On Thursday evening, Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers saw their 2023-24 season officially come to an end with a narrow Game 6 loss at home to the New York Knicks, who will now advance to play the Indiana Pacers for the right to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. Embiid was battling through several ailments in this series, including Bell's palsy as well as a knee that hadn't fully recovered from a meniscus injury earlier in the season, but overall, the 76ers did not get enough help from their supporting cast to knock off a hungry Knicks squad.

Now begins a highly important offseason for the future direction of the franchise, as Philadelphia will look to capitalize on the remaining years of Embiid's prime (the big man is already 30 years old and obviously has an extensive injury history). The 76ers going forward will figure to have a gaping hole at the small forward position, as Tobias Harris–who dropped a whopping zero points on two shot attempts in the Game 6 loss vs the Knicks–is finally set to be off of what was objectively the worst contract in the history of the sport. To say it's unlikely that we see Harris in a 76ers uniform next season would be a major understatement.

This all begs the question of who will be suiting up at that spot for Philadelphia moving forward, and one potential answer could be a reunion with Jimmy Butler, who was a member of the squad during the end of the 2018-19 season. Butler is expected to sign an extension with the Miami Heat this offseason but should he look for greener pastures, the 76ers are now the betting favorites to be his next team, per the BetOnline Sportsbook.

Another disappointment in Philadelphia

The 76ers' 2023-24 season began enshrouded in controversy as the team desperately searched for a trade suitor for the disgruntled James Harden. That saga finally came to a conclusion when Harden was dealt to the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for a package of role players and picks.

This opened the door for the emergence of Tyrese Maxey, who looked like a hand in glove fit next to Joel Embiid for the opening portion of the season, as the 76ers were firmly entrenched in the second place position behind only the Boston Celtics for the first few months of the campaign. However, then disaster struck in the form of Embiid's injury, and the big man was kept out of the lineup for over two months, sending the 76ers cascading down the standings in the process and forcing them to participate in the Play-In tournament, which they won to set up the matchup with the Knicks.

Despite the resiliency they showed in getting to that point, the season overall still has to be categorized as a failure for a 76ers organization seeking desperately to wring at least one Conference Finals appearance out of an era spearheaded by one of the best big men in the history of the game in Embiid.