The Sixer Sense
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Philadelphia 76ers Johnson’s Weekly Mailbag

By Lucas Johnson

Mar 11, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin (center) battles Philadelphia 76ers forward Robert Covington (left) and forward Richaun Holmes (22) for positioning on a free throw during the fourth quarter at Staples Center. The Clippers won 112-110. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 11, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin (center) battles Philadelphia 76ers forward Robert Covington (left) and forward Richaun Holmes (22) for positioning on a free throw during the fourth quarter at Staples Center. The Clippers won 112-110. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports /
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Welcome to Philadelphia 76ers Johnson’s Weekly Mailbag. This is our new forum for fans to ask questions directly and getting the best answer I can provide.

Hey everyone, welcome to Johnson’s Weekly Mailbag. I hope that as time goes by, that the amount of Philadelphia 76ers fans continue to join this forum and to ask questions about the past, current, and future state of the franchise.

“Question one, Sixers cap is huge, do they jump into the future quicker, and if so who do they chase?” – Leonard Salbana

It’s hard to predict what general manager Bryan Colangelo will do this summer. Honestly, I am not even sure Colangelo knows what he wants to do yet. At the exit interview with media Brian Seltzer of Sixers.com recorded this quote from Colangelo:

"“The future is out there. Do we want to jump to the future quicker, or do we want to have it happen organically, and grow it the right way? That will be something that we do have to decide a path, at some point, between now and July 1.”"

Yes, the team does have plenty of cap space right now, but that could soon be gone. Robert Covington‘s contract will be up soon and according to Seltzer, Colangelo views Covington as, “who Colangelo tabbed a ‘valued piece’ that the Sixers want to retain on a ‘long-term basis,’ ranked fourth in the NBA in steals (1.9) and first in deflections (4.2) per game.”

He will bring in a nice size contract based on those stats. Joel Embiid‘s rookie contract will be up at the end of next season as well, and he most likely will receive a max contract.

With those two in-house contracts in mind, it would be hard for me personally to see the Sixers justifiably offering a free agent a max contract this summer.

If I was in the front office I would only throw the max at Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. Other players that I have on my free agent board, but not max guys are, Brandon Jennings, Trey Burke, Alan Williams, Jodie Meeks, Taj Gibson, Omri Casspi, Brandon Rush, J.J. Redick, Ian Clark, Reggie Bullock, Christian Wood, James Young, and Thabo Sefolosha.

“Do you see back court as biggest need of 76ers now? Or has the team shifted to another position of need? Why?” –76ers Scribe NBA

Personally, the only backcourt position that I have questions about is point guard. Yes, Ben Simmons is supposed to be the point guard of the future, but I don’t see him guarding Russell Westbrook or Stephen Curry on a nightly basis. Jerryd Bayless is a stopgap at best and T.J. McConnell is not the starting point guard on any championship team.

Drafting a point guard or a combo guard like Malik Monk or Dennis Smith would be good fits next to Simmons and Covington. At the same time I think the most important need is shooting at almost every position now. With Simmons and Joel Embiid as the cornerstones of the team, they will need shooters on the roster. Obviously there are needs of depth at other positions, but the most important is point guard and just the need for pure shooters.

“Here is a second inquiry to get folks thinking. Are Philadelphia 76ers able to attract better free agents this year? If so, who?” – 76ers Scribe NBA

If you believe what Colangelo said in the exit interview about players interested in the Philadelphia 76ers, then yes. The Sixers did show a lot of improvement from last year to this years. Joel Embiid was showing superstar potential before injury. If one thing is proven in today’s NBA, free agents go where talent is at. On top of that the team does have plenty of salary cap room.

As I previously stated, I do not believe the franchise should offer a max contract this summer. I also listed the players I think Sixers should target in my answer to Leonard Salbana.

Next: Philadelphia 76ers: Four Possible Teams That Could Trade For Okafor In The 2017 Draft

Well that wraps it up for this week’s mailbag. I had a blast answering your questions, and I hope that this can continue to grow.