Potential buyout candidates
Troy Daniels/Avery Bradley: Both of these players will be fighting for backup two-guard minutes for the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers could be in the upper echelon of the Western conference, and minutes off the bench could be hard to come by.
Daniels and Bradley aren’t similar players. Daniels is a low-volume, 40 percent three-point shooter for his career and Bradley is a tough defender. The chances of both players getting rotation minutes are slim. If the Lakers part ways with either player, their play styles could bring them to Philadelphia
Frank Kaminsky: Frank the Tank has done little to live up to his top-10 selection. Kaminsky is only 26 years old, but his career points per game is below 10.0. The Phoenix frontcourt will be crowded with Aron Baynes, DeAndre Ayton, Dario Saric and Cheick Diallo all vying for minutes. If Kaminsky gets falls out of favor with another team, would anyone honestly be surprised if Elton Brand looked into adding another jumbo-sized shooter?
Vince Carter: Vince Carter signed another contract and once again dunked all over Father Time. VC will turn 43 in January. Since turning 40, he’s averaged 20 minutes per game. Carter still has some gas in the tank.
His 21 years in the NBA have been littered with jaw-dropping highlights, but that also includes no championship. The Hawks will be an exciting young team and could contend for the eight-seed in the East, but if their season looks like it will end at 82 games, it wouldn’t be surprising to see if VC will explore a buyout and chase a championship that eluded him for his career.
If Carter would wind up on the open market, the Sixers window of contention paired with his relationship with former Sixers’ assistant coach/current Hawks coach Lloyd Pierce, makes his potential interest in the Sixers plausible.
Andre Iguodala: I don’t care about the roster construction, if Iguodala gets bought out by Memphis, Elton Brand needs to be on the phone immediately. Do the Sixers need a shooter over another defensive wing? Yes, but an Iggy reunion is a major exception. Imagine the Sixers having Ben Simmons, Zhaire Smith, James Ennis III, Matisse Thybulle, Josh Richardson and Andre Iguodala at their disposal to hound shooters and ball handlers.
The decision to hypothetically bring back Iggy hinges on two variables. Can you trust Furkan Korkmaz to be worthy of a roster spot? Are you sure Zhaire Smith and Matisse Thybulle can play legitimate minutes in the postseason? If one or both of those is no … then go get Iguodala.
He’s a three-time champion, a Finals MVP and a two-time All-Defense selection. Don’t overthink it. Andre Iguodala hitting the open market is a massive opportunity for the Sixers.