Sixers built this roster during a tenacious offseason

NASSAU, Bahamas — When the 76ers hold training camp in the Atlantis Resort this week, coach Nick Nurse can finally take the initial steps to “forge some kind of identity.”

“We certainly have some ideas [of] what we think it can be like,” Nurse said at the team’s media day Monday morning. “But we’ve always got to get out there and see.”

It will be the first opportunity to practically apply what was, on paper, arguably the NBA’s most impressive offseason. The Sixers utilized their salary-cap space to land perennial All-Star Paul George, plus a collection of quality role players, to complement the dynamic tandem of Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey.

What steps did president of basketball operations Daryl Morey take to assemble this roster? Here is a look back at the timeline of each move, setting up a 2024-25 season with championship aspirations.

The Sixers’ 2023-24 season — which was derailed by Embiid’s two-month absence following knee surgery — ended with a Game 6 loss of a highly competitive and entertaining first-round series against the New York Knicks.

The next day, Morey acknowledged roster changes were inevitable, with 10 players set to hit free agency.

“We’re definitely not getting them all back,” Morey said then. “That’s just the reality of the league.”

» READ MORE: The Sixers have everything except the ring — but pressure to deliver has never been higher

Morey also affirmed his plan was to go star hunting, given the Sixers’ rare status as a contender with projected cap space to sign a max-contract player. George was an obvious target, but back then, it was unclear how seriously he would consider leaving his hometown Los Angeles Clippers.

The Sixers then waited for the transaction cycle to begin. Adding some spice in the interim? Embiid side-eyeing George while talking about the offseason during an impromptu television appearance during the NBA Finals.

Intrigue surrounded the Sixers entering the NBA draft. Rather than bank on making a free-agency splash, would they package their first-round pick in a trade for an established high-level player, such as New Orleans Pelicans wing Brandon Ingram?

Nope. The Sixers instead took Duke sharpshooter Jared McCain 16th overall, then drafted defensive-minded center Adem Bona in the second round. They also agreed to sign former Imontep star Justin Edwards to a two-way contract.

“As everyone says, we were pretty surprised [McCain] was there,” Morey said following the draft’s first round. “We were looking at a lot of scenarios with trade out, trade back. And they all sort of went away when Jared made it [down to 16].”

Free agency began the evening of June 30, with Sixers-centric (and league-wide) interest on George’s decision.

Before that, though, Andre Drummond agreed to return to the Sixers as the backup center, while long-range shooter Eric Gordon also agreed to a veteran minimum deal. In the late-night hours, athletic wing Kelly Oubre Jr. also agreed to come back on a two-year contract with a notable raise from his veteran-minimum deal from 2023-24.

» READ MORE: Get to know Paul George, other new Sixers through the reporters who covered them

Meanwhile, news popped that the Orlando Magic — another playoff-caliber team with cap space — had agreed to terms with 3-and-D wing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. Then, the Clippers sent out a statement that the team and George were parting ways.

It was safe to assume that the Sixers were about to get their guy. Still, the wait lingered into the overnight hours …

It took until almost 3 a.m., thanks to a weather-related flight delay and a later-than-expected meeting in California. But the Sixers made their splash, when George agreed to a four-year, $212 million max deal.

George is a nine-time All-Star, and is coming off an efficiently productive 2023-24 season when he averaged 22.6 points on 47.1% shooting, 5.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.5 steals per game. A few days later, on his podcast, “Podcast P,” George detailed how he felt slighted by the Clippers during a months-long negotiation process, which eventually led to him deciding to leave for Philly.

On paper, George is an ideal two-way complement to Embiid and Maxey, creating a “1-3-5″ trio at point guard, wing, and center.

“I’m all in,” George said at his introductory press conference. “My family’s here, all in. … We felt that this was the best and next step in the phase of my career. I thought everything just aligned perfectly — where they’re at, and where they’re trying to go, and where I’m trying to get to, as well.”

Following his first All-Star season in 2023-24, Maxey was finally rewarded with a five-year, $204 million max contract to officially complete the Sixers’ Big 3.

It’s not an exaggeration to call Maxey’s patience in signing such a deal the reason the Sixers were able to pursue George. Had Maxey signed a max extension last summer, when he became eligible, his cap hold would have been too large for the Sixers to ink another max-level player. By waiting, his cap hold was significantly smaller, allowing them to add George.

» READ MORE: Q&A: Tyrese Maxey was asleep when the Sixers landed Paul George. But his patience — and new max deal — were ‘a trust thing.’

He and George appropriately celebrated becoming teammates at a joint press conference on July 23.

“This offseason wouldn’t be possible without [Maxey],” Morey said at that press conference. " ... He allowed us to put this offseason together, to really put us in this position to be one of the very few legitimate contenders in the league this year.”

The Sixers continued to rebuild their roster around their three stars during the free-agency period.

They added projected starting forward Caleb Martin in a particularly shrewd move, while veteran point guard Kyle Lowry and athletic forward KJ Martin agreed to re-sign. The same day as the George-Maxey press conference, news trickled out that the Sixers were pursuing veteran guard Reggie Jackson following his release by the Charlotte Hornets.

The Sixers, though, lost some players who had been notable contributors in recent seasons, including De’Anthony Melton, Buddy Hield, and Nico Batum.

With a veteran-laden, win-now team, the Sixers’ stints in Salt Lake City and Las Vegas were not as revealing or critical.

McCain shot just 28.6% from the floor and 25.5% from three-point range in Summer League games, but perhaps put together his best performance in the Sixers’ final outing (15 points on 3-of-7 from three-point range, four assists). As expected, Ricky Council IV and Jeff Dowtin were the team’s anchors, helping Dowtin earn another two-way contract for this season.

» READ MORE: Lester Quinones agrees to two-way contract with Sixers

David Jones initially came out of Las Vegas with the other available two-way deal, before he was waived last week in order for the Sixers to instead sign Lester Quinones to that type of contract.

Despite coming off that meniscus injury, Embiid fulfilled a childhood dream by helping Team USA win an Olympic gold medal in Paris.

Embiid’s on-court performance was inconsistent. He was booed relentlessly by the local fans, after he chose to play for the U.S. instead of the host country, where is also holds citizenship. He was benched for USA’s game against South Sudan, a decision coach Steve Kerr said was matchup-driven. Yet Embiid was excellent late in a come-from-behind semifinal win over Serbia, finishing with 19 points on 8-of-11 shooting, four rebounds, and two assists.

Who also caught the Sixers’ attention in the tournament? France’s Guerschon Yabusele, whose statistical production — and posterizing dunk on LeBron James — earned him a second NBA shot. The 6-foot-8, 270-pound Yabusele, who was originally a 2016 first-round pick by the Boston Celtics and played two NBA seasons before going back overseas, provides size at the forward spot that the Sixers lacked.

The Sixers capped their busy offseason by further committing to their franchise player, as Embiid signed an extension through the 2027-28 season.

» READ MORE: Joel Embiid’s contract extension is the latest example of Sixers’ newfound stability

It was unsurprising for both sides, even with Embiid’s injury history and uncertainty about the length of his prime. Embiid is a two-time NBA leading scorer, and the 2023 MVP. He was on a historic statistical pace before his surgery last season.