Five Early Free Agent Targets Bryan Colangelo Will Covet

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There is no guarantee the Sixers will bring back Ish Smith next season, and despite a good rookie campaign from T.J. McConnell, he’s not an every night starter at this point. This means the Sixers could be looking for a new maestro on offense. We all know Conley is a long shot, and aside from Providence’s Kris Dunn, there really aren’t too many NBA ready point guards in this year’s draft. So, the Sixers may end up looking to free agency for a solid stop gap guy that can fill the hole until they find that future franchise PG.

Enter Brandon Jennings.

A lefty point guard with serious quickness, Jennings scored 15 points per game every year up until this season. The play of Reggie Jackson in Detroit made Jennings expendable, and he found himself as a part of a last-minute trade deadline deal that sent him to the Orlando Magic. Unfortunately for Jennings, the team he was moved to already had their future point guard also in Elfrid Payton. As a result, Jennings started just one game with Orlando, and found it hard to gain serious playing time.

Injuries are what’s been holding Jennings back from hitting his stride lately as he’s missed nearly an entire season over the past two years playing just 41 games in 2014-15 and 47 in 2015-16. His skinny frame never quite made anyone confident that he’d hold up in the NBA, but he had success staying healthy in Milwaukee for the most part.

The Sixers and Bryan Colangelo will likely give Jennings a long look this offseason, and because his performance has been sporadic these past two years, he could actually be quite the bargin buy in what otherwise looks to be a very expensive offseason for the Philadelphia Sixers. Jennings is not the kind of passer that Ish Smith is, but he has better scoring ability, and athleticism that can be deadly when he’s healthy. He’s not going to take over the game on a nightly basis, but Brandon Jennings is a smart option for the Sixers this summer.

Obviously there are a lot more than 5 players that the Sixers will be looking to sign this offseason, and when it’s all said and done, Philly could end up with upwards of 6-9 new players on the roster. Look for Bryan Colangelo to erase any possible Hinkie-ness of this team (looking at you, Hollis Thompson), and bring in his own guys both on the court, and on the staff. What that means for the 2016-2017 roster remains to be seen. I can tell you one thing, and that is that Bryan Colangelo will be sure to build a team that doesn’t make you cringe when you look at the day one depth chart.

Whether you’re a Hinkie enthusiast or not, you can’t deny that will be a refreshing sight. The paying fans will certainly reap the benefits, and that’s what seems to be the immediate plan in place. Give fans at the Wells Fargo Center something they can cheer for.