Bitter 76ers star lashes out at Philadelphia amid trade rumors

Alex Kirschenbaum

Bitter 76ers star lashes out at Philadelphia amid trade rumors image

A frustrated Philadelphia 76ers forward has clapped back at recent rumors he could be traded out of town.

Philadelphia has generally had a significantly quieter offseason than its splashy 2024 run, which led to a deeply disappointing 24-58 finish and the club's lottery selection of Baylor Bears guard V.J. Edgecombe with the third overall pick.

Still, chatter circulating lately has suggested the Sixers are open to moving off a few tradeable veteran deals, as training camp and the preseason fast approach.

Is a key role player on the move?

Small forward Kelly Oubre Jr. has been with Philadelphia since 2023, and is currently on an expiring deal for 2025-26.

Per Ky Carlin's Sixers Wire for USA Today, the 6-foot-8 University of Kansas product had some harsh words for the Sixers' front office.

"I love Philly, but the love doesn't seem to be reciprocated. What happened to this place?" Oubre wrote. "And for those saying I'm garbage because my [3-point shooting percent] went down. [Still] put up numbers and I'd [still] cook you."

Oubre, a career 32.5 percent 3-point shooter, saw that already below-average rate dip to an ominous 29.3 percent last season. 

This was apparently in reaction to a rumor from Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report that Philadelphia has been open to offloading Oubre and former two-time All-Star center Andre Drummond, the latter of whom is now Joel Embiid's backup.

Oubre is on the second season of a two-year, $16.4 million room mid-level exception deal with the 76ers.

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"I played through finger [surgeries] on my (left hand) thumb and pinky for three years, but [still] put my soul in this s---. That's one thing only GOD can take from me. Hope to see y'all [soon]. Godspeed," he concluded.

The missive almost leads like a farewell address to Philadelphia. The 29-year-old remains a fairly useful player, however, and could still have value for even a contending Sixers squad in 2025-26, should he stick around.

Oubre put up fairly solid numbers on a lottery-bound squad, averaging 15.1 points on .470/.293/.751 shooting splits, 6.1 boards, 1.8 dimes, 1.5 swipes and 0.5 blocks per.

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Alex Kirschenbaum

Alex Kirschenbaum is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. He grew up a devout Bulls fan, but his hoops fanaticism now extends to non-Bulls teams in adulthood. Currently also a scribe for Hoops Rumors, Sports Illustrated's On SI fan sites Newsweek and "Small Soldiers" director Joe Dante's film site Trailers From Hell, Alex is an alum of Men's Journal, Grizzlies fan site Grizzly Bear Blues and Bulls fan sites Blog-A-Bull and Pippen Ain't Easy, among others