The Philadelphia 76ers’ interest in J-Crossover is understandable, but is he their best bet in free agency?
LeBron James and Paul George have gone elsewhere, while the Philadelphia 76ers haven’t gained much traction in Kawhi Leonard discussions. As their chances of going through free agency without adding a star increase, Brett Brown will have to begin executing Plan B.
Part of that plan was already executed, with the Sixers bringing back J.J. Redick on a one-year, $12-13 million deal. That allows them to maintain future flexibility while retaining their second-leading scorer from a season ago.
That is the only free agency move they’ve made so far. Marco Belinelli and Ersan Ilyasova have left for long-term deals and the Sixers remain short on depth, with circa $14 million in cap space remaining. Ideally whatever signings they do make are short-term, allowing them to hit the free agency market once again next summer.
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As more free agents find new homes, the Sixers’ list of potential options for this summer continues to shrink. Seth Curry signed a two-year deal in Portland averaging around $2.75 million per season, which was a missed opportunity. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope took a one-year deal to return to L.A.
Adding perimeter depth — preferably of the shooting variety — is, and will remain, the Sixers’ primary focus moving forward. One such option that is left on the market is Jamal Crawford, the former Sixth Man of the Year who has reportedly garnered some interest from Philly.
I’ve already written about the possibility of Crawford, essentially coming to one simple conclusion: he’s not worth signing. With that said, the current state of the roster, combined with his locker room presence and the Sixers’ cap situation, could alter my opinion on that matter.
With little left in the free agency tank, Crawford, on a one-year deal, does make some sense. He’s another shooter who can score in bunches off the bench, also giving the Sixers another ball-handler that they lacked last season.
His defensive woes and questionable shot selection are concerning, but the Sixers have the ability to insulate him with an elite defensive core. He helps fix some of their offensive kinks as a player — outside of Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid — who can put pressure on the defense off the dribble.
Perhaps the most beneficial aspect of adding Crawford, though, isn’t his on-court production. It’s he’s presence off the floor, where he’s widely regarded as a positive locker room guy who teammates love. He won the Teammate Award this season for good reason.
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Adding another veteran leader who can mentor the Sixers’ young core is always a positive. Brett Brown has spent years developing one of the best cultures in the NBA, and Crawford can add to that with his experience and leadership skills.
Even with his theoretical on-court fit, I still have questions about whether or not he would be worth legitimate minutes next season. That’s especially true with Markelle Fultz expected to return to form, to some extent.
The Wolves were better on both sides of the ball when Crawford sat last season. Nonetheless, he isn’t short on highlight moves and buckets, as the 38-year-old averaged 10.3 points in 20.7 minutes per game last season.
In an ideal world, Crawford would join the Sixers on a minimum contract while accepting a heavily reduced role — one that focuses on his off-court leadership and mentoring the younger players, like Fultz.
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I’m not sure how feasible that is, but given the Sixers’ ability to compete in the East next season, one would think that it’s in the cards.