On 52 different occasions in 2025, I have fielded your questions on all things Sixers. One of my favorite parts of this job is writing my weekly mailings for every Tuesday; it is an enjoyable way to engage with readers and also ensures I have not lost sight of what is most important and interesting to Sixers fans.

Given the volatility that has come with this calendar year, these mailbags have really gone all over the place, from sobering outlooks of the franchise's long-term future due to Joel Embiid's injury issues to all sorts of questions about Jared McCain's injuries and recoveries. There have been questions about whether or not the Sixers could really pull off the safeguarding of their top-six protected 2025 first-round pick, then questions about whether or not the NBA would rig the lottery against the team, questions about which prospect the Sixers should pick at No. 3 overall, and then questions about rookie guard VJ Edgecombe during an exciting first few months.

The 52nd and final Sixers mailbag of 2025 will begin with potential trade deadline targets while keeping in mind the team's proximity to the luxury tax threshold, before shifting to some New Year's resolutions.

Let's begin:

From @Notorious_Alps: Team has some good young talent and when I don't expect Daryl Morey to be overly active at the trade deadline given the cap, I do think another solid big is the area of need. Any thoughts on who we may be able to acquire on a cheap deal?

As of this writing, Yossi Gozlan of capsheets.com has the Sixers standing at just under $7 million above the NBA's luxury tax threshold, which they have ducked on a handful of occasions in recent years. Last season, the Sixers signed KJ Martin to an $8 million "balloon contract" to eventually flip him for a rotation upgrade; once their season was about to devolve into a multi-month tanking effort, they had to pay two second-round picks to shed Martin's inflated salary and get below the tax.

Generally speaking, when NBA teams are over the tax line by a manageable amount heading into the trade deadline, they will at least seriously investigate the idea of getting under. It does not create any roster flexibility, but can have a significant one-year financial impact. A more optimistic outlook of ducking the tax: teams that fall over the threshold at least three times in four years become "repeater" teams, which face more punitive taxes. Some teams will duck right under the tax one year so they are more comfortable exceeding it the next without having kickstarted their repeater clock.

For the Sixers, the calculus is probably a lot simpler: is this team, with Embiid constantly unavailable with new injury designations and no real signs of championship upside, worth paying a tax bill for? Can the Sixers shed $7 million in salary, remain about as competitive and go from taxpayers to tax collectors, a significant swing financially? It does not give them any basketball advantages, but it is a distinct possibility regardless.

All of the machinations for getting under the tax will be explored here at a later date; for now what you need to know is that the most likely cost-cutting casualties would be Kelly Oubre Jr. on his $8.3 million expiring contract and Andre Drummond on his $5 million expiring deal.

Since your question pertains to bigs, I will focus on cheap potential replacements for Drummond:

• An absolute dream scenario, someone that could profile as a long-term piece of the Sixers' frontcourt rotation if he is even available: Moussa Diabaté of the Charlotte Hornets, a tenacious soon-to-be 24-year-old who is only 6-foot-10 and 210 pounds yet is one of the single best rebounders in the entire league. Diabaé is only making $2.2 million this season (his salary is not guaranteed for another week and change), with a 2026-27 salary of $2.4 million that also does not become guaranteed until midseason.

Offensively, Diabaté does not provide much value outside of his ability to revive possessions on the glass; he made one three-point shot four seasons ago and has not done so since and is a career 62.7 percent shooter on free throws. He is not a premium shot-blocker or rim protector, but like Drummond, Diabaté's rebounding alone provides a strong baseline of value. He is truly the ultimate energy player. Charlotte has every right to just hold onto Diabaté, but with rookie Ryan Kalkbrenner now in the picture, perhaps a team making an aggressive bid could nab a new backup big.

• Another young target that might make some sense: Trayce Jackson-Davis, Golden State's third-year big yet to truly break out. Jackson-Davis, who will be 26 years old in February, is a non-shooter but has strong numbers as a shot-blocker, rebounder and passer. He is also making $2.2 this season and has a team option for a non-guaranteed salary of $2.4 million next season.

It is unclear if the Sixers and Warriors can make for a great match via trade; their financial ambitions and outlooks do not exactly align. But perhaps a three-team deal could come to fruition in which the Sixers replenish their center depth by taking advantage of the fact that Golden State has more rotation candidates than it knows what to do with.

• He has struggled mightily for much of the season, but if the surging Los Angeles Clippers fail to build on their current momentum and end up initiating a youth movement, veteran Brook Lopez could be a stopgap option on his veteran's minimum salary. Lopez is a far cry from the player he once was, but could at least provide some floor spacing as a high-volume three-point shooting center.

• While he will always be infamous in most NBA circles for being drafted ahead of Luka Dončić – and is not much of a defensive force – Marvin Bagley III has kept his career alive with the Washington Wizards, averaging 24.2 points, 13.5 rebounds and 3.9 assists per 100 possessions. Bagley, who will turn 26 years old in March, is on a veteran's minimum contract. His brother, Marcus, played with the Sixers on two 10-day contracts last season and is currently on their G League affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats.

• Speaking of players with Sixers ties, Tony Bradley of the Indiana Pacers is making $2.9 million this season – his salary becomes guaranteed shortly as well – and the Pacers are a prime team to potentially assist ones looking to avoid or reduce tax bills.  

MORE: Welcome to the 2025-26 NBA trade season

From @MrEd315: What should be some Sixers New Year’s resolutions?

This is a fun question! Let's do a few rapid-fire resolutions:

• For Paul George: to cut down on mid-range jumpers and lean more into a shot profile consisting of looks at the rim and beyond the arc.

George's three-point volume is up a tiny bit from last season to this one, but he is still taking an enormous amount of mid-range shots and only about 10 percent of his shots within three feet of the rim. George enters Tuesday shooting only 40 percent on two-point attempts; even in what has been a very good all-around season for the nine-time All-Star, that is simply a far cry from being good enough.

• For Tyrese Maxey: to be a bit more proactive in looking for open shooters on drives to the rim.

The scoring aggression Maxey has played with this season has been terrific and powered his superstar push, but too often there are plays in which he looks off an open shooter or two and instead opts for a shot with a much higher degree of difficulty, like this one:

• For the Sixers and Joel Embiid: to provide more transparency about Embiid's injury statuses and availability.

This has been a point of contention among fans and reporters alike for much of Embiid's career, and over the last two seasons the issue has accelerated quite a bit. Embiid and the Sixers have violated NBA rules regarding media availability on multiple occasions over the last two seasons. When Embiid is available to the media, his answers to questions can be genuinely enlightening and interesting.

MORE: Paul George's shot diet is still problematic

But far too often, the state of Embiid's health is just not being explained well enough. Earlier this season, the team was fined $100,000 for initially listing Embiid as out for a game before upgrading his status and eventually deeming him available. Before that, the Sixers had tried to be more proactive in ruling Embiid in or out for games for the sake of being more open. But since then, they have fallen back into the bad old habit of waiting as long as they can to make an official determination. It is a disservice to the fans more than anyone else.