The Philadelphia 76ers have a few upcoming free agents, but none more important than 34-year-old Danny Green. His recent beef with the fanbase aside, Green had a good first year in Philly, contributing both on and off the court in the Sixers’ ascent to the No. 1 seed.
Just about all logic points to Green returning next season. And he should return — the Sixers have very little excuse to let him walk. That said, Keith Pompey’s seemingly offhand remark that Green “probably won’t be a Sixer moving forward” is enough to raise some eyebrows. He is, after all, one of the city’s most plugged-in beat reporters.
Green played in 69 games last season, averaging 9.5 points and 3.8 rebounds on 40.5 percent shooting from 3-point range. He shot the most 3s of any Sixers starter, and did so while playing mostly above-average defense. He is worth keeping around, and the Sixers have his Early Bird Rights — the ability to re-sign him for up to 175 percent of his previous contract, which was worth $15.4 million.
So, again, on paper, there’s no reason to let him walk. Unless he simply refuses to return, the Sixers can offer him more money than any sane-minded team, and do so with no real cap ramifications.
Let me explain.
3 reasons the Sixers should re-sign Danny Green: On-court benefits
Green is not a flashy player, nor is he a spring chicken, but production is production. The most important stat on Green’s Basketball Reference page is his 6.3 attempts per game from 3-point range. That set a new career high, despite playing just 28.0 minutes a night.
The Sixers need spacers next to Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, and more importantly, sharp decision-makers. Green does not dilly-dally on the perimeter. He rarely dribbles, and for good reason. He understands his limits, and excels within the confines of his game and athleticism. He shoots a lot of 3s and makes a lot of 3s. When he isn’t shooting, he’s moving without the ball, making sound entry passes, or setting timely screens.
A quintessential glue guy who practically invented the 3-and-D label, Green does a lot of what the Sixers need in the starting five. He’s no longer a great one-on-one defender, but he’s a smart team defender, which is more valuable when you have Ben Simmons smothering the ball-handler and Joel Embiid cleaning up back-aisle messes. Simmons may be gone, yes, but Green is still rock-solid.
If the Sixers let Green walk, the replacement options who don’t totally tank the defense are George Hill or Matisse Thybulle. Hill looked lost in the playoffs. Thybulle still does not command the respect of defenses, which becomes even harder to manage if Simmons does stick around. The Sixers can avoid that conundrum by re-signing Danny Green.
3 reasons the Sixers should re-sign Danny Green: Veteran wisdom
Green has lost some points in this category for his misguided criticism of Philly fans, but even so, he’s a 34-year-old with a long list of accomplishments in the NBA. First and foremost, he’s a three-time champion, and he won with three different franchises. He brings a lot to a locker room.
The Sixers’ leadership structure clearly improved from 2019-20 to 2020-21. Some would point to Doc Rivers and be done with it, but it doesn’t take extensive digging or well-placed sources to see Green’s impact on the team. He clearly brought valuable wisdom to a relatively young group.
Not many players on the Sixers’ roster are smarter than Green. His signature back-door, cross-court “Danny Green Cut” was adopted by multiple Sixers all season, while his defensive I.Q. surely helped somewhat in the Sixers’ jump to league-best defense.
Whether Simmons returns or not, the Sixers are a team that still hasn’t learned to win and execute at the highest level. Green was on the roster last season, but he wasn’t on the court in the Atlanta series, and I would be hard-pressed to believe he harmed Philadelphia’s development in that department. Green the person is just as valuable as Green the player.
3 reasons the Sixers should re-sign Danny Green: Salary
The Sixers can sign Green for up to 175 percent of his previous contract, which means they can technically offer up to $26.7 million despite being well over the NBA cap threshold. That is free money for Philadelphia, not to mention a useful, starter-level rotation piece.
Philadelphia has zero cap space, so letting Green walk would be letting his contract evaporate into thin air. There’s no signing a different player for $15.4 million. Philadelphia’s only other free agency tool is the $5.9 million mid-level exception, which probably will not yield a player as good as Green.
Even if you don’t perceive Green as a player worth $10+ million, the Sixers should willingly offer it, if only to have that money on the books. That is money the Sixers can then use in a future trade, with George Hill’s $10 million and Seth Curry’s $8.2 million getting you within range of matching a max contract.
I’m not saying the Sixers should pay Green $20 million, but even a repeat of his previous contract — overpay or not — would give Philadelphia a great deal of flexibility on the trade market, which could be important regardless of the Simmons situation.
Virtually no team can outbid the Sixers, and there’s no indication Green wants to leave. He even said explicitly that Doc Rivers wants him back. The Pompey quote is notable, but there is no evident reason to doubt Green’s return. There’s no real argument against it. Unless he wants to take less money for a ticket back to L.A., I’m not sure how he ends up on another team. That is, of course, barring a trade, which would coincide with him re-signing.