The Eastern Conference is going to be as open as its ever been next season. With the Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers both dealing with significant injuries — Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Halliburton tore their Achilles in the playoffs — it’s going to completely reset the East for next season, giving several teams a legitimate chance of getting to the NBA Finals.
The Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks, the latter coming off an Eastern Conference Final appearance, share the best odds at FanDuel (+260) of making it to the NBA Finals out of the East, but other teams could also be in the mix. The Orlando Magic added some much-needed shooting in Desmond Bane this summer. Another team that some might be forgetting about is the Philadelphia 76ers, who had championship expectations this past season, but countless injuries quickly changed those plans.
A healthy Joel Embiid, Paul George and Tyrese Maxey is as good of a trio as any in the East. And because the Sixers fell into the lottery due to injuries — and rose to the No. 3 pick in the draft — they landed VJ Edgecombe to add to the rotation, who already thinks the Sixers have a high chance of making a deep run next season.
“It was amazing, knowing I’m going to a great organization, I feel like we have a chance to go to the [NBA] Finals,” Edgecombe told ESPN. “[My goals are] First-Team All-Rookie, championship, I want to win a championship. Those are my main goals right there.”
Those goals aren’t too lofty for Edgecombe or the Sixers, but as far as making the NBA Finals, that’s easier said than done. The Sixers are +1200 to come out of the East and +3600 to win the NBA Finals.
A fully healthy Embiid changes things drastically for Philadelphia, and all signs point to him not having setbacks like he did a year ago. But the 2025-26 season is still three months away, and the Sixers are already dealing with injuries. George underwent an arthroscopic procedure on his knee after suffering an injury during an offseason workout. He’s expected to be re-evaluated ahead of training camp, which isn’t ideal. That doesn’t mean George will miss time to start next season, but the fact that he’s already dealing with yet another knee injury doesn’t inspire a ton of hope.
Last season, George, Embiid and Maxey managed to play just 15 games together — not great for a team whose championship window is right now. If the Sixers want to achieve Edgecombe’s goal of making the NBA Finals next season, those three guys need to be on the floor together as much as possible. Otherwise, it will be another lost year for a Sixers team that has fallen short of expectations countless times in the Embiid era.
