The Philadelphia 76ers are approaching a pivotal offseason, with more clarity expected to come soon, starting with the results of the 2025 NBA Draft Lottery, which will take place on Monday.
Currently slotted at the fifth position, the Sixers will retain their draft pick only if it lands within the top six. However, if the selection drops to seventh or lower during the lottery reshuffle, Philadelphia will be required to send that pick to the Oklahoma City Thunder as part of a prior trade agreement.
Further clarity for the 76ers will come later in the offseason as the team awaits contract decisions from three veteran players – Andre Drummond, Eric Gordon, and Kelly Oubre Jr. – each of whom holds a player option for the 2025–26 season.
These players must make their decisions by June 29, and the organization reportedly expects all three to opt in and return for another year. Among them, Kelly Oubre Jr. holds the highest-value option at $8.4 million, followed by Drummond at $5 million and Gordon at $3.5 million.
The combination of the draft outcome and the contract decisions from these veterans will heavily influence Philadelphia’s salary cap situation and determine which mid-level exception (MLE) the team will be eligible to use in free agency.
If the Sixers stay below the luxury tax threshold, they could use the full Non-Taxpayer MLE, projected to be worth $14.1 million. If they exceed the tax line, they’d be limited to the smaller Taxpayer MLE, projected at $5.7 million.
This distinction could play a major role in shaping how the Sixers build out their roster for the upcoming season.
Sixers Expect Kelly Oubre, Andre Drummond, Eric Gordon To Pick Up Options https://t.co/aHvWYcsHYJ
— RealGM (@RealGM) May 11, 2025
