It was a shock when the Philadelphia 76ers re-signed Furkan Korkmaz in free agency and now the logic behind the move is explained.
It can be argued that the re-signing of Furkan Korkmaz was the biggest surprise of the Philadelphia 76ers offseason. Hopefully, he can reach his potential on the court to justify this move, but the logic of this deal has be explained by both the Sixers and Korkmaz.
From Philly’s standpoint, general manager Elton Brand gave the following message after Korkmaz re-signed.
"“We’re excited to have Furkan back and look forward to his continued growth and contributions,…He has a strong work ethic and he’s well-respected in our locker room. Having just turned 22, Furkan is a talented young player with significant potential, and we’re thrilled to have him on our roster.”"
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The Sixers used the 26th pick on Korkmaz back in the 2016 NBA Draft. The franchise has made an investment in him, making one last attempt to tap into that potential and get value on that draft selection makes sense from a organizational standpoint. It appears he’s a good locker room guy, so that should help from a continuity standpoint after all the turnover the team experience this summer.
Korkmaz’s reasons for returning to the City of Brotherly love doesn’t have to do with the moves the Sixers made this summer, but the ones they didn’t. Korkmaz opened up in a recent interview explaining his choice to re-sign with the 76ers.
"“The reason I stayed in Philadelphia was because of Butler and Reddick. The team needed a shooter and I looked hot. In fact, the teams we talked to during the summer were different. Philadelphia was a surprise for me too. But on the one hand I look positive. So I’ve done some good work here, left people traces so that they called me back. After that, no one will come to you and say, ‘Take 25 minutes, get out and play.’ We need to fight the uniform. Otherwise, I could get very good contracts in Europe.”"
Good news for Philly fans, they weren’t the only ones surprised by the team’s interest in Korkmaz. Regardless of how surprising this move was, it makes sense, especially because Korkmaz is suppose to be a shooter and the Sixers need that on the roster. In his mind, the departures of Jimmy Butler and J.J. Redick gives him an opportunity to get playing time.
However, it appears that he understands that he will have to compete for minutes this upcoming season. This is especially true, because of the teams newly acquired depth of Josh Richardson, Matisse Thybulle and Marial Shayok will not make it easy for him to get on the court based off of his production last season.
It’s uncertain that even with the departures of Redick and Butler that the Philadelphia 76ers will rely upon the potential shooting touch that Korkmaz could offer. It’s clear that the team has some level of belief in him and he understands that he will have to work for playing time. Hopefully, both sides get what they want from this union.