The Sixer Sense
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Korkmaz Needs to Spend Another Year Overseas

By James Niescier

Nov 9, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; The Philadelphia 76ers logo on the warm up shirt of center Jahlil Okafor (not pictured) prior to action against the Chicago Bulls at Wells Fargo Center. The Bulls won 111-88. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 9, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; The Philadelphia 76ers logo on the warm up shirt of center Jahlil Okafor (not pictured) prior to action against the Chicago Bulls at Wells Fargo Center. The Bulls won 111-88. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /
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Furkan Korkmaz may look like an interesting prospect to bring over for the Philadelphia 76ers this offseason, but he is better suited to stay overseas.

A knockdown shooter who is 6-7 and can’t do much else. No, I am not talking about Hollis Thompson. Furkan Korkmaz was drafted 26th overall in the 2016 NBA Draft by the Philadelphia 76ers and has spent the past year in Turkey playing for Anadolu Efes and Banvit on loan. Over the past year, Korkmaz has been able to continue to do the two things the Sixers drafted him for, shoot the three and be really tall. As Hollis Thompson has shown us, shooting threes with a high rate of success isn’t enough to stay in the league.

We already knew Korkmaz was a legitimate threat from deep. The top of the arc is the longest distance from the basket and most relatable to the NBA three point line, an area where Korkmaz thrives, shooting 12 for 18. Korkmaz has managed to improve his 3-point shooting from 39.8 percent in 2016 to 42.0 percent in 2017.

His success from deep along with his fluent shooting stroke should prevent any questioning of Korkmaz’s ability to take a step back and shoot the NBA three. What is unusual is his midrange game, shooting 8 for 26. The midrange shot isn’t a huge part of the NBA game, but his free-throw percentage is shockingly low for a shooter, shooting 62 percent in 2016 and 69 percent in 2017 for all competitions.

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Unfortunately, his defense is still a concern. Korkmaz’s tremendous size has allowed him to occasionally recover from missed rotations or from being caught ball watching in the Turkish league. This past year, Korkmaz average 0.94 steals per game and a measly 0.09 blocks per game, a new career high.

His skinny frame and average athleticism only increase cause for concern. His small frame makes it difficult to absorb contact nullifying his surprising leaping ability. Finishing at 59 percent in the paint is disappointing for a player of his height and leaping ability. For both the Sixers and Korkmaz, it would be beneficial for him to spend another year in Turkey growing into his body and adding muscle to his frame.

An immature body and poor defense because of it is relatively common for a prospect of Korkmaz’s age, however, the argument can be made that the Sixers would prefer to keep Korkmaz overseas for another year. First-round draft picks will traditionally sign a four-year rookie deal and then the team will extend them for another four years, essentially giving the team eight years of control over the player. With no immediate demand for a player of his skill level, signing Korkmaz when he is 21 and having control of his contract until he is 29 would be the ideal outcome.

Waiting a third year before signing Korkmaz would release Korkmaz from his rookie scale. As the 26th overall pick, Korkmaz’s contract would begin at $1.2 million for the 2017 season and $1.4 million for the 2018 season. In the 2019 season, Korkmaz would be able to negotiate his contract which allowed Bulls forward Nikola Mirotic to sign a 3 year, $16.6 million deal before every playing in the NBA. From a contract view, the 2018 season is the perfect year for Korkmaz to come to the NBA.

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There is also the issue of finding a roster space for Korkmaz. Losing Sergio Rodriguez and Tiago Splitter to free agency would create two additional roster spots, and let’s assume Shawn Long doesn’t make the roster. The new Collective Bargaining Agreement has created two additional roster spots that allow teams to maintain control of two players in the G-league, most likely being second-round picks. Assuming the Lakers pick doesn’t convey this year, the Sixers will have five draft picks and five open roster spots. With a 1 percent raise in the salary cap, the Sixers are projected to have over $50 million in cap space and will need to sign a minimum of two players to reach the salary floor which is expected to be around $92 million.  To summarize, if the Lakers pick does not convey, the Sixers would need three of their four second round-picks to go overseas or lose the rights to those players. Even then, Korkmaz would have to beat out Justin Anderson for that last roster spot.

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As mentioned earlier, Korkmaz would make $1.2 million in his first year and the max an NBA team can contribute to a buyout is $650,000. Korkmaz’s agent negotiated a $2 million buyout for the summer of the 2016 and a buyout of an undisclosed amount for the summer of 2017 with Anadolu Efes. If that buyout is larger than $1.8 million, Korkmaz would be unable to afford a buyout unless Anadolu Efes is willing to accept the payments over a two year period (which they were rumored to be open to at one point). The situation for the Sixers and Korkmaz is far from ideal, which is why Furkan Korkmaz will not be a Sixer in 2017.