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The Broad Street Line · Cap watch

Cap Watch: $206.6M Buys Four Stars and Very Little Room

Philadelphia is past the tax but short of the first apron, and the picks left to trade are thin.

4 questions
By the 76ers Nightly Desk · Saturday, October 24

The payroll is $206.6M, past the $200.4M tax but short of the $209.0M first apron. Embiid, Brown and Maxey hold the big money, and LeBron James at $3.9M is why four stars fit at all.

76ers Nightly artwork
Illustration by Hoops Nightly.

Where does the payroll stand against the tax and the aprons?

At $206.6M, Philadelphia is a taxpayer. The tax starts at $200.4M, the first apron is $209.0M, the second apron is $221.7M, and the cap is $165.0M. So the club is clear of the first apron, but not by much. Any addition has to be weighed against that $209.0M line before anyone calls it a bargain.

Who is eating the money?

Three players. Joel Embiid makes $58.1M, Jaylen Brown $57.1M and Tyrese Maxey $40.8M. VJ Edgecombe is next at $11.7M, then Dean Wade at $9.0M. After that it drops to Anfernee Simons at $6.0M and James at $3.9M. The shape is top-heavy on purpose. The risk is that Embiid played 38 games last season, so the biggest check carries the biggest question.

Does next season's sheet give the club any relief?

No. The 2027-28 sheet gets heavier at the top: Embiid $62.7M, Brown $61.0M, Maxey $43.6M, Edgecombe $12.2M, Wade $9.4M. Simons has a $6.3M player option and James a $4.1M player option. Edwards at $2.6M and Bona at $2.5M are team options. Hukporti, Barlow, Walker and Caldwell-Pope are not on that sheet, but their salaries are small, so little money actually leaves.

What picks does the front office still have to trade?

Own firsts in 2027 and 2030, a protected 2028 first and a 2029 first-round swap. On the second-round side, 2027 and 2029 are own, the 2028 pick is conditional to Brooklyn and the 2030 pick is owed to New York. The Brown trade already sent two firsts and two seconds to Boston, along with Paul George. The cupboard is not bare, but protected and swapped picks make weak currency.

The verdictFlexibility is thin. The stars are locked in and getting more expensive next year, and the only real levers are options on small deals and a few picks. The tax is the price of the bet on this core.
Are the 76ers over the luxury tax in 2026-27?

Yes. Their payroll is $206.6M against a tax threshold of $200.4M. They are still below the $209.0M first apron.

Which 76ers contracts are the biggest?

Joel Embiid at $58.1M, Jaylen Brown at $57.1M and Tyrese Maxey at $40.8M. VJ Edgecombe is fourth at $11.7M.

By the 76ers Nightly Desk, written from the club's data and the reports on file, with every name and number checked against them. How the desks work.

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