After a couple days of delirious panic, the Sixers‘ 2021 free agency doesn’t feel quite so hopeless. In a surprise twist, Danny Green has agreed to a two-year, $20 million contract, marking his return for a second season in Philadelphia. The news was reported by Harrison Sanford, Green’s podcast co-host on “Inside the Green Room.”
Two years is a real commitment given Green’s age (34), but he is easily worth $10 million per year on the court, not to mention in the locker room.
Last season, Green averaged 9.5 points and 3.8 rebounds on .412/.405/.775 shooting splits. He attempted the most 3s per game of any Sixer, and was relied upon for several high-profile defensive matchups — including Russell Westbrook in the Sixers’ first-round defeat of Washington.
The Sixers persuaded Danny Green to re-sign, and signed him at a borderline discount, to boot.
This signing is cause for celebration. Losing Green would have put a huge dent in Doc Rivers’ rotation, with no clear replacement on the roster. He has the quickest trigger of any shooter on the team, which is an important attribute next to Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons. Green is also a clever defender who, despite his age, is useful when deployed properly.
With Green on board, the Sixers are primed to run it back with minor upgrades to the second unit. That is, of course, assuming the Ben Simmons saga drags into the regular season, which feels far more possible now than it did before the draft. That is not necessarily ideal, but Green’s return makes it easier to project some level of stability on the court.
If Simmons is dealt, then Green will still have an integral role in Philadelphia’s offense. He developed a nice rapport with Joel Embiid last season, and his penchant for well-timed cuts rubbed off on the likes of Seth Curry and Matisse Thybulle. Green has been one of the league’s quintessential 3-and-D players for a decade now, and that status should carry over into 2021-22.
Now, the Sixers’ offseason becomes a waiting game. The entire NBA has eyes locked on Ben Simmons. Without a trade, Philadelphia probably won’t overhaul the roster in a significant way. That said, Daryl Morey could absorb Georges Niang’s two-year, $6.7 million contract into the Al Horford trade exception as part of a sign-and-trade with Utah. Doing so would allow the Sixers to maintain access to the full taxpayer’s mid-level exception in free agency, which totals roughly $5.9 million.
Yes, which is what I would advocate for them to do (and did a thread about this recently). This would make things even better for the Sixers https://t.co/qfdD5eST6G
— Adam Aaronson (@SixersAdam) August 5, 2021
We will see how Morey plays his cards from here. In general, the safest expectation is minimum contracts from now until the regular season begins. As for Ben Simmons… who can say.
UPDATE: Per Sanford, the second year of Green’s contract is non-guaranteed, meaning the Sixers can waive him before July 1, 2022 and bear no financial responsibility for the 2022-23 season.