Even as one of the most promising teams in the NBA, the Philadelphia 76ers are already staring down enormous questions that will shape the future of the franchise. And now they will have to answer those questions without GM Bryan Colangelo.
They have the opportunity to chase superstar wings LeBron James, Paul George and Kawhi Leonard this offseason -- or wait until 2019 for a big move.
Which path is best and how will it work? Let's look ahead to their free agency, draft and trade decisions.
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What is the next for the front office?
The highs of a successful season and a solid foundation of players, cap flexibility and draft assets are now replaced with the fallout of president Bryan Colangelo's resignation following a social media scandal.
With the approaching draft and free agency 10 days later, the window for finding a new head of basketball operations starts now. The timeline will be critical.
Not only does the team have six draft picks (including No. 10), Philadelphia is in position this summer to recruit franchise-level free agents, such as LeBron James, or explore the trade market for a player like Kawhi Leonard. Despite stability at head coach, free agents like James will likely look in a different direction if there is any sense of uncertainty within the front office, especially if a new GM is not in place by the end of June.
The 76ers will be in a holding pattern when it comes to trades until a new GM is hired. In the interim, Philadelphia will rely on head coach Brett Brown, VP of player personnel Marc Eversley and VP of basketball operations Ned Cohen to keep things afloat with preparations for the draft.
Brett Brown's extension
Before lining up their finances for draft or free-agent moves, Philly's first order of offseason business was extending head coach Brett Brown.
Despite the turmoil that clouds the front office, Philadelphia has stability with Brown on the sidelines in the near future. Brown and his staff have rehabilitated and developed a downtrodden franchise from a roster resembling a G league squad in his first three seasons to a playoff team with stability for the future, despite working under two front offices with different philosophies.
Brown will also now oversee basketball operations on an interim basis.
The delicate balance of cap space
The 76ers are in unfamiliar territory when it comes to free agency this offseason. A 52-win team and the second-youngest roster in the NBA is now expected to take another leap.
Philly's two-year window to use cap space starts July 1. That window is a result of likely having eight players on rookie contracts in 2018-19 and free agency for Ben Simmons and Dario Saric not hitting until 2020.
How the 76ers go about utilizing room will depend on three different approaches:
Big-game hunting
The aggressive approach would see Philadelphia meet with LeBron James on the first day of free agency.
The sales pitch? Two franchise players in Joel Embiid and Simmons, a core piece in Saric, an All-Defense level player in Robert Covington and draft assets (including former top pick Markelle Fultz) -- plus a likely lottery pick in June to use for internal improvement or acquiring more talent in a trade.
Is that enough for James to change teams for the second time in four years, give up $53 million in guaranteed money and abandon a Cleveland team that has appeared in four straight NBA Finals? Unlikely ... but a player like James does not come on the free-agent market often, and his moves are impossible to predict.
Recruiting James (or Paul George) should come with a self-imposed deadline for the 76ers' front office. In the past, James waited 10 days in 2010 and 11 days in 2014 to make his free-agent decision, leaving the rest of the NBA at a standstill. Playing the waiting game until the second week of free agency could cost Philly its own free agents, namely shooting guard JJ Redick. That's unless Redick comes back at the $4.4 million midlevel exception if James does decide to switch teams.
The trade market
Despite having max money to chase free agents, a trade is the more feasible way for Philly to add a star. Free-agency additions cost only cap flexibility, but those pursuits are dice rolls. A trade for Kawhi Leonard or DeMar DeRozan -- if either player becomes available -- is a more likely proposition, though also more costly. Some combination of Fultz, Covington and draft assets would have to be included in such a deal.
As outlined here, the Sixers need to decide how likely it is that they can sign a player like Leonard or Klay Thompson as a free agent in 2019 without needing to deplete assets, as well as gauge their confidence that such a star would eventually commit long-term following a trade. If dealt, Leonard would have only one year left on his deal (plus a player option) and Philly wouldn't be able to offer an extension close to his max.
In the case of DeRozan, there is no risk contractually because the guard is signed through the 2020-21 season. Though not in the category of LeBron or Kawhi, DeRozan gives you an All-Star wing in the prime of his career.
With a trade, the 76ers would still have $13 million in cap space to go the one-year route with a player like Redick, and up to $20 million in room the following year.
The conservative approach
Despite Philly's ability to create $25 million in room, this free-agent market is diluted outside of James, George, Chris Paul, DeAndre Jordan and DeMarcus Cousins. Once you get past those five All-Stars, there is a strong drop-off in players worth risking long-term cap space for. In fact, out of the 150 potential free agents in July, 125 are likely to have a role coming off the bench.
The 76ers can elect to keep the same team intact -- including soon-to-be free agents Redick and Amir Johnson on one-year contracts -- while adding their own first-round pick and a likely first from the Lakers (plus any of their four second-rounders).
While conservative, this approach would set the 76ers up with a projected $30 million in cap space in 2019, with Fultz, Simmons, Embiid, Covington, Saric, Furkan Korkmaz, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot and three upcoming first-rounders all under contract. Philadelphia can also retain free agents T.J. McConnell and Richaun Holmes based on their low free-agent cap holds.
Setting aside cap space until 2019 would allow 76ers management to develop the young core and target some much-needed star shooting guard in Thompson or Jimmy Butler.
The role of Fultz
The offseason questions regarding Fultz were thought to be answered when the No. 1 pick returned in late March.
As detailed by ESPN's Mike Schmitz, the point guard's comeback from a season-long shoulder ailment looked like a spark for the Sixers' bench in the playoffs. Instead, Fultz played an ineffective 20 minutes in an opening-round win against Miami and was a spectator in the five games versus Boston.
Now entering the offseason, the goal in Philadelphia is not only to get Fultz back to the level of play that made him the No. 1 pick last June, but also identify his role next season. How that shakes out will inform the Sixers' other moves.
The McConnell contract
The easy thing for Philadelphia to do is exercise McConnell's $1.6 million option for 2018-19. Bring back the reserve guard on a minimum contract and let him play out his final season.
But that is debatable, because doing so would make the guard an unrestricted free agent in 2019. Philadelphia can decline the 2018-19 option, give McConnell a qualifying offer and make him a restricted free agent this year. Doing so would give the team the right to match an offer sheet but also create the risk that his $1.6 million salary is replaced with a figure in the $4-5 million range.
Exercising the option -- a likely scenario -- gives the team cap flexibility for 2019 because of his $1.6 million cap hold, but comes with the risk of losing the point guard in unrestricted free agency.
McConnell is also extension-eligible (up to four years, $46 million) in July for a new contract and can have his 2018-19 salary renegotiated with cap space starting Sept. 22.
Summer cap breakdown
Depending on which direction the front office decides to go with cap space, Philadelphia will need to keep an eye on the roster count.
With 11 players currently under contract and six selections in the draft, the Sixers have only two roster spots open.
Dates to watch
Both McConnell and Holmes have a June 24 deadline for the 76ers to exercise their options for next year.
If exercised, the two players will have $1.6 million cap hits and become unrestricted free agents in 2019.
Restrictions
Because the 2017 draft trades of Sterling Brown (Milwaukee) and Jawun Evans (LA Clippers) officially occurred after the July 1 moratorium, Philadelphia is not allowed to receive money in a trade up until June 30.
If the 76ers do become sellers with any of their four second-round picks on draft night, such trades will occur post-July 1 when the new salary-cap year begins.
Extension-eligible candidates
Besides McConnell and Holmes, Justin Anderson and Jerryd Bayless are extension-eligible.
Unlike last year when Embiid and Covington were extended, expect Philadelphia to bypass extension talks with a priority on cap space in 2019.
The draft assets
The Sixers will either land the No. 1 draft pick from the Lakers (1.1 percent chance), get that selection at No. 10 (or slightly lower), or convey the pick to Boston if it is Nos. 2-4 (4.9 percent chance). Philly holding on to the pick would mean the Celtics receive Sacramento's 2019 first-rounder, protected for No. 1 (in which case the 76ers keep it and send their pick to Boston). If Boston gets the Lakers' pick, Philly holds on to the Kings' pick unprotected.
With 13 players under contract, including two first-round picks, the Sixers could be sellers the night of the draft with four second-round picks. They could also go the international route, stashing players overseas like they've done with Anzejs Pasecniks, Jonah Bolden and Mathias Lessort.
Here's how ESPN's Jonathan Givony and Mike Schmitz have Philadelphia picking in the 2018 draft:
No. 10 (from LAL): Mikal Bridges | SF | Villanova
No. 26 (own): Jalen Brunson | PG | Villanova
No. 38 (from Brooklyn): Justin Jackson | SF | Maryland
No. 39 (from New York): Rodions Kurucs| SF | Barcelona 2
No. 56 (own): Issuf Sanon | PG/SG | Olimpija Ljubljana
No. 60 (own): Amine Noua | PF | Villeurbanne
Besides the four second-round picks in June, Philadelphia also has seven second-round selections incoming from 2019 to 2021.