76ers salary cap space: How Paul George, Tyrese Maxey signings impacts Philadelphia's payroll, depth chart

The 76ers entered the 2024 NBA offseason with one goal in mind: Reshape their roster around Joel Embiid into that of a true contender.

Philadelphia had just three players under contract entering the 2024 offseason, so the team had the flexibility needed to chase star talent on the free-agent market. The 76ers also needed to give Tyrese Maxey a long-term contract extension that reflected his excellent play during the 2023-24 NBA season.

The 76ers accomplished both goals, inking Paul George to a maximum contract in free agency and then agreeing to a deal with Maxey.

George's signing gives the Sixers the kind of star wing they were hoping to get when they signed Tobias Harris to a long-term contract. He should provide a solid scoring punch and excellent defense that will round out Philadelphia's starting unit well.

And retaining Maxey — who averaged 25.9 points per game last season — was a no-brainer for Philadelphia.

But what will the salary-cap implications of these moves be? The 76ers may look like their spending spree is coming to an end, but they still have a bit of wiggle room to fill out their roster. Here's what to know about their payroll and depth chart for the 2024-25 season.

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76ers salary cap space

The 76ers entered the 2024 NBA offseason with $74,990,205 in salary cap space when excluding "cap holds" assigned to unrestricted free agents and unsigned draft picks.

The reason Philadelphia had so much salary cap space is simple. They had just three players under contract entering the 2024 offseason: Joel Embiid, Paul Reed and Ricky Council IV.

That plan was by design. The 76ers wanted to go big-game hunting during the 2024 offseason to find a third star for their roster, alongside Embiid and restricted free agent Tyrese Maxey.

Philadelphia found that by inking George to a four-year deal worth up to $212 million. It followed that up by re-signing Tyrese Maxey to a five-year deal worth $204 million. That significantly shrinks Philadelphia's available space, as will the agreements they reached with Kelly Oubre Jr., Andre Drummond and Eric Gordon.

Spotrac.com estimates those five signings will count $99,301,368 against the cap. If that estimate holds, the Sixers will be $24,311,163 over the cap. They would still be able to re-sign players and sign external players using exceptions or veteran-minimum deals, but they will have to pay a luxury tax — which will become more penal the more Philadelphia spends over the limit — for doing so.

However, the Sixers will likely wait to officially put pen to paper with Maxey until after they finish their offseason spending. Why? Because they own his Bird rights, so they can go well over the salary cap to re-sign him. The same can't be said of the external free agents.

Until Maxey officially re-signs his deal with the 76ers, the team will have just about $10.8 million in cap space. That would allow Philadelphia to add some higher-cost role players to flesh out the team's depth chart.

MORE: Why did Paul George leave Clippers? How free agent decision impacts Joel Embiid, title race

Philadelphia 76ers payroll

Entering the 2024 offseason, the 76ers had just $61,030,795 in payroll commitments. That has changed drastically after George's signing, as the team now has an estimated $160,332,163 in salary cap hits for the 2024-25 NBA season, per Spotrac.com.

Below is a look at what each current 76ers player is being paid:

Philadelphia's payroll should only increase as it fills out its roster. It's just a matter of how much the team wants to spend as it looks to solidify itself as a strong contender in the Eastern Conference.

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Tyrese Maxey contract

Maxey's new deal with the 76ers will be worth $204 million over five years. That was close to the maximum that the 23-year-old All-Star could make on his next deal.

The Sixers doling out such a contract to Maxey is sensible. He averaged 25.9 points, 3.7 rebounds and 6.2 assists last season on 45 percent shooting from the field and 37.3 percent shooting from 3-point range. He won the NBA's Most Improved Player and should only continue to get better and more efficient as he grows into his NBA game.

As mentioned, Maxey's deal with the 76ers may not become official until Philadelphia can use the remainder of its $10.8 million in available cap space. The NBA doesn't have a hard salary cap, so Philadelphia can go over it to re-sign its own players. It can't do that with outside free agents, so the order in which free-agent deals are signed matters for accounting purposes.

While the 76ers and Maxey may have a deal, it will only be a handshake one — for now. The two parties will likely finalize it once Philadelphia finishes adding outside upgrades to its roster.

MORE: Biggest winners, losers from Day 1 of NBA free agency

76ers depth chart

Below is a look at the 76ers depth chart as it currently stands:

• Point guard: Tyrese Maxey
• Shooting guard: Eric Gordon, Ricky Council IV
• Small forward: Paul George, Kelly Oubre Jr.
• Power forward: None
• Center: Joel Embiid, Andre Drummond, Paul Reed

The 76ers presently have eight players on their roster, so their depth chart is a bit sparse. However, it is worth noting that rookie first-round pick Jared McCain is expected to sign his contract in short order to provide shooting depth at the guard position.

Few should be concerned about the 76ers lacking a traditional power forward either. George and Oubre can play the four and the NBA continues to emphasize positionless basketball, so teams need only have solid depth at guard, on the wing and among their bigs.

With three centers in tow, the 76ers are in good shape with their big men. The guard depth will look better when McCain come aboard, though finding a true, backup point guard will remain a need.

The Sixers are thinnest on the wing right now, so expect them to target quality, low-cost veterans to complement George and Oubre and complete their roster rebuild.