Sixers mailbag: Best fit for the No. 3 pick, realistic Joel Embiid expectations and more

The excitement surrounding the 76ers has returned.

A fan base that had been frustrated for months is seemingly back on board after the Sixers received the third pick in Monday’s NBA draft lottery. They are overjoyed that the team has positioned itself to add a young standout to play alongside Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid, and Paul George.

We’ll find out who the Sixers will select in June’s NBA draft. In the meantime, I’ll answer a few of your mailbag questions.

Missed out on the party? No worries. Submit questions for next time by tweeting @PompeyOnSixers to X with the hashtag #PompeysMailbagFlow.

A: Thanks for starting off the mailbag, Vince. With the first pick, the Dallas Mavericks are expected to select Duke forward Cooper Flagg, who has long been the presumptive No. 1. Meanwhile, Rutgers guard Dylan Harper is expected to be nabbed second by the San Antonio Spurs. If that happens, Rutgers forward Ace Bailey is the Sixers’ best fit.

As you pointed out, the team has three good guards in Maxey, Jared McCain, and Quentin Grimes, a restricted free agent they’re determined to re-sign. So it doesn’t make a lot of sense to select Baylor wing player VJ Edgecombe, who’s also an option.

Bailey has a huge upside.

The Chattanooga, Tenn., native is recognized for having smooth shooting mechanics and an ability to create off the dribble. He’s also a good passer and is disruptive on the defensive end.

Bailey, listed at 6-foot-10 and 202 pounds, could start at forward along with George.

A: Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey has been outwardly optimistic that the 7-2 center can return to his dominant self.

However, I personally think that’s a tough question to answer at this moment. We should get a better idea at the start of the season. My concern is that the arthroscopic surgery Embiid had in April was the second surgery on his left knee in 14 months and third in nine seasons.

He had surgery on Feb. 6, 2024, after suffering a torn meniscus in his knee eight days earlier in a game against the Golden State Warriors.

» READ MORE: If Cooper Flagg and Dylan Harper are off the board, Ace Bailey is the Sixers’ best option

Due to his ailing knee, Embiid has only played in a combined 58 games the past two seasons. And the 32-year-old was far from his normal dominant self in last season’s 19 games played. His averages of 23.8 points and 8.2 rebounds were the fourth- and second-lowest, respectively, in his nine NBA seasons. Embiid also shot career-lows from the field (44.4%) and on three-pointers (29.9%).

Add the fact that he has an extensive injury history that includes plenty of left knee problems and you have to wonder how much Embiid has left in the tank. That’s why I’m less optimistic than Morey at this time.

But we’ll definitely get a better read on his availability to play in several months.

A: The Sixers will have a tough time shedding George’s contract, especially this season. He’s coming off one of his worst seasons and has three years and $162.3 million remaining on his contract. Added to that, George turned 35 years old on May 1. That combination could lead to an executive who trades for him getting fired if things don’t go well.

There’s always one desperate team willing to make a move. If so, that’s a move an executive would only make if he thought George could be the final piece to an NBA championship. The team would also have to feel comfortable about George’s injury history.

But at the moment, it appears he has the contract the Sixers are unlikely to move.

A: That’s a great question. Morey said last month that he feels great about keeping Yabusele. And the power forward has expressed his desire to re-sign with the Sixers. But he would have to be willing to play for less than his value for that to happen.

Things could get complicated in part because the Sixers don’t have Yabusele’s Bird rights after he played on a one-year, minimum salary contract for $2.1 million. The Sixers can offer him a limited salary raise, typically 120% of his previous season’s salary, unless they use a mid-level exception.

» READ MORE: Sixers part ways with assistants Coby Karl and Terrel Harris, assistant director of security Anthony Jackson, and others

The limited raise wouldn’t be enough to retain Yabusele, given how well he performed this season. When it comes to mid-level exceptions, they’ll have options. But it could become costly.

The Sixers already have $149.1 million in guaranteed salary allocated to four players — Embiid, George, Maxey, and McCain — next season while the projected salary cap is $154.6 million.

The Sixers’ bigger problem as they look to re-sign Yabusele is how close they sit to the first ($195.9 million) and second luxury-tax aprons ($207.8 million).

The Sixers could use their $14.1 million non-taxpayer mid-level exception to re-sign him. But that would hard-cap them at the first apron. As a result, they couldn’t exceed that threshold for the entire 2025-26 league year.

The Sixers would be hard-capped at the second apron — instead of the first — if Yabusele settled for a $5.7 million taxpayer mid-level exception.

Still, depending on how much Quentin Grimes demands in free agency, the Sixers could have a tough time keeping Grimes, Yabusele, and Kelly Oubre Jr. while also having to pay the No. 3 pick in June’s draft. Oubre, who has an $8.3 million player option for next season, intends to remain a Sixer.

That’s why it could be tough to keep Yabusele even though he loves Philly and was all smiles at Monday’s Rights to Ricky Sanchez draft party. At 29, the Frenchman owes it to himself to chase a lucrative contract if the Sixers are unable to provide one.