While the Sixers still have an important piece of business to handle before their offseason is complete, many of their competitors in the Eastern Conference have filled out their own rosters or come close.
Over the last week, we have examined the offseason performances of each of the Sixers' eight most formidable conference cohorts before projecting those teams' depth charts ahead of the 2025-26 campaign.
There is no doubt that in a down year for the lesser conference -- Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton each suffering a torn Achilles during the playoffs should take the Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers out of contention -- the Sixers have plenty of opportunity to emerge from a pack of weak links. But it is just as plausible that after a 24-58 season, the Sixers will continue to look like one of the worst teams in their conference.
If you missed any of our stories scouting the Sixers' competition, you can find them all here:
Gap year teams
• With Tatum at least out for the majority of next season if not the entirety of it, the Boston Celtics pivoted to a focus on financials. They have enough talent on their roster to compete in a general sense, but not for a championship. They will be back in that conversation next season.
• The same can be said for the Indiana Pacers in the wake of Haliburton's devastating injury, and another interesting offseason wrinkle occurred when Myles Turner departed for the Milwaukee Bucks. Most of the group that led Indiana on its NBA Finals run remains together otherwise.
Upper echelon
• Until this core leads the Cleveland Cavaliers to playoff success, their strong regular seasons will seem irrelevant. But the Cavaliers were a juggernaut last season and have performed some intriguing roster shuffling as they try to finally get over the hump.
• After losing to Indiana in the Eastern Conference Finals, the New York Knicks have their best chance yet to win the conference. Indiana and Boston are out of the picture, and a revamped bench which includes old friend Guerschon Yabusele should make the Knicks a much deeper team than they have been in recent years.
• While some may not be ready to put them in this tier, the Orlando Magic have more than enough talent and youth to not just become an Eastern Conference contender now, but remain one for a long time. The Desmond Bane acquisition was perfect for their needs, and Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner look ready to lead a team to significant success.
Quality teams
• After one of the greatest year-to-year turnarounds in NBA history, the Detroit Pistons are back for more, hoping to make another leap after acquiring a few new veterans to bolster their depth. Ultimately, the Pistons will go as far as Cade Cunningham will take them, but he is going to need assistance from teammates young and old.
• With a new front office came a stellar offseason for the Atlanta Hawks, whose salary cap flexibility allowed them to make noticeable upgrades to their rotation while continuing to stockpile valuable long-term assets. The Hawks may not be contenders this year, but they should be a lot better.
• As long as they have Giannis Antetokounmpo on their team, the Milwaukee Bucks cannot be ignored. Antetokounmpo is far and away the best player in the conference at this point, and Milwaukee's front office has taken to desperate measures to ensure he remains with the Bucks.
MORE: Everything you need to know about Sixers' 2025-26 schedule
Follow Adam on Twitter: @SixersAdam
Follow PhillyVoice on Twitter: @thephillyvoice