January 13, 2026
Geoff Burke/Imagn Images
The tenor of the Sixers has been dramatically different in 2025-26.
The Sixers are 22-16 – good for the fifth-best record in the Eastern Conference – as they return home from a 2-1 road trip, bookended by decisive victories against the Orlando Magic and Toronto Raptors.
Now, they will play six straight games on their home floor. But it is not necessarily an easy stretch: the first two games come against the Cleveland Cavaliers, with three of the remaining four opponents being the Phoenix Suns, Houston Rockets and New York Knicks.
Every time the Sixers face a quality opponent, we will learn more about what this group is capable of. It is incredibly important ahead of the NBA's Feb. 5 trade deadline.
Let's dive into your questions, from the Sixers' most frequent trade partners to the off-court chemistry of this year's group:From @HojoTakeda: There are some teams we often traded with. OKC, Dallas, Clippers, Golden State to name a few. Do you think we could have some interest in players those teams have?
The framing of this question inspired some curiosity on my end, so I decided to track down the Sixers' most common trade partners since President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey took over ahead of the 2020-21 season. When the Sixers made trades that involved more than two teams, I included all of their partners in the deal. But I did not include painters in expanded deals.
For example: the Sixers sign-and-traded Buddy Hield to the Golden State Warriors during the 2024 offseason, and that eventually became part of a massive six-team trade involving many other transactions. But for the purposes of this exercise, Golden State was the only team counted for that move.
In any case, here are the results:
| Trades with Sixers | Teams |
| 3 | Thunder |
| 2 | Mavericks, Knicks |
| 1 | Celtics, Nets, Hornets, Pistons, Warriors, Pacers Clippers, Grizzlies, Bucks, Trail Blazers, Wizards |
Morey and OKC shot-caller Sam Presti are in many ways tied to each other; both executives built perennial contenders at least in part off the backs of heists they pulled off against the other.
Morey's first trade with the Sixers was dumping Al Horford's contract on the Thunder at the cost of a first-round pick which will likely finally convey this season, with Danny Green coming to Philadelphia. At Morey's first trade deadline with the Sixers, his biggest move was acquiring Thunder guard George Hill. Oklahoma City, ironically, was the third team in the trade that sent James Harden from Philadelphia to the Los Angeles Clippers.
A trade with the Thunder is not out of the question, particularly as Oklahoma City has stumbled over the last few weeks. It could prompt roster changes of some kind, even if not anything major. The most expendable piece of Oklahoma City's roster with any sort of trade value is Ousmane Dieng, a fourth-year wing and former lottery pick.
Dieng would be a "second draft" sort of bet for the Sixers, an additional infusion of youth and some insurance behind Paul George and Kelly Oubre Jr. on the wing. What the Sixers have that Oklahoma City would want is less clear; perhaps the path to Dieng landing in Philadelphia would be a three- or four-team deal.
MORE: Coming up with trade deadline ideas
From @SoundsBySkee: Exactly how close are the guys outside the court?
If you ask them – as I have many times – the answer is very close. Nobody wants to say it outright, but there have been enough comments along the same lines that you can start to read in between them: one of the primary reasons the 2025-26 Sixers have responded well to injuries and adversity after the 2024-25 team never could is that this group has an off-court bond that last year's bunch clearly did not share.
"I think it's just everybody just being happier with each other," Joel Embiid said after the team's win at Madison Square Garden earlier this month. "...It's not necessarily that everybody knows their role. We're just playing basketball and we like each other. No one cares about taking a step back for the other... That's where it helps the most. When you like each other and you spend – we spend a lot of time off the court together, and that helps a lot."
The next day, the Sixers put out a graphic out with a piece of the above quote from Embiid, and multiple Sixers shared the image on their accounts. And, by all accounts, this is the truth. While the true tests of team chemistry typically happen in games and behind closed doors, it is oftentimes easy to see in open locker room periods before games. Having been around both teams on a regular basis, the difference has been night and day.
Jabari Walker, Justin Edwards, Johni Broome and other young players have grown close. Adem Bona and Jared McCain are the ringleaders of a group also including Edwards and Broome which often attends chapel together pregame. Many of the young players play NBA 2K against each other; veterans like George and Andre Drummond also partake. Tyrese Maxey plays video games with Edwards and others, and Trendon Watford now mans the locker next to Maxey's with two close friends now teammates for the first time. Maxey leans hard on Kyle Lowry, as do just about all of the young players on this team who were thrilled to see Toronto fans give him a rousing ovation on Monday night.
The tenor of the locker room at Xfinity Mobile Arena – both after wins and losses – has a different feeling this season. It is palpable, and the Sixers believe it is directly tied to their performance on the floor.
MORE: 'Seven Sixers' recall when 'everything was weird' as Maxey began evolving
