Finally, Philly has joined the fray.
After standing pat during the early stages of NBA free agency — for possibly too long, according to The Sixers Sense's Nicolas Kyle Pring — the Philadelphia 76ers have made their first big move of the 2025 offseason.
No, Trendon Watford isn't quite the shooter that Pring wanted, but he seemed excited enough about Watford's intangibles, physicality and, most importantly, price in follow-up coverage. If, like Pring claims, the Sixers are trying to free up cap space to make more moves to shore up their frankly horrifying wing depth, Watford looks even better at under $6 million per year.
Between Paul George and Kelly Oubre's sneaky (?) bad durability, the Sixers nearly shot through. And based on Philadelphia's updated depth chart via ESPN.com, Watford probably has minutes in front of him coming in as a small-ball center behind Joel Embiid (F- health score), Adem Bona (41st overall pick) and the corpse of Andre Drummond. Let's add versatility to Trendon Watford's assets, too.
Philly might also be passing the torch with Watford's signing
Watford joining the Sixers might not, is most likely not, a purely basketball move. After all, why stay out of the free agency/trade scrum for this long, knowing that your team had some pretty sizable holes that needed to be filled, and then make this deal on a relatively quick turnaround?
Well, what's not lost on anyone, and certainly not Sixers fans, is the longtime friendship between Watford and Philly's newest All-Star, Tyrese Maxey. Ky Carlin of Sixers Wire reported that Philly actually did have their eyes on Watford from the beginning of free agency, with head coach Nick Nurse giving Watford a call as soon as he was able.
Maxey followed soon after, and it would seem Philly really did get their guy. Kyle Neubeck of PHLY wrote that the friendship between the two dates all the way back to high school at a basketball camp. From there, they would go on to share a room at the McDonald's All-American Game, and even hang out with each others' families. The friendship runs deep —10 years deep. And if Watford is Philly's guy now, it's safe to say that Maxey had a hand and voice in getting his close friend onto the team.
And this isn't to say that Watford doesn't deserve the nod. His numbers and physical reputation speak for themselves. But the meaning behind this signing likely goes deeper than fit. Maxey is just a year removed from winning Most Improved Player and making an All-Star team, and outside of the end of the 2025 season, he has a pretty clean bill of health. Tragic as it is, Philadelphia must be looking at Joel Embiid's injury history and preparing for the future, and based on Maxey's career arc, the future might already be there already.
Subtly signaling that the team might be his now for the foreseeable future makes logical sense. And for all the world it doesn't seem like Maxey and Embiid are bound for a Kobe/Shaq feud by any means. But right now, in the wake of this signing, it wouldn't be a stretch to say that Philly just showed their hand on who they'd side with if it came to it.