Get Excited: ESPN predicts the Sixers will be seeking in-season trades, have a bounce-back year in 2025

The Sixers are heading into the new season trying to prove they’re still relevant in the Eastern Conference after last year’s disaster.

Nick Nurse’s squad finished 24-58, dead in the water at 13th in the East. Injuries played a massive role, but it was still one of the ugliest seasons in recent memory.

Somehow, optimism is creeping back in.

Don’t look now! Paul George is in town, Joel Embiid is reportedly healthy (for now), and the Sixers are betting on a bounce-back.

The ESPN Prediction

A panel of ESPN insiders just ranked the Sixers fourth among teams most likely to make an in-season trade before the deadline. And honestly, it makes perfect sense.

• Morey will talk himself into adding another piece for a playoff run.
• Morey will go hunting for a “high-level contributor” to try to keep the season from slipping away.

Basically, no matter what happens, you can pencil in some trade rumors.

The Assets in Play

Morey has a few tradable pieces to dangle with expiring contracts, young players, and a stash of draft picks. Depending on how the season unfolds, he could package them for either a short-term rental to chase a championship push or a longer-term piece to shake up the roster.

Everything you need to know about the Sixers 2025–26 NBA Schedule

The Big 3 Wildcards…

Of course, all of this is meaningless if the injury bug shows up again. If Embiid or George go down, no trade is saving this team. That’s the gamble the Sixers are living with right now.

The Sixers look like a bounce-back candidate, but the trade chatter isn’t going anywhere. Morey’s wired to make a move, it’s only a matter of when.

The question is whether it’ll be the kind of tweak that helps them contend… or another desperate swing to keep the whole thing from falling apart.

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