It might be worth mentioning that now more than ever, the player movement never stops in the NBA. As of this moment, the Sixers have been relatively quiet when it comes to making changes to this roster in the off-season, but that doesn’t mean that they haven’t gotten better and improved their roster.
The Philadelphia 76ers have added four new players this summer and as of now, subtracted three new players. It feels appropriate to have a recap of the moves Philly made this offseason.
Recapping the impact of the Sixers’ off-season moves: Losses
Danny Green provided a 3-point threat and a much-needed veteran presence for the 76ers over the past two seasons. Green is a prototypical 3-and-D guy and he had been very valuable to the Sixers with his postseason experience. Still, being able to use him as a trade piece, even with a torn ACL and LCL, to acquire De’Anthony Melton from Memphis figures to upgrade the depth in the backcourt.
DeAndre Jordan ended up in Denver as a free agent. Jordan still has some value but overall he was more of a liability for the Sixers in their postseason run. He is still a very good post defender and a big body that will go in a provide a physical presence but in today’s NBA his complete lack of range and inability to guard away from the basket has greatly diminished his usefulness.
Paul Millsap has yet to make it official but with his expected retirement this offseason I’ll include him as a roster departure from last season. Millsap spent most of his career as a very productive undersized power forward.
Last season Millsap struggled to find a role in Brooklyn before being dealt to the Sixers. He appeared in nine games making one start and also making one appearance in the playoffs in Philadelphia. Millsap still had value last season but it was more as another veteran leader in the locker room than it was on the court.
Recapping the impact of the Sixers’ off-season moves: Additions
De’Anthony Melton was added by the Sixers via a draft night trade for the injured Danny Green and the 23rd overall pick. Melton has developed into a very good NBA guard over the past few seasons in Memphis.
He is a reliable shooter and a good perimeter defender. He was a very valuable piece off the bench for the Grizzlies’ run in the Western Conference last season. He was more productive than Danny Green last season, along with the fact that Melton is significantly younger at 24 years old than Green who is 35 years old making this a good move for Philly. They will need to replace some veteran leadership but they were able to find that elsewhere this offseason.
P.J. Tucker gets the distinction of being the most notable addition. Tucker adds some toughness and also helps the 76ers replenish some of what they lost in Danny Green. PJ Tucker was added in part because of James Harden’s willingness to take less money to help build a championship roster.
I’m not sure Tucker gets them that much closer by himself but clearly, his Houston connection to Harden and President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey played a big role here. Tucker is 37 years old but is coming off one of the better seasons of his career.
He had his highest points per game average since 2015-16 with the Phoenix Suns and shot a career-best 41.5 percent from beyond the arc. It will be interesting to see what kind of role Tucker plays for the 76ers this season.
Danuel House Jr. is another addition who is likely here because of his ties to James Harden and Daryl Morey in Houston. House struggled to find a consistent role in the NBA last season when he played for three different teams. He played 16 games in Houston, 3 minutes in his only appearance with the Knicks, and then showed he can still be productive averaging 6.8 points per game in Utah.
By far his most productive seasons were in Houston where he shot a career-high 3-point percentage in 2018-19 and had a career-high 10.5 ppg in 2019-20. Much like Tucker, it will be interesting to see what kind of role he plays in Philadelphia. House has proven to be a productive scorer and shooter, so hopefully, he can find his form from a few years ago and provide scoring off the bench.
Trevelin Queen is an interesting addition. He has only appeared in 10 games in his career, all last season with the Houston Rockets. He was a very productive scorer in his limited action. He only played about 7 minutes per game but averaged over 4 points per game in those limited minutes.
His per 36, if you’ll get nerdy with me for a moment aggregates out to over 20 points and just under 8 rebounds per game. I wouldn’t get too excited about that, but he does provide depth and someone who could potentially provide solid scoring off the bench if needed. That written, it will be interesting to see if Queen can carve out a roster spot.
The Sixers were able to add talent this offseason, but who knows what other moves they can make before the season begins.