June 17, 2022
Joel Embiid played through a broken face and finger this last postseason after nearly winning his first NBA MVP award.
Daryl Morey seems to be pretty motivated to give him some kind of help and a realistic chance to win a title.
Maybe James Harden gives them the best chance at present — certainly their current salary cap situation gives them little choice of doing much else — but Vegas and sports books around the world aren't so high on the Sixers as they are constructed right now.
A day after the Warriors hoisted their fourth Larry O'Brien Trophy in eight seasons, the Sixers are sitting nine spots below them in early 2023 NBA championship odds, at +1600.
Here's a look at the rest of the top 10, via BetOnline.Ag:
| Team | Title odds |
| Warriors | +450 |
| Celtics | +650 |
| Clippers | +750 |
| Bucks | +750 |
| Nets | +800 |
| Suns | +900 |
| Mavericks | +1200 |
| Heat | +1400 |
| Grizzlies | +1400 |
| Sixers | +1600 |
That puts Philly fifth among Eastern Conference teams. So if you have a lot of confidence in Morey, and the Sixers turning things around next season, you might want to hop on these odds.
If you aren't optimistic, then you might agree with their placement among the rest of the NBA's contenders.
The Sixers were the fourth seed this past postseason and handled the Raptors in six games before falling to the Heat in the second round — prolonging a streak of failing to advance past that round to 21 seasons (since the 2001 Sixers).
Embiid and Tyrese Maxey are likely to be back and the centerpiece of the 2022-23 squad, likely alongside Harden who has a player option for next season and could sign a contract extension. The rest of the roster is in flux as the front office explore all possibilities to find improvement.
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