Should the Philadelphia 76ers Target Patty Mills in Free Agency this Offseason?

Progressing the Process

While Patty Mills has been a bench player for his entire career, he looks primed to sign a deal this offseason that guarantees his starter minutes and starter money. As presented in Chris Lesley’s Sports Agent Blog post “What Could Patty Mills Earn On His Next Contract?” Mills should be in line to receive a contract similar to those received this past offseason by players like Evan Turner or Kent Bazemore: 4 years, 70 million dollars.

Glue Veteran, Not Building Block

At first glance, this is a steep price to pay for a player who does not start in the NBA.  Still,  after the most recent salary cap increase in 2016, NBA Teams are shelling out these dollars for a solid NBA player, i.e. Allen Crabbe. Signing Mills to a 4 year contract doesn’t handicap the team going forward, as the team’s 2017 draft picks will be under the rookie salary cap for the entirety of Mills deal. While he isn’t a foundational piece to build a championship on, he is a solid building block that the team can rely on while their young players continue to progress.

Next: The New CBA Affects How the Sixers Could Approach the NBA Draft

Patty Mills is a shifty 28 year old combo guard who plays for the San Antonio Spurs. Standing a diminutive 6 foot tall, Mills is a playmaking point guard with a shoot first mentality, in the vain of Allen Iverson. Though he isn’t nearly the generational talent that AI was, he would bring a unique playing style that is currently absent from the 76ers roster. While he isn’t a lock down defender by any stretch of the imagination, he does bring athleticism that allows him to stay with any of the smaller, shiftier guards in the NBA. Mills is essentially the perfect foil to Ben Simmons; small, elusive, and a proven outside shooter.