Sixers: 5 possible free agent destinations for Furkan Korkmaz

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Philadelphia 76ers, Furkan Korkmaz Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports /

It was been an interesting journey with the Philadelphia 76ers 2016 26th pick in Furkan Korkmaz. He went from barely playing, to looking like a bust, to becoming a rotational 3-point shooter on the Sixers.

Now it appears that Korkmaz’s tenure with the 76ers will be coming to an end this offseason. Despite his comments about him wanting to return, per Noah Levick of NBCSPhilly, it seems unlikely with Philly’s salary cap situation as Christopher Kline of The Sixer Sense wrote on this in the past.

While Korkmaz is a solid 3-point shooter, he’s also had the tendency to be a streaky marksman on occasion. He’s not a reliable rotational player in the postseason either with his inconsistent shooting and below-average defense.

Korkmaz will probably demand at least a mid-level exception in free agency and the Sixers can’t afford to give that amount of money to a player of his caliber. With that in mind, he should be looking at different teams this offseason that can pay him wants he wants and/or can give him a bigger role than what the Sixers can offer.

5 possible free agent destinations for Korkmaz: Oklahoma City Thunder

If Korkmaz is looking for a big role and a big payday, then the Oklahoma City Thunder should be his first stop in free agency. At 23-years-old Korkmaz is still young enough to be a part of the Thunder’s rebuilding efforts.

Last season, Oklahoma City was the second to last in 3-point percentage as a team shooting just 33.9 percent from downtown. Considering that Korkmaz shot 37.5 percent from deep, they could certainly use him to help space the floor for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

They are projected to have $73.1 million, but only $45.1 million of it is guaranteed, per fanspo.com. Needless to say, they could offer him the most money if they wanted him to join their franchise.

This Thunder team may provide Korkmaz the best opportunity starting next year. They are a young team with solid perimeter defenders like Gilgeous-Alexander and Luguentz Dort to cover Korkmaz’s defensive weakness. In terms of playing time and getting paid, the Thunders should be number one on Korkmaz’s list.