Sixers: Who should get cut (or traded) before the season?
Sixers on the chopping block: Furkan Korkmaz
If you were to poll the fanbase on who Philadelphia should get rid of before the season, Furkan Korkmaz would probably be the leading vote-getter. It’s ironic, then, that he’s probably the safest player on this list.
Unfortunately, the NBA is as much a numbers game as it is a basketball game. The front office is balancing on a delicate financial tight rope. When you commit resources to a player, you typically have to see that decision through. The Sixers signed Korkmaz to a three-year, $15 million contract last summer. He’s slated to make $5 million this season, and then another $5.4 million next season. The Sixers aren’t going to cut him. That would be too much dead money.
The only way to get rid of Korkmaz is via trade. It’s not impossible to offload Korkmaz — it’s a relatively small contract — but he was quite bad last season, and the second year left on his deal will scare off a lot of potential suitors. No one is coughing up real assets for Korkmaz. In fact, there’s a world where Philadelphia has to give up assets to get off of Korkmaz’s contract. Why would the Sixers give something up to get rid of Korkmaz when there are non-guaranteed, easily offloaded contracts elsewhere on the books.
Korkmaz is a prime bounce-back candidate. He has performed well for Philadelphia in the past, and next to Embiid, he’s now one of the longest-tenured players on the team. If he can get the 3s falling again, he might even have a path to minutes. The chemistry with Embiid and Harden is there — we’ve seen it.