Philadelphia

76ers

After a breakout season, the 76ers have locked up their star point guard for the foreseeable future. This level of extension was previously rumored and shouldn’t come as a surprise. They have locked up a trio of Joel Embiid, Paul George and Maxey for the next few seasons, and they’ll be one of the teams that looks to dethrone the Celtics this season.

The deal includes a player option for the 2025-26 season. Oubre Jr. was effective in his first season with Philly, averaging 15.4 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.1 steals, 0.7 blocks and 1.5 triples across 30.2 minutes in 68 appearances. Those numbers, while great on the court, didn’t translate to strong fantasy hoops value. Oubre Jr. ranked outside the top-125 in per-game value, and the arrival of Paul George dampens Oubre Jr.'s appeal. At best, he’ll be a late-round flyer in 12-team leagues in 2024-25 drafts.

Free agency’s next big domino has fallen, as the two-way star heads East to form a new “Big 3" with Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid. George’s arrival will likely mean less touches for Tyrese Maxey and Kelly Oubre (who just re-signed with Philadelphia on a two-year deal). George’s departure from Los Angeles means the newly-signed Derrick Jones Jr. should see plenty of minutes, and Terance Mann could see more opportunities as a scorer and playmaker. George’s biggest concern as a Clipper was availability, but he appeared in 74 games last season and posted averages of 22.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.5 steals and 3.3 triples.

The terms of the deal are not yet known, but Philly will add some needed shooting and another veteran presence. Gordon won’t make a huge splash for fantasy hoops managers, but the signing is a great real-life move for a 76ers team looking to contend in the Eastern Conference.

Philly struggled at the center position while Joel Embiid was injured last season, with Paul Reed and Mo Bamba underwhelming in his place. Drummond offers a big-man presence who should fill in for Embiid much more reliably than Reed or Bamba. The veteran center averaged 14.1 points, 17.9 rebounds, 1.1 steals and 1.8 blocks in 10 starts for Chicago last season.

While Batum gave the 76ers solid minutes last season, re-signing him is not a priority, with Paul George and Klay Thompson being rumored targets. Batum should land with a team with playoff ambitions, but he’s unlikely to do enough to offer reliable fantasy value.

Jones played for three programs in four years of college basketball, culminating with one season at Memphis. Playing for Penny Hardaway, the 6-foot-3 guard had the ultimate green light offensively, averaging 21.8 points, 7.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 2.2 steals, and 2.5 3-pointers. Jones was much-improved as a shooter during his season at Memphis, recording splits of 45.9% from the field, 38.0% from three, and 79.7% from the foul line. While he did rebound and defend well for his size, Jones was a bit of a “gambler,” which led to him being out of position on occasion. The 76ers need to sort out contracts for several key backcourt players, so Jones has a chance to assert himself as a threat to break into the rotation with a strong summer should they not bring back a number of guards from last season.

A 6-foot-6, 209-pound wing, Edwards played one season at Kentucky before deciding to enter the 2024 NBA Draft. While he did start 30 of the 32 games he appeared in, the Philadelphia native averaged 21.4 minutes per game, a byproduct of the Wildcats’ surplus of young perimeter talent. Edwards shot a respectable 36.5% from three on 2.7 attempts per game, and his free-throw percentage (77.6%) suggests that he can develop into a dependable perimeter shooter in time. That said, he did not test well athletically at the NBA Draft Combine, which was a bit surprising given what he showed during his lone season at Kentucky. Edwards has the potential to develop into a solid 3-and-D wing, but patience will be required. Edwards was expected to go early in the draft before last season, so it was surprising to see him go undrafted. However, Philadelphia doesn’t have many players under contract right now, so there is a chance that he plays a decent-sized role next season. Still, it is more likely that he spends a lot of time in the G-League.

Bona earned PAC 12 Rookie of the Year honors in 2022-23, and he followed up his stellar first-year performance by winning the 2023-24 Defensive Player of the Year award. The big man averaged 12.4 points, 5.9 boards, 1.2 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.8 blocks across 26.5 minutes, shooting 58.8% from the floor and 69.6% from the charity stripe. He’s got a high motor on defense, and his offensive game took a step forward as a sophomore. At 6’10, 245, Bona can play PF or C at the next level. If he can swat shots at a high level, he can be a viable fantasy option right out of the gate. Joel Embiid and Paul Reed are the only 76ers centers signed through 2024-45, so Bona will have an opportunity to compete with Reed to play as a backup behind one of the league’s most dominant big men.

The 6-foot-2 guard from southern California spent one season at Duke, where he earned ACC All-Freshman Team honors on a team that reached the Elite Eight. In 36 games for the Blue Devils, McCain averaged 14.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.1 steals, and 2.4 3-pointers per game, shooting 46.2% from the field and 88.5% from the foul line. His best traits are perimeter shooting and defending. McCain shot 41.4% on 5.8 3-point attempts per game, and the free-throw percentage suggests that the shooting ability should translate to the NBA level. He was on a team with multiple competent playmakers in its rotation, which may have impacted McCain’s opportunities to show what he could do. Landing in Philadelphia means he’ll be in a similar situation, as Tyrese Maxey will run the show. There may be more opportunities to serve as a secondary playmaker, but 3-point shooting is where McCain will be most valuable to fantasy managers as a rookie.