The Philadelphia 76ers have made some aggressive moves in recent years to chase a championship, but not everyone believes they’re on the right track. Speaking on the Road Trippin’ podcast, ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins delivered a scathing critique of the franchise’s direction and said it’s time to blow it all up.
“I would hit the reset button all across the board,” Perkins said this week. “It’s not just trading Joel Embiid and Paul George. I’m also hitting the reset button on who actually paid those guys and jumped the gun.”
On paper, the 76ers have one of the best rosters in the NBA with stars including Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and Paul George. For Perkins, however, the 76ers are better off trading everyone but Maxey if they want to restart their championship timeline.
“It’s time to clean the front office," Perkins said. "Let’s be real here. Daryl Morey has not done a great job. Morey knew about these injuries and what Joel Embiid was dealing with, yet he gave Embiid an extension.”
Joel Embiid is the face of the 76ers, but the problem is that he's hardly available to play for them. At his best, the 7x All-Star averaged 33.1 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game on 54.8% shooting when he won the MVP in 2023. Ever since, Embiid has been a shell of himself, with just 58 games played over the last two seasons. Still, he's owed roughly $242 million over the next four seasons after signing an extension in 2024.
Paul George has been arguably even worse. The 35-year-old swingman made the transition from Los Angeles last year before enduring what many consider his worst season since 2014. In 41 games, despite his max contract, he was abysmal on the court with averages of 16.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game on 43.0% shooting.
Tyrese Maxey was the only bright spot for the 76ers last season, but not even he could prevent the team from going 24-58 as the 13th seed in the East.
With George and Embiid both signed onto massive contracts, there's no easy way out for the 76ers, and it's not projected to get any better. Embiid's knees are on the decline, and George has seemingly already left his prime.
For Perkins and many other critics, the real problem for the 76ers is the front office. It was GM Daryl Morey, after all, who signed the injury-prone Embiid to a max extension. It was also the GM/management who went out and acquired Paul George, knowing his age and history of playoff failures.
As it stands, the 76ers are primed for another miserable season in 2025-26, but it doesn't have to be that way. If they bite the bullet now and look for trades for their major players, they may be able to pull enough assets to launch a full-scale rebuild. Of course, a new voice of power in the front office might also help break the cycle and finally bring some life back into 76ers basketball.
Ultimately, the Sixers are stuck between two timelines: one built around aging, injury-prone stars and another centered on Maxey’s upside and long-term potential. As Kendrick Perkins sees it, trying to straddle both paths has only led to disappointment, and the time has come to pick a direction.
If the front office continues to push an all-in strategy, the risk of another wasted season looms large. But if they embrace the reset and begin fielding offers for Embiid and George, they could kick-start a faster, more sustainable rebuild. Whether Morey is the right person to lead that charge is another question entirely.
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