Should the Sixers attack free agency?
With free agency approaching, the Philadelphia 76ers must be methodical in analyzing their options.
Before we get started, have a quick peak at this.
Who is the first name that jumps out at you? Perhaps it’s Kyle Lowry.
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My first five thoughts are;
1 — Jeff Green is already 30! Wow. Still can’t believe Orlando paid him $15 million last season.
2 — Huh, Jrue Holiday. Nerlens Noel didn’t pan out so I guess Philly lost that trade. Although if we kept him we would’ve won more games and not ended up with Embiid or Simmons. Sliding doors. We did get Saric out of it too. And of course Holiday has only played 206 games out of a possible 328 the last four seasons.
3 — Steph Curry made $11 million this year. Hard not to laugh, really. I’ve been wondering all year if Golden State can keep this team together as Curry and Durant hit free agency. Curry will make $35.35 million next season if he takes the max and Durant will make $31.8 million. Which means they could be paying four players around $101.5 million in 2017/18. The salary cap is expected to rise to 101M next season and the luxury tax to $121 million, per Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports.
The salary cap is not expected to rise much the following season, but the contracts of their big four will. Why is this relevant to Philadelphia? We’ll get to that shortly.
4 — Otto Porter. Now there’s a name. Could you max out a guy who averaged 13 & 6? (A max for Porter projects at 4 years 108M).
Sounds rather similar to a guy already on the Sixers roster- Robert Covington. Interestingly Porter shot 43% from three last season compared to 33% for Covington.
Sure it helps to have John Wall hitting you for open corner triples and Bradley Beal keeping the defence honest but that’s still a huge difference.
Covington and Porter were 8th and 7th respectively in the league for real plus minus amongst small forwards and the list ahead of them makes for impressive reading.
5 — There are a few names not on this list because they still have to opt out. Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, Kevin Durant, and so forth. But what stood out is there’s not actually a lot of great options.
Patty Mills could be a really handy scorer off the bench whilst bringing a winning culture and experience from a great organization. Same goes for Joe Ingles, and both have a history working with Brett Brown in the Australian national team.
Perhaps the best option for Philly might just be to stand pat this year. Draft another potential star, get him on the floor with Embiid, Simmons, Saric and Covington and see what you have.
Whether you see a point guard, a shooting guard, or a wing as the best fit next to those four depends on how you view Simmons, as I wrote about here.
Related Story: Ben Simmons Will Force Brett Brown to Adjust
The Sixers were a respectable 13-18 in 31 games with Embiid this season. Factor in the minutes restriction, add Simmons and another talented draft pick to the mix and its not inconceivable they could be around the mark for a playoff birth next season — health permitting, of course.
*Knocks on every piece of wood within view*.
At the end of next season the Sixers should know enough about their roster to make a more informed decision on where it needs strengthening. Embiid will be due an extension but even after that they will still have max cap room as well as ample draft picks to utilise in a trade.
They could test Boston’s resolve on Avery Bradley‘s restricted free agency, or package picks and a player to tempt the Warriors to avoid paying Klay Thompson.
Under the new CBA it’s going to be increasingly difficult to pay multiple guys the max and still fill out a roster. Steph Curry and Kevin Durant could well make close to a combined 90M a year in 2021/22. Even with a rise in the cap its going to be awfully hard to pay Draymond Green and Klay Thompson anywhere near their market value, let alone another 11 players.
As premature as it is, Philadelphia could end up up with a similar dilemma if they try to find another franchise player to go with Embiid and Simmons.
Next: Sixers' Pick Determines Their Current Players' Roles
Philly doesn’t need to go chasing a max guy that won’t fit their age demographic or turn them into an instant contender like Kyle Lowry. Adding some complimentary pieces to improve the bench should be a high priority. Otherwise I hate to say it but now is the time to stay patient, trust the process, and nail the draft. It might just be the last one these Sixers need for some time.