Favorites dropped like flies in Game 1 of the second round. How might that impact the Sixers’ offseason plans?
The Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics and Oklahoma City Thunder have been the consensus championship favorites for basically the entire 2024-25 season. Naturally, all three lost Game 1 of their respective second-round series and have already given home-court advantage to their lower-seeded opponents.
It’s deeply refreshing to watch other teams melt down in the playoffs for a change. But beyond the schadenfreude, the results of this round could have massive offseason implications for the Sixers and the rest of the league.
The Celtics are already hurdling toward the NBA’s first $500 million roster next year. If the defending champions can’t make it out of the second round, will the new ownership group be willing to pay that record luxury-tax bill? ESPN’s Shams Charania recently said the Celtics are expected to explore trade options this offseason because “this iteration is just not going to be sustainable” given the second-apron restrictions from the new CBA.
The Cavaliers are facing a crunch of their own, particularly after Evan Mobley won Defensive Player of the Year and bumped his extension up from 25 percent of next year’s salary cap to 30 percent. The Cavs already have most of their rotation players under contract for next season, but it could become increasingly costly for them to re-sign Ty Jerome, who finished third in Sixth Man of the Year voting this season.
In other words: The Sixers’ season might be long over, but what’s unfolding now in the playoffs could have ripple effects for them in the offseason. Monday’s draft lottery could very well decide their offseason direction, too.
With all of that in mind, it’s time for another one of our weekly offseason mailbags. So, what questions do you have ahead of the lottery? Drop them in the comments or send them to me on Bluesky (@btoporek.bsky.social) and I’ll answer as many as I can tomorrow.
In the meantime… let’s go Knicks?