superstar” as much as anything else.

The media is going to expect this team to be really good, but there’s quite a bit of downside here. James is going to need to have a big time shooting season after hitting just 31.7% from deep last year. He’s going to need to push himself as a leader to get Brown and Embiid to buy into their best roles. I still trust LeBron’s ability to problem-solve in the biggest moments, and this team will need it. I like Philly a lot better as a playoff team than a regular season team, but only if they’re healthy. That’s a big if with this collection.

Miami and Cleveland are the big losers of LeBron’s decision

Don’t look now, but the Heat and Cavs might be fighting to just get out of the play-in tournament after LeBron decided against a reunion with both franchises.

The Heat landed Giannis Antetokounmpo, but their depth is poor and they don’t really have any future assets left to continue building out the team. Miami is always so good at developing players on the margins, and this will be the biggest test yet of their ability to do it again. The Cavs are coming off a decidedly unconvincing run to the Eastern Conference Finals, and they’ve only gotten worse this summer. Dean Wade is gone, and the only addition to the roster is second-round pick Meleek Thomas. I don’t care how great Thomas looked in summer league, this roster is in big trouble, and James choosing to go elsewhere is a huge indictment.

I’m liking the Hawks roster as much or more than the Heat and Cavs’. With New York, Philly, Boston, and Toronto (assuming they land Kawhi) all looking like better regular season teams, the pressure is on the front offices for Miami and Cleveland to pull a rabbit out of their hat at some point to up their ceiling and give their teams a real chance come playoff time.

Good morning, BBN!

It finally happened: LeBron James has decided where he wants to play next, and he’s pairing up with former Wildcats Tyrese Maxey and Justin Edwards with the Philadelphia 76ers.

If you’re a LeBron fan, like me, you have to be on cloud 9. 

If you’re not, but you’re a Kentucky fan, you should still be very excited. The last time LeBron teamed up with a former Cat, it resulted in a championship. LeBron and AD were unstoppable when they first teamed up with the Los Angeles Lakers; I wish we could’ve seen them healthier together. 

Nonetheless, it looks like this will be LeBron’s last stop before retirement, and what better way to finish it than with Maxey, Edwards, V.J. Edgecombe, Jaylen Brown, and Joel Embiid. 

If this doesn’t make them the favorite in the East past the defending champion Knicks, it certainly makes them 2nd. 

It should be an absolutely wild 2026-27 NBA season, and I, for one, can’t wait. Bring all the madness, and please, everyone, stay healthy! 

Are you excited about LeBron heading to Philly?

Tweet of the Day

Congrats to Oscar Tshiebwe, who also just signed with the Houston Rockets!!!

Headlines

As Summer Practice Nears End, Pope ‘Excited’ About Cats – UK Athletics

After all of the controversy we’ve seen, it has been a pretty good summer.

Craig Skinner to be Inducted into Delaware County (IN) Athletic Hall of Fame – UK Athletics

Very well-deserved.

Lance Heard, Willie Rodriguez Earn Preseason Media Days All-SEC Honors – UK Athletics

Excited for these two.

LeBron picks 76ers as ‘last decision,’ to sign 2-year, $8M deal – ESPN

Love that he took less money to pursue a championship.

Michael Kim shoots 59 at the 2026 3M Open, joins historic group on PGA Tour with 16th sub-60 round – CBS Sports

Insane round.

Andy Reid: Patrick Mahomes has been cleared to fully participate – NBC Sports

Wow.

Dribble Handoff: Which new college basketball coach will have the most successful long-term career? – CBS Sports

Love Mike Malone with North Carolina.

Bryson DeChambeau: I could have fought for Open win without penalty – ESPN

Sure, Bryson, sure.

Ranking NFL contenders by backup QB situations: Mac Jones, Davis Mills headline best insurance policies – CBS Sports

It hasn’t even been a day since LeBron James has reportedly signed with the Sixers and yet the front office remains active. Chris Haynes of NBATV and Amazon Prime has reported that the Sixers will reportedly be signing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope pending a buyout of his contract with the Memphis Grizzlies.

Caldwell-Pope, also a Klutch client, was teammates with LeBron in Los Angeles from 2018 through 2021. As a 3-and-D wing, not only did he win a championship with the Lakers, he also played a key role in the Denver Nuggets’ 2023 championship run.

His career post-Denver hasn’t exactly gone as envisioned. In the 2024 offseason, Caldwell-Pope signed a three-year, $66 million deal with the Orlando Magic. He struggled his lone season there, shooting 34 percent from three before being used as salary filler to acquire Desmond Bane from the Memphis Grizzlies.

Caldwell-Pope played 51 games for a tanking Grizzlies team, averaging 8.4 points per game, shooting 41 percent from the field and 31 percent from three-point range. After putting up numbers below his career average for two straight seasons, it would appear he will be bought out from that contract, allowing the Sixers to buy low on a battle-tested veteran.

It makes sense for the Sixers to bolster their backup wings, the rest of their depth chart contains Dean Wade, Justin Edwards, and Dominick Barlow. The maneuvering the Sixers do to open up a spot to sign Caldwell-Pope will be interesting.

After the signing of James, the Sixers already have to waive one of Jabari Walker or Dalen Terry’s non-guaranteed contracts to stay below the first apron. Adding Caldwell-Pope would mean the Sixers would have to get rid of both of those salaries. If they are somehow able to shed the salary of Johni Broome, they could keep one of Walker or Terry, but neither of their contracts being guaranteed yet makes them easy to put on the chopping block.

It’s worth bickering over how the Sixers use their final roster spots, but regardless, veterans wanting to come to this team on the minimum is a good thing, and hopefully Caldwell-Pope is only the first to do so.

This is some pretty rare video from 1964, of a Game 7 between the (then) St. Louis Hawks and the (then) San Francisco Warriors.

There are at least three Hall of Famers in this game: Wilt Chamberlain and Nate Thurmond for the Warriors, and Bob Pettit for the Hawks.

San Francisco started both Chamberlain, who was 7-1 and 27, and Thurmond, who was 6-11 and 22, and that was unusual in that era. However, both were supremely athletic, and that allowed the Warriors to play both at the same time.

Pettit at that point was 31 and nearing the end of his career. He was an early prototype of what we now tend to call a stretch-four. At 6-9, he was a gifted outside shooter. He was also a talented rebounder, and like contemporary Bill Russell, played with a burning intensity.

Of these three Hall of Famers, Chamberlain passed away in 1999, and Thurmond in 2016.

Pettit lives. Along with Richie Guerin and Cliff Hagan, he is one of the oldest former NBA players. Hagan and Guerin are both 94, while Pettit is 93.

However, none of them are the oldest former NBA player. That would be Bob Cousy, who will turn 98 in a couple of weeks.

Go to the DBR Boards to find Blue Healer Auctions || Drop us a line

With the departure of Jaylen Brown, there’s an opportunity for Boston’s plethora of wings to take his place in the rotation.

Yes, the veteran Paul George will get a lot of that playing time…when he’s available. For one reason or another, the 16-year pro played just 37 and 41 games in his two seasons with the 76ers. Thankfully, there’s a plethora of wings to backup the 36-year-old.

Over the summer, the Celtics decided to sign Ron Harper Jr. and extend Jordan Walsh to multi-year contracts. They also still have two seasons of Baylor Scheierman on his rookie deal and head coach Joe Mazzulla visited him in Nebraska to catch a Creighton workout. They’re all votes of confidence from the franchise, but if you ask the fanbase, all eyes are on last year’s rookie phenom.

After promising turns with the Spanish national team in their FIBA qualifier and the Summer Cs in Sin City, Hugo Gonzalez could be up for a big promotion in his sophomore season.

Despite his last place finish in the poll, there was a spirited debate by a pair of our readers on whether it would be Walsh or Gonzalez:

Maye The Force Be With You: Walsh. I think the other guys improve to some degree as well. But with Walsh the timing is right on a combo of factors:

• Saw increased opportunity last year and performed with great D and noticeably improved shooting
• Role/Opportunity: with Jaylen gone and George destined for streets cloths maybe half the year, the need for a 3 & D wing like Walsh is big.
• Improved shooting: he took more shots and saw bests in FG and 3pt shooting (got over 38% I believe)
• Age: he’s 22, which surprised me when I was thinking about this exact question a few weeks ago. Given how much NBA action he’s already seen, he has shown he can hang and provide a useful, playable NbA skill, namely elite D. For Joe and Brad, that’s what gets you on the court. And 22 is a prime age for NBA level players to take a major leap.

Ability, timing and opportunity all point to Walsh.

Tenacious D: Gonzlez, as a rookie, performed nearly as well as Walsh in his 3rd year.

HG 74 gp 3.9ppg 47.6 / 36.2 splts 3.3rb 0.5 assts 0.6 stls 0.3 blks
JW 68gp 5.4ppg 50.9 / 38.4 splits 4.0 0.8 0.7 0.5

He flashed improved shooting and playmaking in Euro league and summer league. My money’s on Hugo.

Maye The Force Be With You: Hugo is exciting too and played well. Last year they gave Walsh more minutes and he had a higher EPM, so I just expect they continue to give him a bit more opportunity than Hugo this coming year. If Hugo skyrockets this year, I can see it and I won’t be upset about it either!

The biggest NBA news yesterday was LeBron James joining Brown in the City of Brotherly Love, but our band of brothers on the wing could give them a run for their money in the East. Our friends at FanDuel have the Celtics just behind the 76ers (+390) to win take home the conference crown (+500).

The nice thing about being the team everyone’s chasing is that the desperation you once had is no longer there, while everyone else scrambles to match you.

As the defending champions, you typically get all the works. You’re the first team to tip off the following season, at home, while you raise a banner in front of the NBA world on national television. You get featured on Christmas Day. You’ll be tired of how many times you have to watch them on ESPN, ABC, or NBC.

Usually, it’s pretty cut and dry who gets the two marquee matchups. Old playoff rivals, regional adversaries, the works. But with how chaotic the Eastern Conference is this offseason, there are a half dozen plausible opponents for these marquee events.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver said that he was waiting on LeBron James’ Decision Part IV to announce the schedule, so as we wait to find out the path for the Knicks’ title defense, let’s think about who makes the most sense as marquee opponents on Opening Night and Christmas.

Here are your candidates:

Atlanta Hawks

Allure: Toughest playoff opponent, ran back same team with upgrades
Cons: Falling behind in the pecking order

This isn’t happening, but in a world where there were fewer interesting narratives, this would be considered. Maybe they’ll host the Knicks on MLK Day.

Boston Celtics

Allure: 18-time champions, division rivals, playoff history
Cons: Not the flavor of the month, steep competition

The Knicks and Celtics are two of the oldest and biggest brands in basketball. They’re also two of the last three NBA champions and will be seen in primetime a lot this season.

The allure of the Celtics, the 2025 second-round series that began the demolition of a dynasty-bound Celtics team, and the regional implications make this incredibly intriguing. Remember, the new-look Knicks made their debut on Celtics ring night in October 2024.

There’s regional hatred here. The Patriots and Giants. The Yankees and Red Sox. Even if Boston seems weaker after the bizarre Jaylen Brown trade, Joe Mazzulla and his boys will make this a war.

So why not? Well, competition is fierce, and the Celtics aren’t the talk of the town right now. It wouldn’t surprise anyone if they fell into the play-in, even if Mazzulla’s style of coaching always squeezes as many regular-season wins as possible.

They’re firmly in the inner circle, but they might not be the frontrunner. I think, if anything, it would be Opening Night. Expect the Knicks and Celtics to both host on Christmas.

Cleveland Cavaliers

Allure: ECF rematch, playoff history
Cons: Does anyone really care?

Another quick one that would work in different circumstances, but nobody really cares about right now.

If LeBron went to Cleveland, there’s a good chance we get this in some big slot. Now? The Cavs are running back a team that got absolutely pulverized in the Eastern Conference Finals. Would it surprise anyone if they fell to the play-in? They’re not even close to culturally relevant right now.

Detroit Pistons

Allure: No. 1 seed, 2025 postseason
Cons: Bad timing

The Pistons are legally the reigning Eastern Conference Regular Season Champions.

If that sounds ridiculous, that’s basically what a bunch of college basketball teams do, especially mid-majors who get upset in the conference tournament and don’t get to go dancing. While Detroit did get to go dancing, they were humiliated in how their regular-season success didn’t translate a lick.

If you forced Adam Silver to make a decision on next year’s schedule in April, there’s a good chance the Knicks and Pistons play on some sort of occasion. The Knicks, always culturally relevant, against the best team in the East. There’s also recent bad blood from the 2025 first-round slugfest and how personal the city of Detroit took all of the regular season matchups this year.

Only problem is that the Pistons kinda just feel regular now?

A team that’s mostly the same as a 60-win team should never be treated that way, but they took advantage of a weakened and uneven East. With the depth of the conference looking ridiculously strong, the Pistons feel like old news, which is ridiculous to say with how young their core is.

Indiana Pacers

Allure: Heated playoff history
Cons: Did the gap year cool them off?

It was the biggest lock in the world not too long ago that the Pacers and Knicks would be a primetime staple as soon as Tyrese Haliburton was healthy, but man, some of these other storylines are equally juicy.

It still feels like they’ll find a way to fit Indiana in here. Even if you might be worried about the injury and the gap year cooling off the intensity, the fact remains that the Pacers are the only team to have beaten the Knicks in the playoffs in the last three seasons. There was even a WWE segment surrounding Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins’ SummerSlam bout that included Haliburton “returning” to confront Jalen Brunson with the whole premise of “You never beat me”, which is also a theme in the actual WWE feud they briefly entered.

Knicks fans might not have as much resentment over Indiana because they beat them to the Larry O’Brien Trophy, but these two teams make music together. I’d love to see this on Opening Night.

Miami Heat

Allure: Giannis, historic rivalry
Cons: What’s there outside of it?

When Giannis Antetokounmpo was traded to the Miami Heat, many wondered if his longstanding trade saga, especially with the initial connection to the Knicks, would result in his new team visiting the World’s Most Famous Arena on Ring Night.

Now that more time has passed, that just doesn’t feel right. Sure, there’s bad blood between these teams from a decades-long rivalry and a semi-recent playoff series, but there’s not enough here over some of the better candidates. These matchups will be box office, but not enough.

Philadelphia 76ers

Allure: LeBron, regional rivalry, playoff history
Cons: Is Player vs. Team enough of a reason?

Before LeBron made a relatively surprising decision to head to the City of Brotherly Love, the Sixers wouldn’t have even been considered. After all, even with the two teams being regional rivals with recent playoff history, the Knicks eviscerated them so much in the playoffs last year that many forgot the series even happened.

The King changes things.

He’s the one who held all this up, so expect the NBA to shoehorn him into some very big moments. Despite having a player option for 2027-28, I don’t think we can rule out this being his final year, so Adam Silver will need to make decisions based on maximizing a potential retirement tour.

He has two guaranteed trips to the Mecca this year. I think there’s a pretty good chance one of them is either Ring Night or Christmas. The last time LeBron at Madison Square Garden wasn’t on national television was January 2020, so this is guaranteed to be something good.

San Antonio Spurs

Allure: Finals rematch, burgeoning inter-conference rivalry
Cons: Inter-conference

I truthfully believe that Opening Night every year should have a Finals rematch. That’s how you build up a start to an NBA season. Especially after such a contentious 2026 edition, imagine making the Spurs watch a banner being raised in front of them. That’s textbook bulletin board material.

These two teams also just don’t seem to like each other. That was a very ferocious series with the Victor Wembanyama narrative, and these teams have produced some absolute classics in recent years. Brunson’s 61-point gem losing to Wemby’s 40/20. The 2025 NBA Cup Final. Christmas 2024. The New Year’s Eve Spurs comeback. These two teams create magic together and should get an opportunity to do so.

What Does History Say?

Here’s how the last 10 champions have spent Ring Night and Christmas:

Ring Night:

• 2025 Thunder: Hosted team legend and snake Kevin Durant in his Rockets debut
• 2024 Celtics: Hosted new-look division rival Knicks, who emerged as their top competitor in the offseason
• 2023 Nuggets: Hosted LeBron and the Lakers, 2023 WCF rematch
• 2022 Warriors: Hosted LeBron and the Lakers
• 2021 Bucks: Hosted KD/Kyrie Nets, 2021 ECSF rematch
• 2020 Lakers: Hosted Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers
• 2019 Raptors: Hosted the Pelicans in Zion Williamson’s planned NBA debut (he was injured)
• 2018 Warriors: Hosted Russell Westbrook and OKC
• 2017 Warriors: Hosted James Harden and the Rockets, multi-series rematch
• 2016 Cavaliers: Hosted Carmelo Anthony and the Knicks

Christmas:

• 2025 Thunder: Hosted Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs
• 2024 Celtics: Hosted division rival Sixers after adding Paul George
• 2023 Nuggets: Hosted Steph Curry and the Warriors
• 2022 Warriors: Hosted the Grizzlies, 2022 WCSF rematch
• 2021 Bucks: Hosted Jayson Tatum and the Celtics
• 2020 Lakers: Hosted Luka Doncic and the Mavericks*
• 2019 Raptors: Hosted division rival Celtics
• 2018 Warriors: Hosted LeBron and the Lakers in his first season in the West
• 2017 Warriors: Hosted LeBron and the Cavs, 2017 NBA Finals rematch
• 2016 Cavaliers: Hosted Steph and the Warriors, 2016 NBA Finals rematch

(2020 asterisk, the season began on December 22, so the Christmas matchups were less special)

With very limited exceptions (what the hell was going on with the Raptors?), these matchups are intra-division, against a superstar player in the conference, or a playoff rematch. The league has not done an inter-conference Ring Night since Raptors/Pelicans in 2019 and has not done an inter-conference Christmas game (or Finals rematch) since Cavs/Warriors.

Final Predictions

Ring Night: Pacers (Runner-Up: Sixers)
Christmas: Sixers (Runner-Up: Spurs)

Both of these have narratives out the wazoo.

The Pacers beat the Knicks in consecutive seasons. Haliburton tore his Achilles in Game 7 of the NBA Finals. Their chance at a Larry O’Brien Trophy vanished before their eyes.

As they retooled and took a gap year that ultimately proved extremely useless, the Knicks took advantage of their absence to run roughshod on the Eastern Conference en route to a championship. There’s absolutely a feeling of resentment in that locker room. They didn’t beat us and still surpassed us.

–

For Christmas, this could be LeBron’s final Christmas game. He holds the NBA record with 20 of them played, and on the league’s main showcase day, they’ll want him in the biggest matchup.

At noon. In the World’s Most Famous Arena.

They love Knicks/Sixers on Christmas. It’s the most common matchup by far. It’s been done twice in the last decade and 13 times ever. It’s easy money, but I wouldn’t oppose seeing Wemby and the Spurs again

United States President Donald Trump said LeBron James might be "a racist" when asked if the basketball star is the "best ever" to play the sport.

James, 41, announced on Friday he is set to continue his glittering career with the Philadelphia 76ers.

When asked about the move in a White House news conference later, Trump explained why he believed Michael Jordan was the better player.

Jordan, 63, won six NBA titles with the Chicago Bulls in the 1990s and NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) five times.

When asked whether Jordan or James was the "best ever", Trump said: "Michael Jordan is a guy that's a friend of mine. I play golf with him. He's a really good guy.

"I think LeBron is, maybe he's a racist, but maybe he doesn't like Trump. I don't know. I only like people that like me, so I would say Michael Jordan all the way."

James, who has not responded to Trump's comment, has been a regular critic of Trump during his terms as president and endorsed Democrat candidates Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris when they ran against him.

In 2017 he referred to Trump as "a bum" following a row over invitations to the White House for NBA-winning teams.

James has won four NBA titles with the Miami Heat (twice), the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Los Angeles Lakers.

He has been named the league's MVP four times and is the NBA's all-time leader in points and games played.

James will be looking to secure a fifth title with the 76ers following his announcement on Friday that he is heading to Philadelphia.

They now boast the talents of James and All-Stars Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Jaylen Brown.

"I believe I can help make the Philadelphia 76ers a championship team," James said in a lengthy post on social media.

• Wembanyama signs long-term deal with Spurs
• Miami mistakenly post James 'introductory' video

The Post breaks down the top 10 players on the Knicks and the 76ers — set to be two of the Eastern Conference’s contenders next season — after LeBron James’ decision to sign with Philadelphia on Friday: 

76ers 

Projected starting five (name, age, 2025-26 points per game) 

LeBron James, 41, 20.9 

One of the greatest players of all time called this his last decision. Will it lead to the final title of his historic career too? 

Jaylen Brown, 29, 28.7 

The former Celtics star, acquired in a blockbuster trade earlier this month, served as Boston’s primary scorer when Jayson Tatum was out, but now he’ll be more of a secondary option again. 

Joel Embiid, 32, 26.9 

The oft-injured 7-footer has been limited to just 59 combined regular-season games the last two seasons. If healthy, Embiid, a former MVP, can still dominate, but that’s a major caveat at this point. 

Tyrese Maxey, 25, 28.3 

He’s still a major piece of the future in Philadelphia, but with the 76ers surrounding him with other stars in the present, Maxey, on a $204 million deal, might not need to average 21.4 attempts per game. 

VJ Edgecombe, 20, 16.0 

Edgecombe finished third in Rookie of the Year voting last year and will complete the starting lineup of this new-look group. His ability to create off the dribble could help create space for the stars. 

Bench 

Anfernee Simons, 27, 14.3 

Simons, a guard, inked a two-year deal with the 76ers in free agency and will provide depth behind Maxey and Edgecombe. 

Dean Wade, 29, 5.8 

Philadelphia, at least in term, committed to Wade this offseason, handing the former Cavaliers forward a four-year, $39 million contract. 

Labaron Philon, 20, 22.0 (Alabama) 

Philon joined the 76ers as their first-round pick in June, and the rookie guard averaged 18.5 points and 5.8 assists during summer league games. 

Dominick Barlow, 23, 7.7 

Unless something goes awry, the 76ers won’t need Barlow to start 59 games again. He’ll instead provide a spark off the bench. 

Ariel Hukporti, 24, 2.2 

This spot could’ve gone to Justin Edwards (12 starts last year, 37.2 percent on 3-pointers) or Aden Bona, too. Hukporti, the Knicks’ third center last year, signed a one-year deal and will compete with Bona for the backup job behind Embiid. 

Knicks 

Projected starting five (name, age, 2025-26 points per game) 

Jalen Brunson, 29, 26.0 

The Knicks’ quest to repeat will run through their captain, with Brunson helping the Knicks snap their 53-year championship drought and becoming one of the greatest players in franchise history. 

Karl-Anthony Towns, 30, 20.1 

Towns endured plenty of ebbs and flows during his first season in coach Mike Brown’s system, but he made all of those growing pains an afterthought with his playoff performance. 

OG Anunoby, 29, 16.7 

Anunoby, who possesses the biggest contract in Knicks history ($212.5 million), produced his forever moment with the tip-in to win Game 4 of the NBA Finals — and has continued to improve his game offensively. 

Mikal Bridges, 29, 14.4 

Bridges silenced any lingering doubts about whether he was worth five first-round picks during the Knicks’ championship run, but now he’ll be tasked with stretching that consistency across a full season. 

Josh Hart, 31, 12.0 

Always a double-double threat who’s willing to fill just about any role, Hart, who enters his fourth full year with the Knicks, has become an integral piece of their success. 

Bench 

Miles McBride, 25, 12.0 

He won’t be a bargain for long, but McBride, a strong option off the bench capable of starting when needed, will spend 2026-27 on the final year of his three-year, $13 million deal. 

Landry Shamet, 29, 9.3 

After fighting through injuries and surviving a nonguaranteed deal, Shamet etched his place in Knicks lore with playoff contributions off the bench — and then was rewarded with a four-year, $24 million deal. 

Andre Drummond, 32, 6.4 

Drummond became the Knicks’ Mitchell Robinson replacement at center behind Towns, leaving the 76ers in free agency for a one-year deal worth $3.9 million. 

Jordan Clarkson, 34, 8.6 

The former Sixth Man of the Year winner proved he’s still capable of contributing, even if his role — and his stats — looks a little bit different than earlier in his career. 

Jose Alvarado, 28, 6.6 

A feisty backup point guard capable of providing a jolt off the bench, Alvarado extended his homecoming with a three-year deal last month.