The Philadelphia 76ers’ two buyout additions are no longer with the team.
The free agency dominos have already begun to fall, with the Philadelphia 76ers losing two key contributors from their 2018 playoff run. Marco Belinelli has agreed to a two-year, $12 million deal with the Spurs, while Ersan Ilyasova agreed to a three-year, $21 million deal with the Bucks.
For the most part, this was expected. There was some hope that the Sixers could keep their shooters if LeBron James went elsewhere, but in the current market, players are taking money as soon as it becomes available. Two veterans jumping on long-term, well-paid contracts isn’t surprising.
As the Sixers look to maintain flexibility moving forward, those contracts would have been too expensive to shell out. J.J. Redick does, however, become a priority of sorts. The Sixers’ offense is heavily reliant on spacing, and Redick was their second-leading scorer last season.
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Without Belinelli, the importance of adding wing depth grows. Zhaire Smith and Landry Shamet will both have an opportunity to carve out minutes, while some affordable free agents — Wayne Ellington, Seth Curry, etc. — will likely pop onto the Sixers’ radar.
It’s also worth noting that Markelle Fultz is expected to be a big part of the Sixers’ rotation next season, potentially spending extended minutes next to Ben Simmons. If he can regain his shooting form and that’s inevitably how the rotation shakes out, that would mitigate the loss of Belinelli.
As for Ilyasova, frontcourt depth will also remain a point of emphasis for the Sixers. With Amir Johnson hitting free agency, Richaun Holmes and Jonah Bolden are the only viable reserves behind Joel Embiid and Dario Saric.
Holmes never earned Brett Brown’s trust last season, while Bolden is still a rookie with room left to grow. He’s a talented all-around player, but shoving him into a significant role on day one might be risky for a team looking to win games.
HoopsHype’s Alex Kennedy has already dropped one potential solution, with Kyle O’Quinn emerging as a name the Sixers are reportedly interested in. Coming off three solid seasons with the Knicks, O’Quinn is somebody Brown could comfortably slot in the backup center role..
With that said, Ilyasova brought unique value as a floor spacing power forward and occasional small-ball five. Bolden can probably take on that role to an extent, but the Sixers would be wise to chase more shooting in the frontcourt as free agency progresses.
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Another notable development: Paul George has officially returned to OKC on a four-year, $137 million deal. Neither the Sixers nor the Lakers got a meeting with him.