Nobody made more headlines than the Philadelphia 76ers this offseason. Somehow, trading for Jaylen Brown wasn’t even the biggest offseason draw, with LeBron James heading to Philly for his final chapter. With a star-studded roster, it’s time to win, and expectations are through the roof. Will the Sixers deliver on their promise and waltz through the Eastern Conference? Or will injuries, old age, and chemistry concerns win out?
76ers Win Total Projection
Here’s a look at the 76ers’ projected win total on DraftKings Sportsbook:
Last year, the Sixers went 45-37, enough for the seventh seed in the East and a play-in bid. After winning the 7-8 game, Philly took down the second-seeded Boston Celtics, winning Game 7 on the road in style. The party ended after that—they were swept 4-0 by the eventual-champion Knicks—but it was a positive sign for a team burdened with playoff struggles. Now the optimism is reaching new heights, and their massive offseason is behind it.
76ers 2026-27 Offseason Summary
IN: F LeBron James, G/F Jaylen Brown, F Dean Wade, G Anfernee Simons, G/F Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, G Labaron Philon
OUT: G/F Paul George, G Quentin Grimes, C Andre Drummond, G/F Kelly Oubre Jr.
RE-SIGNED: None
Talk about some star power. After swapping Paul George and picks for Jaylen Brown, the Sixers added LeBron James on a two-year minimum contract to complete their star starting five. Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, Jaylen Brown, LeBron James, and Joel Embiid form one heck of a group.
The rest of their additions shouldn’t be ignored. Most assumed Dean Wade would be a starter, and a good one at that, after signing a four-year free-agent deal. Now he’ll be one of the league’s better sixth men, offering valuable defensive versatility while knocking down shots from the power forward spot. Anfernee Simons doesn’t do much beyond on-ball scoring, but he does it well. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope doesn’t have his best basketball in front of him, but he can defend in the right matchups and knock down shots. And watch out for rookie Labaron Philon, who has serious offensive talent. That new quartet, along with Dominick Barlow and Adem Bona, gives Nick Nurse a solid bench group to play with.
But there are obvious concerns here. Swapping 36-year-old Paul George for 29-year-old Jaylen Brown eases some injury concerns, but LeBron James and his sciatica remain a major problem. Joel Embiid is a walking lower-body injury at this stage of his career. They’re already getting hit early: Ariel Hukporti is out for the season and Barlow is out for a couple of weeks, testing their frontcourt depth out of the gate. Nurse loves to run his guys, but to get this team through the regular season, he needs to learn to rest players.
Defense is also a problem here; they have only a few clear positive defenders, but none of them start. It asks a lot of Edgecombe to defend on the perimeter, and Embiid’s presence on the defensive end of the floor is diminishing. Some of these may be concerns for playoff time more than the regular season, but this squad will not be a two-way juggernaut.
76ers 2026-27 Regular-Season Win Total Pick
It’s hard to trust these older, injury-prone teams in the regular season. There will be a lot of minutes to manage all season long even if they avoid catastrophic injuries, which is no guarantee. Add in the feeling-out period this team needs with to develop chemistry with one another, and I expect plenty of bumps in the road during the regular season.
