Philadelphia 76ers: The Ideal Offseason For 2017

This is the ideal Philadelphia 76ers offseason for 2017, ranging from draft picks and free agency, what’s not to be excited about?

As Sixers fans anticipate the upcoming season, they are filled with hope that the team will outperform last year’s 10 wins. There’s plenty to be excited about:

$55.7 million cap space (per Basketball Insiders)
Los Angeles Lakers top 3 protected draft pick
Sacramento Kings pick swap option

The Sixers have a lot of options and decisions to make. Whether it’s trading Jahlil Okafor or Nerlens Noel, or trying to make the 8th seed, there’s a ton to anticipate.

Draft

It looks like the Sixers will have another high pick, or maybe two. An ideal situation would be Sacramento having a dreadful season, getting the No.1 pick and the Lakers getting the No. 4 pick. In that situation we could look at a few players:

Markelle Fultz

Markelle Fultz would fit perfectly with the current Sixers, he’s very athletic, a good playmaker, can dish the ball, and can light it up from behind the arc. It’s clear to see the route the Colangelos are going down, making this an obvious pick in my eyes

Josh Jackson

I don’t see Jackson as being the greatest fit simply because he can not space the floor, he’s best utilized going to the basket. Despite that, the Sixers worked well scoring in transition, something that would benefit Jackson’s game. The comparison of him to Andrew Wiggins fits perfectly. Someone with that type of athleticism can be hard to turn down as they come around every couple of years.

Dennis Smith

Dennis Smith is a mega-athletic point guard, he reminds me of a young Russell Westbrook. One concern, however, would be his torn ACL. If he shows that same athleticism in college as he had in high school, he should definitely be in the convocation for the top pick

Free Agency

If Philly shows intent to win, more free agents would be interested in being apart of it. The Sixers main holes is a point guard for the long term, Rodriguez and Bayless will do the job now, but both are in their late 20s. Also, the shooting guard position could be a cause for concern since Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot won’t be ready immediately, he showed struggles and inefficiency problems throughout Summer League. I have a couple of players the Philadelphia 76ers may target next offseason:

Victor Oladipo

The only way I see this happening is if it doesn’t work out in OKC. Especially since Westbrook resigned. But for some reason Oladipo wanted out, I could see Philadelphia as a viable option. However he is a restricted free agent (RFA) so the Thunder would most likely match it.

Dennis Schroder

He’s a player we’ve been looking at for a while now, he’s up for free agency but he’s also a RFA and since Atlanta traded Teague, the believe in Schröder leading the team into the future. Maybe the Hawks would be hesitant to match the offer sheet if the Sixer overpay. But he’s definitely a player many fans would like to see in a Sixers uniform.

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Tyreke Evans

I don’t know how realistic this one would be but since the Pelicans drafted Buddy Hield, I can’t see them spending big money to get Evans back. Being at Pholly would give him a chance to , almost, revive his career. After leaving Sacramento his career went downhill, injuries has been a frequent problem. However, he’s similar to Simmons in a way, a ball handling Forward who struggles with his outside shot, so he may not be the greatest fit for the 76ers.

Next: Does the Sixers Defense Work Without Nerlens Noel?

With the the amount of cap space along with the abundance of draft picks in the future, and all of the assets already at the team (thanks Hinkie), the Sixers look to be in a great situation moving forward. And it’s hard to not be excited as a Sixers fan.