The Sixer Sense
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Why the 76ers should wait another year to spend big

Luke Swiatek|
BOSTON, MA - NOVEMBER 16: Klay Thompson #11 of the Golden State Warriors stands for the national anthem before the game against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden on November 16, 2017 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - NOVEMBER 16: Klay Thompson #11 of the Golden State Warriors stands for the national anthem before the game against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden on November 16, 2017 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

The Philadelphia 76ers can clear max-level cap space this offseason, but they may be better off saving it until the 2019 off-season.

This article is sort of a continuation of the one I wrote about Robert Covington‘s future cap impact following his extension. Give it a read here first, because I’ll be using a lot of the same concepts in this article that I used in that one.

As I mentioned previously, the Philadelphia 76ers could go a couple different routes to open up a sizable amount of cap space. I even advocated for trying to go after Paul George with all of that space.

At the risk of sounding incredibly egotistical, allow me to quote myself:

"They will have roughly $30 million in space, which they could use to sign some really high-level free agents. My personal favorite target: Paul George. I don’t know if he’d sign with us, maybe he really does want to go to the Lakers, but I think we could make a convincing pitch.Imagine a starting lineup of Simmons, Covington, George, Saric, and Embiid. The rest of their league can take their small-ball and shove it: this team would destroy. We’d have two incredible lockdown perimeter defenders, two great shooters (and two decent ones in Embiid and Saric), and five similarly-sized players that could switch every screen."

Unfortunately, I was very right when I said that it’s questionable if he’d sign with us (this is the only time you’ll ever catch me saying I wish I was wrong). When looking at all the big upcoming free agents, it’s hard to find someone who would both fit the team and be interested in coming. Most of the big names are already linked somewhere else.

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Quick disclaimer: the article I used to get these names was written July 2017, so there may be some players here that have signed extensions that I’ve forgotten about (I had Russell Westbrook and Andrew Wiggins here for a hot second before I remembered their extensions). If there’s an incorrect name here, just ignore it.

But even if I’ve messed up and some of these players already have signed extensions, that only further proves my point that all the top players seem to already be tied up somewhere else. After that, the best remaining players (who aren’t bigs) are guys like Rodney Hood, Zach LaVine, etc. Not bad players by any stretch, but not guys for whom you want to shell out the big bucks.

However, there’s a guy in the 2019 free agency class that could fit the team perfectly: Klay Thompson. C.J. McCollum had some thoughts on the subject during last year’s playoffs:

Thompson has said all the right things about wanting to stay with the Golden State Warriors, but there have been rumors that he’s willing to leave, especially if they don’t win the title this year. A player of his caliber could be the top offensive option on some teams, yet he is often third or fourth on the Warriors. One has to wonder if he would prefer to get a few more touches. And that’s not even to mention the impending luxury taxes the Warriors would have to pay to keep their whole core together.

On the 76ers, he would fit in like a glove. The same things I said about Paul George and his shooting-defense combo would also apply to Klay Thompson.

The 76ers could sign shorter deals this offseason (maybe bring J.J. Redick back), bring in a few rookies (from the draft or from overseas) and essentially tread water, and just let Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid and the rest of the core grow organically.

Must Read: 2018 NBA Mock Draft 1.0

Then in 2019, we could sign Thompson and he would really round out the team. He’s very similar to Redick on offense, and he is light years ahead on defense, plugging our last hole there.

The East would probably be pretty weak by this time too. Lebron James and the Cavaliers will be two years older (if he even stays). The Wizards and Raptors are too capped out to improve significantly. The Pistons, Hornets, Knicks, Magic, and Heat aren’t really scaring anyone. Two years from now, the East could be a three-team race between the Philadelphia 76ers, Milwaukee Bucks, and Boston Celtics.

And as I mentioned in the Covington article, our core players will be under contract for a while. Heading into the 2019-2020 season, the Philadelphia 76ers will definitely have the following players (unless they are cut or traded):

If we’re a playoff team now with this young squad, we could be a title contender with two years of organic growth and continuity. Replacing Redick with the younger and all-around better Thompson would pretty much immediately vault us to the top of the conference, barring any major injuries.

Next: The 76ers currently have the best lineup in the NBA

I won’t be too sad if the Philadelphia 76ers try to pursue some big names this offseason. I like winning as much as the next guy. However, I think we might be best served waiting one more year to start making a real push for the Finals.