The Sixer Sense
Fansided

Philadelphia 76ers FA Buys Team Time To Develop Youth

By Bret Stuter

Jun 24, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers number one overall draft pick Ben Simmons (25) and number twenty-fourth overall draft pick Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot (20) pose for a photo at a press conference at the Philadelphia College Of Osteopathic Medicine. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 24, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers number one overall draft pick Ben Simmons (25) and number twenty-fourth overall draft pick Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot (20) pose for a photo at a press conference at the Philadelphia College Of Osteopathic Medicine. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 8
Next
Jun 16, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Harrison Barnes (40) warms up before game six of the NBA Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 16, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Harrison Barnes (40) warms up before game six of the NBA Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /

Free Agency is Not Free

Free Agency is not like the simulated versions.  The Philadelphia 76ers dangled short term (one, two, and three year deals) with plenty of cash under the noses of NBA free agents.  But those players wanted more years than the Philadelphia 76ers could afford.  Why?

Free Agency is more than paying players whatever they want.  Do that, and you end up where the team was in 2013.  Nerlens Noel comes off contract in 2017.  Joel Embiid off contract in 2018. Jahlil Okafor off contract in 2019. Ben Simmons off contract in 2020.  Had the Philadelphia 76ers signed a Harrison Barnes to a four year max deal (which he would have rejected due to the team’s current record after the Dallas Mavericks submitted their offer sheet), that contract would have adversely impacted the ability of the team to retain all three of their talented centers.

Having seen what the NBA market is for centers in this year’s free agency, that would have made everything very complicated going forward.

Instead, the Philadelphia 76ers were judicious in their approach.  No matter who the team signed, the player is not perfect.  Elite players never gave the Philadelphia 76ers a second look.  Without a universally applicable skill set, the 76ers were forced to shop specific skill sets – especially true for the back court veterans just signed to the team.

What were those skill sets?  Shooting from three-point distance, the ability to pass the ball effectively in traffic, verstality, and the ability to move without the ball.

Next: Bayless