NBA Free Agency 2014: Can Mario Chalmers Find a Home in Philadelphia?

Apr 23, 2014; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat guard

(15) controls the ball against the Charlotte Bobcats in game two during the first round of the 2014 NBA Playoffs at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Wait, what? Mario Chalmers, the 2X NBA Champion? Who is possibly on his way to a third championship this season with the Miami Heat? Yup, this is all factual. However, at the end of the Heat’s run, Chalmers will be an unrestricted free agent and open to negotiate with any NBA franchise. While it’s been nice living in the shadows of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh during his six-year tenure in Miami, Chalmers may need a change of scenery. Chalmers is making $4,000,000 this season on the last year of a three-year, $12,000,000 deal. He’s not exactly the cheapest person out there, but he can provide a lot to a youthful team besides statistics.

During his six-year career, Chalmers has career averages of 8.6 points, 3.8 assists, 2.4 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game. Chalmers is shooting 43 percent from the floor and 37 percent from deep for his career. He’s not much of a play maker, as he often plays back fiddle to the “Big Three”, but he was the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player in 2007-2008 for a reason. Chalmers can hit the big shot when needed and is known for it. This isn’t a signing that would blow anyone way, but Michael Carter-Williams desperately needs a point-guard to learn from, especially one with as much experience as Chalmers. Imagine if Chalmers can take everything he has learned from his tenure with the Miami Heat and bring it to Philadelphia, to educate the youthful ears of Michael Carter-Williams, Nerlens Noel, Tony Wroten, among others.

I’m aware Chalmers doesn’t seem like this type of person, to come over and educate younger players about the league, but maybe

Apr 28, 2014; Charlotte, NC, USA; Miami Heat guard Mario Chalmers (15) drives to the basket while being defended by Charlotte Bobcats guard

(15) and forward

(11) during the second quarter in game four of the first round of the 2014 NBA Playoffs at Time Warner Cable Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joshua S. Kelly-USA TODAY Sports

that’s because we’ve only seen him in one situation. For his whole career, he’s always been the student, without ever having the chance to be the teacher. It’s a real possibility that MCW could learn a lot from the experience and stories that Chalmers brings over. He isn’t a Rondo or Chris Paul, but he has the experience of winning championships, multiple championships at that. At the very least, he can provide valuable insight for Carter-Williams. MCW had such an amazing freshman campaign, giving him someone to help him along the rest of the way would be extremely beneficial to his future. Plus, everyone wants Michael Carter-Williams to lead this team to an NBA Championship one day, correct? What better way to do that, than bringing someone in who has this experience and can detail MCW on all the intricacies and what it takes to bring a team to that level.

Mario Chalmers probably wouldn’t start on the Sixers, he would come off the bench. Who knows if Chalmers would be willing to accept a deal as a backup PG for a rebuilding team, coming from the championship atmosphere in Miami, but anything is possible. If the Heat chose not to re-sign Chalmers, the market will be thin. No one will be running up the price on him and there will be little-to-no bidding wars for his services. This leaves the market open for a team like the Sixers, with copious amounts of cap space, to come in and grab Chalmers for a small fee. Plus, who knows what Chalmers can produce when there isn’t superstar talent surrounding him. Maybe he starts to actually develop as a real point guard.

Chalmers also has the ability to hit shots from deep, also. Chalmers is shooting 37 percent from deep for his career and is shooting 39 percent on three-pointers this season. Last season, Chalmers hit 41 percent of his shots from deep. Mario Chalmers is never discussed as a deadeye shooter from three, but he takes about three-to-four attempts from deep per game and is making close to 40 percent of them — that’s consistency. Granted, he’s getting a lot of open looks because of the talent around him, but still, he’s knocking the shots down. The Sixers shot 31 percent from deep this season, which ranked 30th in the entire NBA. Safe to say, the Sixers need as much shooting as they can get from free agents and other areas. Michael Carter-Williams shot 26 percent from deep this season, which is painful. The Sixers need someone to space the floor, to open up lanes for Carter-Williams, Wroten and some room for Nerlens Noel to operate in the paint. Chalmers can provide this luxury.

So, Chalmers to Philadelphia anybody?