The Philadelphia 76ers are fringe NBA title contenders. They probably aren’t in the same tier as teams that recently competed in the finals like the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks, but they aren’t more than a tier removed from those teams either.
The Sixers have +1300 odds on Tipico Sportsbook to win the 2023 title, eighth-shortest in the NBA and fourth-shortest in the East. Whether they can maximize their talent to become the last team standing largely falls on the shoulders of James Harden.
Harden has been extremely busy this offseason working to silence critics after a lackluster close to last season. He opted out of a contract that would’ve paid him roughly $47 million next season knowing he likely wouldn’t receive as much in a new deal, but it allowed Philadelphia to add some depth pieces. That was one way he showed his commitment to winning.
