The Philadelphia 76ers are star-hunting, but that doesn’t mean everybody on their radar is among the league’s best.
We’re under one week away from the official start of free agency. The Philadelphia 76ers, in the words of Brett Brown, will be star-hunting. Expect meetings with big names, ranging from LeBron James to Paul George. A Kawhi Leonard trade is still very much on the table, to boot.
The Sixers will focus on more than just the full-blown stars, though. The offseason is about planning for a variety of different potential outcomes. Whether it be minimum contracts to place around LeBron or potential fallback options, the Sixers will be sifting through numerous names.
Last year we saw the Sixers add multiple one-year contracts, with J.J. Redick and Amir Johnson signing on for short-term paydays. The year before we saw Jerryd Bayless, Sergio Rodriguez and Gerald Henderson join the squad as veteran help on the perimeter.
This season will probably be some combination of the two. Especially if LeBron decides to sign elsewhere, the Sixers will be looking to maintain cap space for the summer of 2019. They’ll also be looking for experienced pieces who can help them compete on day one.
How the Sixers’ roster shakes out will depend heavily on their own free agents as well. Amir Johnson, J.J. Redick, Marco Belinelli and Ersan Ilyasova are all unrestricted free agents. How Brett Brown handles them will determine the number of available roster spots, in turn determining their need for out-of-house talent.
If the Sixers inevitably move past LeBron and George in free agency — which, at this point, seems likely — here are some names that should be in the discussion.