Going into Game 3 against the New York Knicks, the Philadelphia 76ers are in an 0-2 hole. Without Joel Embiid in Game 2, the Sixers relied heavily on Tyrese Maxey, who played for 47 minutes.
While the Sixers were close–they couldn’t close out on top. The outcome was a 108-102 loss, and a realization that the Sixers’ lack of trade deadline acquisitions bit them hard here in the second round of the NBA Playoffs.
Daryl Morey’s Front Office Is Getting Heat Again
Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty ImagesPHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA – DECEMBER 15: President of basketball operations Daryl Morey participates in a press conference before a game between the Philadelphia Flyers and the Washington Capitals at the Wells Fargo Center on December 15, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
Kyle Neubeck of PHLY went into detail about how the Sixers’ lack of win-now trade deadline moves had an effect on Wednesday’s defeat.
“This is a game that they lost at the trade deadline,” Neubeck said on PHLY’s Sixers show on Thursday.
“When you come into a game like this and effectively play seven guys–you end up playing eight–but it was very clear that [Nick] Nurse wanted to play seven guys. Dom Barlow comes in because Dummond and Bona are in foul trouble. … I thought he put in an awesome second-half stint, despite the way it went down the stretch of that game. But when you trade away a guard at the deadline, and you trade away a guy who could at least give you minutes off the bench, and you bring nobody in, this is what happens.”
–@KyleNeubeck breaks down the Sixers’ game 2 loss to the Knicks
The 76ers’ trade deadline strategy was either poorly planned or not executed well. The team traded away the second-year guard Jared McCain for a handful of draft picks. They also shipped out Eric Gordon to dump salary. Not a single player came back in any deal.
GettyPHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA – NOVEMBER 09: Jared McCain #20 of the Philadelphia 76ers looks on during the first half against the Detroit Pistons at Xfinity Mobile Arena on November 09, 2025 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)
It was a controversial deadline then, and that remains the case months later. Following Philly’s Game 2 loss, Jared McCain’s name was trending on social media, not due to his impressive performance with the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1 against the Los Angeles Lakers, but because the Sixers could’ve used him in New York.
“You asked Tyrese Maxey to play 47 minutes tonight,” Neubeck continued. “He has played huge minutes all year, from day one, game one. He was the leader of minutes for the NBA all year. I don’t think that this absolves him from a lot of poor decision-making and bad reads, hero-ball, and all kinds of all kinds of things down the stretch, but part of the reason that you get there is you asked him to try to do everything for 48 minutes, and he simply couldn’t do it.”
The Sixers will need to bounce back to avoid falling in a 0-3 hole on Friday, May 8.
The deadline is certainly a conversation worth visiting in the offseason, when it’s time for the Sixers to reflect and make business decisions for the future. For the time being, there is still an important task at hand. Nothing about the roster will change.