Maybe this was inevitable.
Maybe any reality wherein the 2020-21 NBA season didn’t culminate in a parade down Broad Street would have begotten a divorce like the one we’re dealing with now.
Personally, I was skeptical that the Sixers would return the key cogs of the roster around Joel Embiid if they fell short of reaching the Finals. This belief was emboldened when I saw the particular path that had shaken out in the Eastern Conference playoff picture. My guess at the time was that a non-Finals appearance would indicate loudly enough to team President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey that a meaningful change was necessary if the team wanted to truly contend for a title during Embiid’s prime.