Sixers: How to approach Furkan Korkmaz’s upcoming free agency?

Furkan Korkmaz truly made a name for himself by being one of the sole 3-point shooting-focused players on the dysfunctional 2019-2020 Sixers. The fact that Korkmaz was entrusted with taking that game winning shot against the Portland Trail Blazers probably says more about how poorly rounded that team was rather than a testament to Korkmaz’s ability to shoot.

Despite that, Korkmaz made that shot, and ever since then, he has found a solid role within the line-up. He’s had several games where he seemingly couldn’t miss a shot and even played in all fours games during the playoffs.

Almost a year and a half have passed since he made that shot against Portland. Now he finds himself in a similar, albeit more secure position on the team. While his numbers are slightly down from last year, Korkmaz has become an integral part of the 76ers bench unit, providing crucial spacing for the team. He seems well on his way to securing even more playoff minutes this year, but Philly should be seriously considering his impending free agency this summer.

How to approach Korkmaz’s upcoming free agency?

Korkmaz signed a two-year minimum deal in the 2019 offseason which is due to expire this summer. He’s in a unique group of Sixers players comprising of Matisse Thybulle, Shake Milton, and Tyrese Maxey who are either on their rookie deal or an extremely team-friendly deal.

What separates this group from the other rookies such as Paul Reed and Isaiah Joe is that all four see significantly more time on the floor and are expected to play and perform in the playoffs to varying extents. With Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, and Tobias Harris taking up a significant part of the cap space with their contracts, these four players are extremely important in determining the kind of supporting cast the team can surround their top talent with.