76ers Voted Best NBA Offseason After Paul George’s Contract: Went ‘to the Next Level’ | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors

The Philadelphia 76ers had an epic offseason, adding Paul George, Caleb Martin, Eric Gordon, Andre Drummond and Reggie Jackson in free agency, Jared McCain in the draft and re-signing Tyrese Maxey, Kelly Oubre Jr. and Kyle Lowry, among other moves.

And the rest of the NBA took notice.

In ESPN’s poll of 18 coaches, scouts and executives around the league, the Philadelphia 76ers were given the honor of having the best offseason (eight votes), trumping the New York Knicks (five), Oklahoma City Thunder (three) and Boston Celtics ( two).

“They took themselves to the next level,” an executive from an Eastern Conference team told ESPN’s Tim Bontemps. “We’ll see if it’s good enough, but you went from Point A to Point B.”

Landing George alone was enough to boost Philly to No. 1 overall, per one West executive, “especially because of what it could have looked like” had the Sixers failed to land a star with all the cap space they accumulated coming into the summer.

Granted, the injury history of Joel Embiid and George will play a huge factor in the team’s overall upside. And while the Sixers have excellent potential starting options on the wing in George, Oubre and Martin, the potential second unit is made up primarily of smaller guards (Lowry, Gordon, Jackson, McCain).

Perhaps the Sixers will opt to start Lowry or Gordon and bring Oubre or Martin off the bench. Good problems to have for Nick Nurse as he tries to finally guide Embiid and these Sixers past the second round.