The Sixers currently have 20 players under contract. Two-way deals account for two of those contracts (Charlie Brown Jr. and Julian Champagnie), while Michael Foster Jr. is on an Exhibit 10 deal (which means he will almost definitely end up in the G-League when the season starts). That leaves 17 players fighting to occupy 15 spots on the regular season roster. Daryl Morey and the Sixers will have to cut (or trade) two players before opening night.
One should expect the Sixers to bring all 20 players into training camp. That should allow Doc Rivers to properly survey his options before the final call is made. A good chunk of the final 15, of course, are all but locked in. For the sake of clarity, let’s list the players who are definitely, without a shadow of a doubt, sticking around:
Joel Embiid, Tobias Harris, P.J. Tucker, James Harden, Tyrese Maxey, De’Anthony Melton, Danuel House Jr., Georges Niang, Montrezl Harrell, Shake Milton, Matisse Thybulle, Paul Reed
Who will the Sixers cut before the season starts?
All the players listed above (except for Paul Reed) are on fully guaranteed contracts. Of the players on partially guaranteed contracts, Reed is by far the most proven and bankable player. This writer’s prediction is that he will not get cut.
Now, let’s go player-by-player through those left in roster limbo — and decide who is likely to remain with the team, and who’s likely to be searching for a new home after training camp.
Sixers on the chopping block: Trevelin Queen
Trevelin Queen won G-League MVP after his electric 2021-22 campaign with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. Naturally, with the Vipers being a Rockets subsidiary, Queen was on Daryl Morey’s radar. The Sixers signed him to a partially guaranteed minimum deal early in the summer.
With a bumpy Summer League performance in the rearview mirror, Queen is probably the most likely player to get cut before the regular season. There’s just not space for him on the roster, and he has spent less time around the franchise than others competing with him at the same position.
There are merits to Queen as a prospect: he’s a bouncy, explosive wing scorer at 6-foot-6. He has good size for an off-guard and the Sixers have long craved more shot-making off the bench. Queen is a confident pull-up shooter with a beautiful stroke and a nifty step-back move in his repertoire. Queen can also work without the basketball, running off of screens and hitting shots on the move. He has the kind of shooting versatility that would pair nicely with Joel Embiid.
Unfortunately, Queen’s lack of NBA experience (and more importantly, Sixers experience) will probably leave him searching for a new basketball home after training camp. He’s probably too good for the G-League, but he might not be good enough to make the big league leap.
PROBABLE OUTCOME: CUT FROM TEAM
Sixers on the chopping block: Isaiah Joe
The final year of Isaiah Joe’s three-year rookie contract does not become guaranteed until opening night. That leaves him in the danger zone, even if the fan favorite is operating from a position of power in training camp. Philadelphia’s improved depth makes it difficult to chart a path to regular minutes for Joe, but he feels like a player who should be competing for playing time — not a roster spot.
That said, let’s not oversell Joe’s standing with the team. A former second-round pick, Joe has spent two full seasons with the franchise. Not once has he secured regular playing time for an extended stretch of the season. Has Doc Rivers been the most bold experimenter in the game? No. But it would be flat-out false to claim that Joe hasn’t had chances to carve out a role. Chances that, up to this point, he simply has not taken advantage of.
Much was made of Furkan Korkmaz’s woeful shooting performance last season, but Joe wasn’t far behind. He shot 33.3 percent from deep (and only 35 percent from the field), which isn’t good enough to separate yourself from the crowd when you’re billed as a shooting specialist.
On paper, Joe is the perfect Sixers reserve: he was one of the best shooters in college basketball two years ago on absurd volume. He can hit every type of 3 — pulling up, side-steps, step-backs, gunning around screens, you name it. He has even looked like a competent defender in his brief NBA trials. But we’ve seen Doc bury him on the bench two years in a row. He will need to put his best foot forward in training camp.
PROBABLE OUTCOME: STAYS WITH TEAM
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.
PROBABLE OUTCOME: STAYS WITH TEAM
Sixers on the chopping block: Jaden Springer
Jaden Springer spent the majority of his rookie season in the G-League — out of sight, out of mind for many in the fanbase. It’s easy to forget that he was a first-round pick. The 28th pick, a pick that many at the time (myself included) considered absolute highway robbery. Springer was widely graded as a top-20 prospect, even a lottery prospect in some eyes. Why, just one year later, are so many writing his obituary?
It’s true, Springer was no particularly impressive in Summer League. He didn’t put up eye-popping numbers in the G-League either, and his exceedingly brief forays into NBA ball were never much to write home about. But, at 19 years old, Springer is still extremely young. He was the youngest player drafted last season, and Philadelphia was never under any illusion that he would be an immediate contributor.
The Sixers are a deep team. They can afford to take a flier here and there. Springer’s contract is also guaranteed for 2022-23, which is not the case for a couple other players currently in the roster danger zone. He’s probably easy to trade (his $2.1 million contract is below the veteran league minimum, and plenty of rebuilding teams would be wise to take interest), but the Sixers should hang tight. He’s 19!
Springer was drafted for his excellent defensive instincts and unique athleticism. He’s a guard in a running back’s body, rumbling downhill and using his strength to carve out lanes to finish around the rim. He needs to improve the jumper and get more comfortable handling the ball, but Springer’s smarts and two-way potential warrant some level of optimism. He may not pan out, but why jump ship so early?
PROBABLE OUTCOME: STAYS WITH TEAM
Sixers on the chopping block: Charles Bassey
Charles Bassey is slated to make $1.5 million in 2022-23. Only $74,000 of that is guaranteed, and the rest doesn’t become fully guaranteed until January 10 of 2023. That simple financial fact, combined with the arrival of Montrezl Harrell and the precipitous rise of Paul Reed, makes Bassey a prime candidate to see his name wiped from the roster after training camp.
That’s somewhat unfortunate: Doc Rivers talked Bassey up a lot last season, and he showed real flashes both in the NBA and in the G-League. He’s a dominant athlete on the block. NBA teams should be monitoring his availability: rim protectors with his frame, mobility, and explosiveness are not a dime a dozen.
In the end, however, the Sixers don’t need four centers. They rostered five centers last season with DeAndre Jordan and Paul Millsap in the mix, so don’t count Bassey out entirely, but there’s no immediate need when you have two reliable backups behind Embiid. Both Harrell and Reed qualify as reliable backups.
There’s something to be said for diversifying your options at a position — Bassey, Reed, and Harrell all bring different skills to the table — but the Sixers should be more focused on filling out the wing and guard rotations. Joe, Korkmaz, Springer — those are players who might have a role somewhere down the line. Bassey is probably never getting a fair shot if we’re already questioning Reed’s future with the franchise.
PROBABLE OUTCOME: CUT FROM TEAM
FINAL REGULAR SEASON ROSTER PREDICTION: Joel Embiid, Tobias Harris, P.J. Tucker, James Harden, Tyrese Maxey, De’Anthony Melton, Danuel House Jr., Georges Niang, Montrezl Harrell, Shake Milton, Matisse Thybulle, Paul Reed, Isaiah Joe, Jaden Springer, Furkan Korkmaz, Charlie Brown Jr. (two-way), Julian Champagnie (two-way)