When it comes to NBA basketball, stakes are inherently high. After all, careers of players, coaches and team personnel hinge on outcomes in the win-loss columns. For the Philadelphia 76ers, those stakes are exceedingly high heading into the 2025-26 season, as the future of several prominent people in the organization will likely be determined in the coming months.
Let’s start at the top. President of basketball operations Daryl Morey is entering his sixth season at the helm of the franchise, and despite some flashy moves and shrewd selections in the draft, he’s yet to lead the team any further than his recent predecessors. He’s come close, as the Sixers twice forced a Game 7 in the Eastern Conference semifinals under head coach Doc Rivers, but the conference finals drought remains – notably reaching 25 years this season.
The Sixers have been largely happy with Morey, but this is a results-based business, and the patience of ownership will only last so long. Josh Harris, who owns both the Sixers and the NFL’s Washington Commanders, saw his football franchise make a run all the way to the NFC Championship Game last season, and he’s assuredly itching for a similar outcome for the Sixers.
The organization is optimistic heading into the upcoming campaign, so rumblings regarding Morey’s future have quieted, for now, but if the team flounders for a second straight season, they will grow louder, and the temperature of Morey’s seat will start to rise rapidly.
The ownership’s addition of former Golden State Warriors general manager Bob Myers will likely only add heat to Morey’s seat, as there’s now an intriguing replacement in-house.
The same could be said for Nick Nurse, who is entering his third season in Philadelphia after two underwhelming campaigns. There were some who thought that the Sixers might relieve Nurse of his duties in April, but he was given the benefit of the doubt since the team was plagued by injury issues throughout the entirety of last season, which is understandable. That excuse likely won’t fly again though.
The Sixers have shown that they’re not afraid to shake things up when it comes to coaches. Rivers was replaced after three seasons, all of which resulted in conference semifinal appearances. Nurse’s Sixers lost in the first round in ’24 and missed the postseason entirely last season. It would be difficult to justify keeping him for yet another season if there isn’t some substantial improvement this season.
Back in April after it was announced that both Morey and Nurse would be returning for another season, ESPN NBA Insider Brian Windhorst suggested that the pair had the “hottest seats in the NBA right now.” Little has happened to change that perception.
“What I would say to both Daryl and Nick is, you have no margin for error now,” Windhorst said at the time. “If next year isn’t an excellent year—I would say that the hottest seats in the NBA right now are probably Daryl Morey and Nick Nurse.”
The stakes are high for a plethora of players, too. What would Joel Embiid’s future with the franchise look like if his availability is again extremely compromised, as it was last season and the team torpedoes as a result? While it might be difficult to think about, we’ve seen time and again that no player is untradeable, no matter how tenured, or beloved. Another early exit for Philly could lead to some uncomfortable questions regarding the big fella. The Embiid era isn’t going to last forever, after all.
Paul George is in a similar situation. Clearly in the twilight of his career, George had a forgettable first season in Philly, and if there’s a repeat performance, the team could be compelled to try to cut bait and move on, although finding an interested trade partner could prove difficult. The upcoming campaign will go a long way towards determining the future in Philly for both of those stars.
Quentin Grimes, who accepted his $8.7 million qualifying offer at the start of training camp, will be playing for his financial future. He’ll be seeking a sizable, multi-year deal next offseason when he’ll be an unrestricted free agent, and his performance this season will shape his market. There’s certainly a world where he plays himself out of Philadelphia’s price range, so his long-term future with the organization is hazy.
Kelly Oubre is also on the final year of his current contract, so like Grimes, he also has a lot at stake with his future in the league riding on how he performs.
The Sixers are far from the only team in the league facing pressure or high stakes, but major changes could be on the horizon in Philadelphia if things go sideways this season.
Follow Michael Kaskey-Blomain on X @therealmikekb.