TITLE: Embiid Urges Sixers to Stay Above Tax Line; Giannis Trade Math Grows; Draft Lottery Set for May 10
SLUG: embiid-tax-plea-giannis-extension-cost-draft-lottery
CONTENT:
Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid publicly asked the club to abandon its recent cost-cutting approach and keep the current roster intact, even though the team is roughly $7 million over the NBA’s luxury-tax threshold.
“We’ve been ducking the tax the last couple of years, so hopefully we keep the same team,” Embiid told The Philadelphia Inquirer. “I love all of the guys that are in here. I think we got a shot.”
Sixers’ Payroll Decisions Loom
The franchise trimmed salary at the 2024 trade deadline by sending out Danuel House and Jaden Springer, and repeated the strategy in 2025 with moves involving Caleb Martin and KJ Martin. This season, trade speculation surrounds expiring contracts held by Quentin Grimes and Kelly Oubre Jr., but ESPN reported that Philadelphia is not actively seeking a pure salary dump for either player. Moving reserve center Andre Drummond alone would also fall short of getting under the tax line.
Despite last season’s struggles, the Sixers have outperformed modest expectations. Behind healthier campaigns from Embiid and Paul George, another leap by Tyrese Maxey, and an immediate contribution from rookie VJ Edgecombe, Philadelphia holds a 26-21 record and sits sixth in the Eastern Conference.
Bucks’ Star Comes With a Future Price Tag
On ESPN’s The Hoop Collective podcast, Brian Windhorst said any club exploring a trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo must consider more than the asset package. The two-time MVP will become eligible to sign a four-year, $275 million extension beginning in the 2027-28 season.
“Most teams would say yes, but I’m not sure everybody would,” Windhorst noted, adding that one unnamed organization expressed reservations about absorbing that potential contract.
Key Pre-Draft Dates Finalized
The NBA confirmed its spring schedule for draft preparation:
- G League Elite Camp: May 8-10
- NBA Draft Combine: May 10-17
- Draft Lottery: Sunday, May 10
With the calendar locked, teams now await the lottery outcome before refining prospect evaluations.
Source: Hoops Wire
