The Sixer Sense
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NBA Rumors Indicate Philadelphia 76ers’ Big Man Have High Value

By Josh Wilson

Oct 30, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Nerlens Noel (left) and center Jahlil Okafor (right) watch from the bench during the final minutes of a game against the Utah Jazz at Wells Fargo Center. The Utah Jazz won 99-71. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 30, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Nerlens Noel (left) and center Jahlil Okafor (right) watch from the bench during the final minutes of a game against the Utah Jazz at Wells Fargo Center. The Utah Jazz won 99-71. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /
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NBA rumors indicate that teams have agreed to huge deals with NBA big men, which implies the Philadelphia 76ers’ big men could have huge trade value.

NBA Rumors, to no surprise, are everywhere. That period from July 1st — when free agency bartering begins — and July 7th — when players can officially sign — is full of reporters telling fans and others which players have agreed to terms on contracts with which teams.

This year, we’re seeing a huge increase in the money that is to be sent around. Just looking at a graph of the change in salary cap over the last several years, it’s no surprise that we’re still not used to how high these contracts can get.

This higher salary cap is also leading to big men — among all other positions, as well — getting huge deals. Mainly on Friday, the second day of the bartering period, the big men were getting paid.

More from Free Agency

First up was Bismack Biyombo. Biyombo is a good player, and has been pretty solid since coming into the league, but wasn’t widely recognized until this past season when Toronto Raptors center Jonas Valanciunas got injured during the playoffs and Biyombo had to step up big time.

Those few games where Biyombo was the go-to guy got him big money, as he agreed to terms on a $70 million deal with the Orlando Magic.

Next it was Ryan Anderson‘s turn, who was with the New Orleans Pelicans previously. Anderson is set to replace Dwight Howard and sign an $80 million deal according to Marc Stein.

Above all was the biggest deal of the day, former Atlanta Haws’ center Al Horford. Horford will get a typically 4-year deal with the Boston Celtics for $113 million, which is still a baffling number to me, despite seeing these increased amounts over the last several hours.

This speaks volumes for the Philadelphia 76ers. First of all, it shows that hope is not dead in the NBA for a classic big man, which Horford is. He is an older, more polished version of Jahlil Okafor.

Another thing it shows is that hope is not lost for a great deal for one of these players — Noel or Okafor. Both Noel and Okafor are of similar caliber to some of these big men getting signed to huge deals, but are on smaller contracts at the moment.

Noel is due $4.3 million next season, and Okafor is due about $5.4 million over the next three seasons. These are steals according to the current salary cap, and teams that missed out on Horford, Biyombo, or Anderson may be looking to get one of these guys for their incredibly low prices.

Okafor may prove to be the better value since he is under contract for several seasons before being able to barter under the new salary cap.

Next: 76ers Should Trade Okfaor

Although having Al Horford in the same division as the Sixers may cause them to think twice about trading their big men — for defensive purposes — I think that this year’s free agency only helps the Sixers sell one of their big men before next season begins — if they want to.