Philadelphia 76ers’ rotation for 2026-27 after LeBron James, Jaylen Brown additions

Joel Embiid’s injuries and long-term contract looked bad, while their marquee Paul George signing from 2024 proved to be a misstep. But they used George to trade for Jaylen Brown from rivals Boston Celtics.

Acquiring Brown led to LeBron looking at the 76ers as his best spot for a championship, signing on a veteran’s minimum and completely reshaping this squad. Let’s take a look at how they will look on the court next season.

Starting Five

Tyrese Maxey, V.J. Edgecombe, Jaylen Brown, LeBron James, Joel Embiid

Maxey led the NBA in minutes last season and was openly cited by James’ agent Rich Paul as one of the primary reasons LeBron wanted to join the franchise. Maxey averaged 28.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 6.6 assists last season and is expected to continue serving as the heartbeat of the team on the court.

Edgecombe had a wonderful rookie season with the 76ers, as the No. 3 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft averaged 16.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 1.4 steals. He’s likely going to be their best defender next season and a crucial floor-spacing option.

Brown dominated with the Celtics last season, being named to the All-NBA team after averaging 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 5.1 assists.

LeBron averaged 20.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 7.2 assists in an evolving role with the Lakers, while Embiid averaged 26.9 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 3.9 assists in another injury-riddled season.

This starting five has more than enough offense and versatility to make sure that no one player is put in a position where they get overwhelmed due to their responsibilities.

Maxey has two elite on-ball options like Brown and James to defer to, while Embiid might be able to load manage more effectively while knowing the two new starters can easily take his offensive load.

Bench

Dean Wade, Anfernee Simons, LaBaron Philon Jr., Dominick Barlow, Ariel Hukporti, Dalen Terry, Jabari Walker, Justin Edwards, Adem Bona, Johni Broome

The starting five isn’t what makes the 76ers contenders; it’s the well-distributed depth on their bench as well.

Dean Wade was the starter on the ECF-reaching Cavaliers squad, with him being able to play minutes across all frontcourt positions, including backup center behind Embiid. Another strong bench signing was Anfernee Simons, who will be the perfect scoring punch in the second unit.

Justin Edwards proved his worth on the 76ers last season as a competitive 3-and-D option who can stretch the floor and plays with high defensive effort. This will likely form the core of an eight-man Playoff rotation, with Adem Bona potentially factoring in as a backup big option as well.

The 76ers are expected to add Kentavious Caldwell-Pope as a bench 3-and-D guard option, likely as the primary backup to Edgecombe and Brown. The two-time champion hasn’t signed yet, with the franchise expected to potentially release one of Walker, Broome, or Terry to open up the room.

Presuming KCP joins, the 76ers have arguably one of the strongest 10-man rotations in the NBA with versatile multi-positional backups to fill all the weaknesses the starting five might have.

Potential Issues

The biggest issue for the 76ers next season will be figuring out how to evenly divide usage in their star-heavy team.

Brown and Maxey were two of the highest usage stars in the Eastern Conference last season. They need to not only share the ball, but also with LeBron, one of the greatest passers in NBA history.

If the 76ers can figure out ways to run James as the primary playmaker, emphasizing Maxey’s abilities as an off-ball scorer and setting Brown up in the spots he can thrive in, they’ll be dominant.

Figuring out Embiid’s post-touches might be more challenging, but it seems the center might be okay with taking a backseat and playing within his role to protect his health.

The bench will rely on players like Wade and Simons retaining their productivity as on-court players while being out-of-rhythm. Wade is a defensive specialist who’ll find ways to be comfortable, but Simons might struggle sharing the court with the likes of Maxey due to similar playstyles.

Nonetheless, it’s hard to pick any other team in the East on paper as a better squad than the 76ers. If 2019 NBA title-winning head coach Nick Nurse can figure out the system best-equipped to highlight their incredible stars, the franchise will be among the favorites for the title.