The Philadelphia 76ers suffered a convincing defeat at the hands of the Boston Celtics in Game 7 of their second-round playoff series. This marked the fourth time in the last five seasons that the Sixers have been eliminated in the second round of the playoffs.
Following the loss, Joel Embiid criticized the team's roster and suggested that he and James Harden could not win games alone. However, Damian Lillard did not seem to agree with Embiid's statement and expressed confusion by saying, "Huh?" in response.
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Joel Embiid and James Harden's Poor Performance
Ironically, both Embiid and Harden performed poorly in Game 7, with Harden only managing to score 9 points on 27.3% shooting, while Embiid scored 15 points on 27.8% shooting.
In contrast, Tobias Harris, PJ Tucker, and Tyrese Maxey performed better. Embiid's criticism of the team was surprising, given that he and Harden were not performing well.
Despite the disappointment of the playoff defeat, the 76ers have managed their salary cap situation relatively well.
If Harden opts out of his contract and leaves the team as a free agent, the 76ers have enough flexibility to sign a replacement by using the movable pieces in their squad.
Given Harden's inconsistent performance in the playoffs, the team could consider giving Tyrese Maxey a more prominent role and bringing in another rotational guard for some added versatility.
The team will also likely make some changes in the summer, including letting go of Dewayne Dedmon to free up $4.5 million in salary cap space.
Additionally, the team could trade Tobias Harris's expiring contract to teams looking to tank or those with space under the cap.
If the Sixers include a pick or two in the deal, they could follow the example of the Lakers and acquire multiple players for the price of Russell Westbrook's contract.
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