With one excruciating Kawhi Leonard buzzer-beating jumper that bounced four times around the rim and in, the Philadelphia 76ers’ season ended in heartbreak on Sunday night in Game 7 as the Toronto Raptors moved on to the Western Conference Final.
A season that had an Eastern-Conference-Final-or-bust mentality fell tantalizingly short as the Sixers’ late-season push toward contention never really clicked.
The trade-deadline acquisition of Tobias Harris in February from the Detroit Pistons gave the 76ers one of the most imposing starting fives in basketball. Adding the veteran forward alongside JJ Reddick, and All-Stars in Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, and Jimmy Butler had Philadelphians dreaming of a return to the NBA Finals.
After breezing through the first round against the Brooklyn Nets, the Sixers could not find an answer for Leonard, who put up one of the greatest single-series performances in NBA playoff history. His 243 points scored in seven games was the third most accrued in any playoff round ever.
While his corner jumper over Embiid will live on in the nightmares of 76ers fans for years to come, the organization now faces an offseason with plenty of change on the horizon.
Both Harris and Butler will be unrestricted free agents on Jul. 1. The Sixers gave up several assets to acquire each player, which makes their retention important to view each deal as a success.
The Sixers gave up Jerryd Bayless, Robert Covington, Dario Saric, and a 2022 second rounder to get Butler from the Minnesota Timberwolves back in November.
They gave up Wilson Chandler, Mike Muscala, and Landry Shamet to pick up Harris alongside Boban Marjanovic and Mike Scott from the Los Angeles Clippers.
Giving all that up for a second-round playoff exit before both players bolt elsewhere in free agency will be chalked as a major loss for the Sixers. If that was a daunting task enough, Redick is also headed to unrestricted free agency where a sharpshooter of his likeness will be a hot commodity around the league. As the only consistent threat from three-point range, Redick is vital to Philadelphia’s offense.
While Sixers management will attempt to keep those three, the question of Simmons’ long-term security in Philadelphia will also come into question.
The 22-year-old will be eligible for a max extension that could come in at around $220 million. That’s quite an investment for a player that still must address some assets in his game.
For a second-straight postseason, Simmons was exposed as a young player hesitant to shoot the basketball, especially from the outside. At 6-foot-10 with point-guard-like handles, this is the kind of player that should be able to take a game over by himself just on his ability to drive to the basket.
Whether it’s a fit issue alongside Joel Embiid — which was a main topic of conversation throughout the playoffs — or an unwillingness to take over within a veteran-laden lineup, Simmons still has a lot to prove to the Sixers.
Awarding him a massive contract extension would be a quite the display of good faith by Sixers management but could be a damning decision if he continues to be an offensive liability.
Then again, a rift could be created between player and organization if the Sixers are hesitant to visit the issue at all this summer. Simmons is signed through the 2020-21 season before being a restricted free agent.
So, no, the drama isn’t close to being over around the 76ers just yet.
