There is no doubt that the Philadelphia 76ers have had by far the best offseason in the entire league. It started with trading Paul George, two first- and second-round picks, to the Boston Celtics for Jaylen Brown, which played a role in what happened next. The Sixers then signed arguably the league’s greatest ever in LeBron James. James signed for the veteran’s minimum deal and gives the 76ers potentially the best starting five in the league.

However, when you have a lot of stars, a lot has to go well, and team chemistry has to be developed because everyone will want the ball in their hands. With that being said, we now look at the Sixers’ new starting five and the impact each of them may have.

Philadelphia 76ers 2026-27 Lineup

New starting five

Tyrese Maxey

After trading for Brown and signing James, the 76ers now have multiple go-to options in their 2026-27 lineup. Their starting lineup now includes Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, Brown, James, and Joel Embiid. Starting with Maxey, the two-time All-Star has become the franchise cornerstone and is coming off the best scoring year of his career, averaging 28.3 points per game. The Kentucky product now heads into year seven with Philadelphia. There is going to be much less pressure on Maxey with Brown and James coming in and the 76ers improving their bench dramatically. 

VJ Edgecombe

Next to Maxey in the backcourt is likely Edgecombe unless Brown and Edgecombe get switched. He was selected third overall by the 76ers in 2025 and emerged as an immediate Rookie of the Year candidate. Edgecombe showed flashes in year one of becoming a blossoming star he could be, he scored 34 points in his first game with the 76ers to push them to defeat the Celtics. He is highly athletic and can attack the rim and will look to continue to learn and develop from this new lineup. Edgecombe averaged 16 points per game last season. 

Jaylen Brown

To make things worse for the opponents, you then have Brown, who won the NBA Finals MVP in 2024 and averaged 28.7 points per game this past season. Brown will take pressure off Embiid to do it all on the offensive end and will be a go-to guy when the game is on the line.  Brown is still only 29 years old and gives the 76ers yet another star in their lineup.  

LeBron James

Then there is James, a 41-year-old, but he averaged 20.9 points per game this past season and is still a high-level player. James is a four-time NBA champion, won four Most Valuable Player awards (MVP), and broke the all-time scoring record. If this does not make Sixers fans excited, he won a championship for every team he played for. He won one with the Cleveland Cavaliers, two with the Miami Heat, and one with the Los Angeles Lakers. Could the 76ers be next?

Joel Emiid

Finally, you have Embiid, who has been through so much with the 76ers. Embiid won one MVP award, and over the years, no Embiid meant no winning. Things now are completely changed as Maxey and Edgecombe are the new faces, and Embiid does not need to do it all anymore. The other thing is, Embiid does not have to remain healthy for the 76ers to win anymore. Embiid will still be very good and useful, and if he remains healthy, then the sky is the limit for this Sixers team.  Do you think this is the best starting five in the NBA?