When looking at this past playoffs for the Philadelphia 76ers, it’s easy for fans to focus on the injuries to Joel Embiid and the shortcomings of James Harden. However, there was one other significant drawback that resulted in the postseason and that’s the injury to Danny Green.
Green tore his ACL and LCL as a result of Embiid accidentally falling on his leg in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Miami Heat, per Tim Bontemps of ESPN. At the age of 34 years old, coming back from an injury of that magnitude seems unlikely, especially for next season.
The Sixers need to find a replacement for Green as he was the only 3-and-D role player on the roster. There are at least four free agent options the 76ers could pursue to replace Green next season. This article was inspired by Jason Reed of the Lake Show Life in his article for Russell Westbrook.
4 free agents who can be contingency plans for Green: Danuel House Jr.
The first option the Philadelphia 76ers should evaluate is undrafted journeyman Danuel House Jr. He’s is a 6-foot-6 wing who fits the profile of a typical 3-and-D wing. He just finished his sixth season and at 29 years old, he should be a hot commodity in the free agent market.
In my unrestricted free agent big board, I had House Jr. ranked 29th out of the top 50 on that list. He made a name for himself as a member of the Houston Rockets so he has a connection with both Harden and Sixers’ president of basketball operations Daryl Morey.
It’s true that House Jr. does fill the void for a 3-and-D wing but it’s also fair to write that out of all the players in this article, House is the most limited on the offensive end. Which makes him more of a reserve than a starter.
This past season, he played for the Rockets, New York Knicks, and Utah Jazz. For those three clubs this past year he averaged 5.9 points on 37.6 percent shooting from the 3-point line. For his career, he’s averaged 8.5 points on 36.6 percent shooting from downtown.