Last summer Daryl Morey took over the Philadelphia 76ers front office and quickly made one of the most savvy moves of the offseason when he traded Al Horford, a 2020 second round pick, and a protected future first for Danny Green, Vincent Poirier, and Terrance Ferguson. Some fans saw the picks as a necessary cost to get out of Horford’s massive contract, but saw Danny Green as simply salary filler instead of recognizing the value he brought to the team.
Despite winning a title with the Lakers last year, he struggled to find his shooting stroke and there were questions about how much he had left in the tank. However, the legendary role player has proven that he still has a lot left to offer on the court, and that’s why the Sixers have to re-sign him this offseason.
What does Danny Green bring to the floor for the Sixers?
While his 2020-21 season has been up and down at times, the 33-year-old has proven to be an important piece of what the Sixers hope is a championship caliber roster. His points per game average in his 11th season is slightly above his career average at 9.5, but he is shooting over 41 percent from beyond the arc including a scorching 46 percent since the All-Star break. Three-point volume has been an issue for the Sixers this year, but Danny Green is the exception, firing off a career high 6.1 attempts per game. Only six players this season can match that level of efficiency on that much volume.
His fit next to the Embiid/Simmons duo has been seamless, coming in at +12.5 per 100 possessions when the three share the floor according to Basketball Reference. With all five starters they’re even more dominant at +14.2.
Beyond that, he has provided veteran leadership in the locker room and knows how to step up when the situation calls for it, like when he scored 28 against the Lakers with no Embiid last month. He’s got a huge wingspan, great instincts, and tons of playoff experience. The guy is just a flat out baller, and it’s no coincidence he’s got three rings.
The Sixers don’t have any salary cap room
Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, and Tobias Harris all have massive contracts, which is great for them but gives the 76ers a difficult cap situation. They have to be creative moving forward, because the three of them account for over $100 million in salary next year alone. The Sixers figure to be operating above the cap for the foreseeable future, and have to get creative in order to maintain depth and talent on this roster.
The Sixers own Danny Green’s Early Bird Rights, which means that they can go above the salary cap to re-sign him this offseason. At this stage of his career he’s unlikely to match the two-year, $30 million contract he is finishing up, but he’s still likely to try to get one more significant contract.
Something in the neighborhood of two years, $20 million or three years, $24 million could be beneficial for both sides, allowing the Sixers to maintain their cap flexibility and securing a healthy paycheck for Green through is mid-30s. His game should continue to age gracefully, and it if doesn’t that kind of contract should still be pretty tradeable.
If the Sixers don’t re-sign Green, he walks away this summer for nothing and the Sixers still won’t have any cap room without making some major moves. That’s why Philly has to re-sign him, even if at a slight overpay.