Philadelphia

76ers

ESPN’s Shams Charania shared on social media on Sunday that Brand won’t return as Philadelphia’s GM. The post came shortly after he broke the news of the Sixers’ promotion of assistant GM Jameer Nelson to Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations. Brand’s tenure began in September of 2026, and he will now reportedly be working to land a new role within the organization.

Morey is out after six seasons in Philadelphia, two days after the 76ers were swept out of the playoffs by the New York Knicks. While the 76ers reached the postseason in five of the six seasons that Morey was calling the shots, they never advanced past the conference semifinals. This season’s run was doomed by a lack of depth, especially in the aftermath of Jared McCain being traded to the Thunder at the February deadline. According to Charania, head coach Nick Nurse will return for the 2026-27 season.

After totaling 41 points in Games 2 and 3, Oubre was limited to 10 points in Sunday’s series finale. While this performance was disappointing, the forward’s overall showing this season should boost his value in free agency this summer. A return to Philadelphia would limit Oubre’s fantasy ceiling in 2026-27, but he should be a reliable late-round option, sitting just outside the top-100 in category league formats.

In Games 2 and 3, George’s production faltered after hot starts. Unfortunately for him and the 76ers, he could never get going in Game 4, and the Knicks would win by a 144-114 final score, which does not accurately reflect how things went off the rails. After appearing in 41 games in his first season with the 76ers, George appeared in 37 this year, limiting his fantasy value. Like Joel Embiid, the recent availability issues are something that fantasy managers will have to take into consideration when draft season rolls around.

Edgecombe’s outstanding rookie season ended disappointingly, as he missed all six of his three-point attempts in Game 4. The series was a learning experience for the rookie guard, who shot 40.4 percent from the field. Between Edgecombe and Tyrese Maxey, the 76ers’ future appears to be bright, especially on the perimeter. VJ’s fantasy value for 2026-27 depends partially on the availability of Paul George and Joel Embiid, who both played fewer than 40 games this season. Edgecombe’s fantasy floor will be fine, but his ceiling may be limited if George and Embiid are consistently available.

A standout performer for most of this season, Maxey appeared to be a shell of himself in the second round. He had just one 20-point game in the four-game sweep, with the combination of the Knicks’ defense, specifically Mikal Bridges, and an injured right pinky finger being too much to overcome. Maxey will take some heat for his play in this series, and rightfully so. But there should be no concern from fantasy managers regarding the point guard’s outlook for 2026-27. Maxey provided first-round per-game value this season, and his emergence makes him a player who should come off the board in the first round of drafts next fall.

Despite clearly being compromised physically, Embiid deserves credit for the effort he put forth in Sunday’s series finale. The 76ers’ center didn’t miss a shot from the field and led his team in scoring. Unfortunately for Embiid and the 76ers, the Knicks were able to attack him on the other end of the floor when they weren’t knocking down one of their 25 three-pointers. During the regular season, Embiid provided second-round per-game fantasy value, but he was limited to 38 games due to injuries. Availability concerns decreased his ADP by a few rounds in drafts last fall, and that’s likely to remain the case ahead of the 2026-27 campaign.

Embiid was initially listed as probable and with the 76ers down 3-0 in the series, it’s no surprise he’s available for Game 4 on Sunday. The 32-year-old center missed Game 2 with ankle and hip injuries, but had 18 points in 35 minutes in Friday’s Game 3 loss.

With the 76ers’ season on the line, it’s unsurprising that Embiid is on track to play on Sunday afternoon. After missing Game 3 with ankle and hip injuries, the 76ers’ center logged 35 minutes in Game 3. Embiid should take on a similar workload in Game 4.

While Maxey shot the ball well on Friday, he was far too deferential on offense in a game the 76ers needed to win. There were too many moments in which the point guard continued to swing the ball instead of attacking the closeout and getting downhill. While that may have been the “right play,” the 76ers need a more aggressive Maxey on offense to have any chance, especially when considering the team’s lack of depth. To force a Game 5, Philadelphia needs Maxey to be in “takeover mode” from the start of Sunday’s Game 4.