Sixers: 5 free agents to watch in NBA Finals

The Phoenix Suns and Milwaukee Bucks will wage battle tonight in Game 3 of the NBA Finals. While the Suns are firmly in the driver’s seat, it’s too early to count out Milwaukee entirely. Giannis Antetokounmpo has put together great performance after great performance this postseason, and talent alone should keep the Bucks in the conversation — for now.

When it comes to the Philadelphia 76ers, these Finals are a bitter pill to swallow. The Sixers blew a golden opportunity to deliver on Joel Embiid’s best season yet, but a weak bench, poor coaching, and Ben Simmons’ historic meltdown led to another second-round exit. Now, we are stuck pondering potential free agent upgrades — perhaps even from one of these two teams.

Both Phoenix and Milwaukee — especially Phoenix — have been defined by exceptional complementary talent all season. When healthy, the Suns can go 10-deep comfortably, and have been going nine-deep all postseason with no issue. The Bucks’ secondary players have performed admirably too, headlined by the following name.

Here are five upcoming free agents from the NBA Finals who the Sixers should consider.

5 free agents from the NBA Finals the Sixers should consider: P.J. Tucker

I have written about P.J. Tucker in the past, and mentioned him on The Sixer Sense Podcast. He is pretty much the ideal candidate for Philadelphia’s $5.9 million taxpayer’s mid-level exception. He can play every frontcourt position, fit into innumerable lineup configurations, and provide some much-needed defensive versatility in the second unit.

In all likelihood, the Bucks will do what is necessary to keep Tucker around. He’s in the NBA Finals for the first time, so the incentive to leave isn’t there. Some may view the Bucks as one-hit wonders, with a minimal chance to return to this stage, but frankly, there’s no team outside Brooklyn equipped to challenge them in East. That is, unless Philadelphia can get a better group around Joel Embiid.

Should Tucker find it in him to leave, the Sixers make sense. He has a prior relationship to Daryl Morey, and there’s no shortage of minutes available for him in Philadelphia’s rotation. The Sixers tried to make Dwight Howard work in the playoffs and couldn’t. Tucker is an established two-way small-ball five who can drill corner 3s at a high volume.

Again, the 36-year-old is likely to stay put. If he does leave, however, the Sixers should make a hard push, as Morey no doubt did before the trade deadline. Tucker would plug several holes and, due to his age, come at an affordable price. He’s a much better use of the mid-level exception than Mike Scott.