The Sixers’ first day of free agency was a quiet one. Furkan Korkmaz re-signed for three years, $15 million, and Dwight Howard departed for the golden shores of LA. And then, crickets. Daryl Morey has a lot on his plate — the Ben Simmons trade chief among them — but to see so many enticing names jump off the board while the Sixers did nothing was a slight bummer.
That said, not all is lost. There is more than one day of free agency, and not every name is off the board. Morey has bullets left in the chamber, and Philadelphia has trade maneuverability beyond Simmons, too. The action can only pick up from here.
With that in mind, here are three things that should top Morey’s to-do list entering the second day of NBA free agency.
Sixers free agency to-do list #1: Re-sign Danny Green
I’ve written about this in the past — there is no reason, basketball or financial, to let Danny Green walk. If he decides to take his talents elsewhere, fine. He has free will. If he’s open to re-signing and the Sixers decide not to, then it would be time to question the calculus of Daryl Morey’s decision-making.
The Sixers have Green’s Bird Rights and, as a result, can essentially match or exceed any offer he will receive on the open market. They can pay well above the $15 million per year he got on his last deal, and there’s no indication his next contract will even begin to approach that number.
Regardless of what the final number is, barring total absurdity, the Sixers should happily do what it takes to re-sign Green. He’s an important part of the starting five, and there’s no plug-and-play replacement presently on the roster. If nothing else, his contract could prove useful in future trade negotiations. If the Sixers lose Green, that money evaporates into nothing.
The fact that Green has not signed yet does raise some alarms. He has reported interest from the Lakers and Heat, and there are other teams who would no doubt appreciate his 3-and-D contributions. In the end, however, it’s hard to imagine Philly just letting him walk. He would have to turn down the money.
Sixers free agency to-do list #2: Use the mid-level exception
Last season, Morey opted not to use the mid-level exception. Some would argue it was to infiltrate a buyout market that never materialized. Others would argue it was ownership who kept him frugal. Either way, there’s no excuse not to use it this summer. Every roster spot counts in pursuit of a championship, and $5.9 million can net you a real contributor.
Some of the flashier names are off the board — Jeff Green, Otto Porter, P.J. Tucker, JaVale McGee, Nicolas Batum — but a slew of useful free agents remain. The Sixers need size on the wing, a backup center, and can never get too much shooting. There are multiple avenues Morey can take, all he needs to do is take one.
Also of note is George Hill, who the Sixers plan to waive. If Hill is waived and Green doesn’t re-sign, then Philadelphia could gain access to the full mid-level exception, which exceeds $9 million. The preferable option would be to keep Green, but if Hill is getting waived (and $10 million in expiring money is getting shoved out the door with him), then it’s not hard to venture a guess about Green’s future. That Hill contract was useful salary-filler in a trade.
However much money ends up at Morey’s disposal, he needs to spend it. Ownership has to let him spend it. Victor Oladipo, James Ennis, Paul Millsap, Andre Iguodala, Nemanja Bjelica, Lou Williams, and Bruce Brown are some of the interesting names still floating around. Also, there’s the backup center need…
Sixers free agency to-do list #3: Find a backup center
There is a fine argument in favor of letting Paul Reed run wild next season, but in the end, the Sixers probably need to invest in a backup center to replace Dwight Howard. It doesn’t need to be a rigidly defined back-to-the-basket center in the same vein as Howard, but at least a legitimate five who can fill the non-Embiid minutes in a manner not actively harmful.
For example, Paul Millsap would be a great name to consider with the mid-level exception. He’s a veteran with a 3-point shot and some defensive versatility, even at his advanced age. Or the Sixers could think more traditional, and pursue a name like Tony Bradley, who excelled with the team in sparse minutes last season.
The backup center spot has killed the Sixers in literally every season since Embiid’s arrival. Even when Al Horford was given $109 million to solve that exact problem, the Sixers could not survive without Embiid on the court. No backup can approximate Embiid’s two-way impact, but a serviceable reserve who doesn’t get washed in the postseason is not too high a demand. There are capable free agents at that position. Morey has to sign one, or strike up a trade.
Beyond Millsap and Bradley, names like Moe Wagner, DeMarcus Cousins, Willy Hernangomez, Taj Gibson, Hassan Whiteside, Robin Lopez, and Frank Kaminsky deserve looks. All those names are minimum contract names. Heck, even Andre Drummond is still floating around somewhere!