The Sixer Sense
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Philadelphia 76ers Free Agency Rumors Point to Shooting Guards

By Josh Wilson

Oct 14, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Dion Waiters (3) celebrates a three-point basket in the third quarter against the Milwaukee Bucks at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 14, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Dion Waiters (3) celebrates a three-point basket in the third quarter against the Milwaukee Bucks at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports /
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Philadelphia 76ers free agency rumors point to the team going after a shooting guard instead of a point guard.

Going into the NBA free agency period this July, most Philadelphia 76ers fans would expect the team to be making a push for a veteran point guard. Everything that Bryan Colangelo, the new team president, has said and done has led us to believe that is the top item on his shopping list. Heck, even a younger point guard might do, is what we thought.

Going into the NBA Draft, the Sixers were rumored to be trying to trade to move up to get a second lottery pick in order to acquire Kris Dunn, a “matured” rookie point guard out of Providence.  That didn’t end up happening, as he went to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Even Jamal Murray out of Kentucky might have been a solid pick, had the Sixers been able to move up.

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We also saw the team take a stab at the Wolves’ point guard Ricky Rubio, which still could potentially happen (he’s rumored to be on the market, now) but it looks as if that situation has also died down.

So, a point guard. That’s what free agency holds, is the general assumption.

The rumors, however, have pointed elsewhere.

Although it’s still a very real possibility that the Sixers could target some point guards, most of their efforts seem to be weighted one position slot down, towards the shooting guard position.

A fan-favorite free agent Dion Waiters, who is a restricted free agent, is reportedly on the Sixers’ radar going into the free agency period. The Oklahoma City Thunder can match any offer given to Waiters, but they may let him walk since they just acquired Victor Oladipo from the Orlando Magic during the draft.

Waiters grew up in Philly, and is a solid shooting guard that has a decent 3-point shot.

Allen Crabbe is yet another name that’s been mentioned. Crabbe is a restricted free agent who the Trail Blazers currently have leverage with. The Blazers have interest and reason to keep Crabbe, so they may match any offer thrown his way, however the Sixers reportedly want him.

Crabbe has a good 3-point shot and solid defense on the other end of the floor. He might fit in very well with the team, and, despite his youth, has broken out as a solid player very early in his career.

Courtney Lee has been brought up as a Plan B by other reports.

Evan Fournier hasn’t gained a significant amount of interest from the Sixers since the Magic are almost certain to match any offer for him, but he’s another name that fans have been in a frenzy about.

These things alone might not lead us to believe that the Sixers are going after a shooting guard, but some transactions that were made (as well as not made) by the Sixers were interesting in conjunction with these rumors.

The Sixers extended Hollis Thompson‘s contract, but chose to let Isaiah Canaan walk and head to free agency. Both were good 3-point shooters for the Sixers, and both had questionable futures regarding the Sixers. To sign one and not the other is interesting, but it makes sense if the Sixers plan to bring in a shooting guard.

Although this seems pretty basic — the team needs backcourt help in almost every way imaginable — it has some layers to it. The Sixers need a point guard more than they need a shooting guard, as Nik Stauskas improved last year and seems to be able to hold down the position pretty well, but are still going after shooting guards with more emphasis.

Could this be because this year’s free agent class is very light on point guards? That definitely makes sense, but it could also show us that the team isn’t too worried about the point guard spot since their first overall pick Ben Simmons is an incredible ball handler.

Simmons and the team have re-iterated the term “point-forward” over and over, indicating that he will sit in the 3 or 4 spot, but still bring the ball up and facilitate the offense. The point guard then needs to be a solid 3-point shooter or slasher to be most effective, something more easily filled in than a traditional point guard.

must read: Free Agency Rumor Roundup

It will be interesting to see how the Sixers play free agency in the coming days and weeks, but I expect shooting guards to be the main targets, given the status of rumors and reports.