The Philadelphia 76ers have a long and storied NBA history. For younger generations though, the team is likely remembered most for “The Process Era”, a period during the early 2010s when the players the Sixers put out on the court were a revolving door of mediocrity.
Those were dark times, but there may be some even darker one-off moments in franchise history. In the following slides, I will present the 8 worst free-agent signings the Philadelphia 76ers have made since inception. The term ‘worst’ is subjective so for clarification’s sake the key factors considered are the production of the player at the point they signed with the Sixers compared to the price and length of the contract signed. This is not just about the player themself, but the combination of their impact on the team when considering the contract signed.
8. Tobias Harris
I was not sure if I was going to include Tobias Harris on this list as the free-agent contract he signed has not ended yet, but I still think it is fair to have him here. Unless you live under a rock, you know the first criticism of Harris always starts with his contract with the Sixers so let’s dive in.
Harris was drafted 19th overall in the 2011 draft and was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks on draft night. He was a really good player at the University of Tennessee and left for the NBA after his freshman year there. Harris did not get much playing time during his first couple of years in Milwaukee and early on it seemed like he would be a project that needed some work to get NBA-ready.
In his second season, he was traded to the Orlando Magic, who had a lot more available minutes in the rotation for Harris. He quickly went from averaging 5 points per game in 11 minutes with the Bucks to scoring 17+ points in 36 minutes and starting most of the Magic’s remaining games. Orlando was Harris’ coming out party and after four seasons of being a consistent starter and having recently re-signed with them, it was a surprise he was traded to the Detroit Pistons in 2016.
Harris played parts of three seasons in Detroit and two with the Los Angeles Clippers before the Philadelphia 76ers traded for him. Prior to Philly, Harris’s career-high single-season averages were 20.9 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 2.7 assists. He was an established veteran starter in the league when Philly traded for him and that is exactly what the Sixers needed to help take this team to the next level.
The problem is Harris had an expiring contract that summer, as did Jimmy Butler who had been recently acquired. In the summer of 2019, Butler left for the Miami Heat and the Sixers were almost forced to re-sign Harris so that two starters did not essentially walk for nothing. That is when the franchise made Tobias Harris the highest-paid player on a roster that included Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, both All-Stars at the time. The contract was for 5 years and an astronomical $180 million.
Throughout the first three years of this contract, Tobias has continued being a quality NBA starter, averaging between 17 to 20 points and 6 to 8 rebounds per game. He is a good player and definitely can be a lower-tier starter for a Championship team. That is not the discussion though. Harris was paid as a number one player on a team and he was not that. From the day he signed his name on the dotted line he was destined for perpetual criticism by the Philadelphia media.
This season, his fourth of five on the contract, his production has dropped and he is down to 14.9 points and 5.9 rebounds. Harris is likely finding difficulty playing alongside Embiid, James Harden, and Tyrese Maxey and being a fourth option, but that is probably what he should be on a team with title aspirations. Harris still has one more season after this one on his contract, but no matter what happens, he has to be included on a list of worst free-agent signings.
7. Jerryd Bayless
Next up on the list is Jerryd Bayless. Bayless was drafted into the NBA in the 2008 draft by the Indiana Pacers with the 11th overall pick and traded to the Portland Trailblazers. Before this, he only spent one year in college at the University of Arizona where he was the team’s leading scorer averaging just under 20 points per game and shooting 46% from the field and 41% from three-point range.
Bayless was projected to be a quality NBA basketball player, however 8 years in, by the time the Philadelphia 76ers signed him, he was a journeyman having played for 6 teams in his relatively short tenure in the league. He was a bench player at every stop along the way and averaged more than 11 points per game in only one season.
In the summer of 2016, the Philadelphia 76ers signed Bayless to a 3-year contract worth $27 million. The per annum value on this contract was 3x anything Bayless had been paid in the league during his first 8 seasons and it was honestly a shock. The Sixers seemed to be bidding against the Sixers on this one for paying him that kind of money.
In Bayless’ first season in Philly, he played a total of three games due to a wrist injury. He essentially made $3 million for each game he played that year. The following season, Bayless was utterly disappointing. He averaged 7.9 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game and only played in 39 games as he was replaced in the rotation by other bench wings.
As a note, I saw Bayless at a smoothie shop in Philly during this season and it took a lot in me to not ask him why his production was down. Before the 2018-2019 season, the Sixers ended up trading Bayless to the Minnesota Timberwolves where he would play his final season in the NBA. Bayless free-agent signing was a mistake and comes in at number 7 on the franchise’s worst list.
6. Kwame Brown
Coming in at number 6 is Kwame Brown. Brown was drafted first overall (1,1) by the Washington Wizards in the 2001 NBA draft directly out of high school. This was prior to the one-and-done rule that is in place today and Brown was an exceptional high school talent at Glynn Academy in Georgia. In his final year in high school, he averaged 20.1 points, 13.3 rebounds, and 5.8 blocks.
Brown struggled during his early years in Washington and only had one season where he averaged more than 10 points and more than 6 rebounds per game. This is probably more proof that there are only a handful of players that can jump from high school sports to the professional level, i.e. LeBron James, and Kevin Garnett.
Once leaving Washington he bounced around to the Los Angeles Lakers, the Memphis Grizzlies, the Detroit Pistons, the Charlotte Hornets, and the Golden State Warriors. In those five stops, he battled injuries and never again averaged more than 9 points or 7 rebounds per game in those cities. The expectation of players drafted with the top overall pick is much higher than this and Brown could be categorized as a bust at this point in his career.
After 11 seasons in the league and clearly on the decline, the Philadelphia 76ers for some reason decided to sign Brown to a 2-year, $5.8 million contract. Brown appeared in only 22 games for the Sixers in the 2012-2013 season, starting 11 of those games. He averaged 1.9 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 0.5 blocks per game and was a non-factor.
Heading into the 2013-2014 season, it was clear Brown would likely not be a contributing member of this team, and following a hamstring injury, he was waived by the Sixers prior to the start of regular season games. It still baffles me why the Sixers brought Brown in for those two years. He was out of the league after his time with the Sixers, a parallel to Bayless on the previous slide.
There must be something about a player towards the end of his career that the Sixers think has value and that they can get more out of him than the rest of the league. As has been seen so far, that has not worked out so well for them.
5. Kenny Thomas
Kenny “K9” Thomas was a standout college player at the University of New Mexico. During his four years in college, he averaged 15.7 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game and was the key reason New Mexico made NCAA Tournaments. Thomas’ success led him to be drafted 22nd overall by the Houston Rockets in the 1999 NBA draft.
With the Rockets, Thomas’ best season came in his third year when he averaged 14.1 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 48% from the field. The following season during a contract year for Thomas, he was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers where he had similar statistical production to his recent season in Houston.
When Thomas became a free agent in the summer of 2003, the Sixers had a decision to make. The team had just traded for Thomas and he gave them consistency and a reliable scoring presence off the bench. Could they just let him walk? The Sixers chose to re-sign him for 7 years, $50 million which I understand nowadays does not sound like too much money, but in 2003 this was a considerable amount.
Thomas only played one full season with the Philadelphia 76ers, the 2003-04 NBA season. During that year he started all but 2 games for the team and averaged 13.6 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in 36.5 minutes per game. He was a decent player during, but there is no way he lived up to the $50 million the Sixers signed him for.
During the 2004-05 season, Thomas similarly started the majority of games for the Sixers but was sent to the Sacramento Kings in the trade that brought Chris Webber to the City of Brotherly Love. It may seem like his short tenure makes it hard to judge his contract, but to me, it is pretty clear regardless of his production, K9 did not live up to the contract value of a $50 million player.
I like to view K9’s contract as similar to Harris’ 5-year, $180 million deal. Harris is a really good player and starter for the Sixers, but he is not worth what he is being paid. Thomas was the same 20 years ago.
4. Scott Williams
Sitting at number 4 is Scott Williams. Williams is a throwback for some of our younger readers and there is a chance you may not have heard of him if you are under the age of 30. Williams went to the University of North Carolina and played for the legendary Dean Smith. Following a 4-year career at Chapel Hill, where he was a 3-year starter, Williams went undrafted in the 1990 NBA Draft.
The Chicago Bulls signed Williams to their roster where he joined at the perfect time when Michael Jordan and the Bulls started their run for the first NBA Championship three-peat from 1991-1993. Williams was the definition of a role player and only played an average of 12 minutes and scored around 4 points per game during those three years.
This made it all the more confusing when the Sixers signed Williams to a 7-year contract, where he would earn $1.5 million in his first year and that number would increase year over year to north of $3.5 million by his seventh season on the deal. If the Sixers thought Williams would bring some Championship pedigree or that his value was more because he had played alongside Jordan, that was just not the case.
Williams’ time in Philadelphia can best be described as inconsistent and injury-ridden. He only played in 212 games during the five years that he was on the Sixers and the in and out of the lineup clearly affected his production. Williams’ best season in Philly was the first year after he signed where he averaged 6.4 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 0.5 blocks per game and appeared in 77 games, starting 43 of those.
The inverse relationship of Williams’ contract to his contribution to the team is the main reason this contract turned out to be a dud for the Sixers. Doubling the salary of a young fringe role player is not usually prudent and the Sixers clearly overvalued Williams when they signed him in the summer of 1994. Players cannot control injuries and that unfortunately played a significant part as well in Williams being on this list.
3. Al Horford
We have finally made it to the top 3 worst free agent signings in Philadelphia 76ers franchise history. Locked in at number 3 is Al Horford. Everyone should remember this contract as a mere three years ago, the Sixers took a flyer on Horford.
Horford was a star player at the University of Florida and was on the loaded Gators team with Joakim Noah, and Corey Brewer, and coached by Billy Donovan. Florida won back-to-back NCAA Championships in 2006 and 2007 and Horford was arguably the best player on those teams. Coming off the second Championship, Horford entered the NBA draft and was selected 3rd overall by the Atlanta Hawks.
In Atlanta, Horford immediately made an impact and during his 9-year tenure there, he started every game he was available to play for the Hawks minus 4 during his rookie season. Horford averaged anywhere between 10 and 18 points per game and consistently had close to 10 rebounds per game every season in Atlanta. He also made three All-Star games and helped the Hawks receive a 1-seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs during the 2014-15 season.
The next stop for Horford was Boston. With the Celtics, Horford continued being a reliable starting center and the team reached back-to-back Eastern Conference Finals in his first two seasons. When matched up against the Sixers, Horford played great defense against the up-and-coming superstar, Joel Embiid, and certain media referred to Horford as the ‘Embiid-stopper’.
Signing Horford as a free agent in the summer of 2019 felt like a big win for the Sixers. Not only did they improve their frontcourt and find a quality veteran to pair with Embiid, but they also kept the Celtics from re-signing a player that was a main cog in their rotation the prior three seasons. Horford’s contract with the Sixers was a bloated 4-year, $109 million which definitely felt like a lot at the time, but just wait. Looking back on it now, it feels way worse.
Horford only played one season with the Philadelphia 76ers and was not the player we expected. He did not fit alongside Embiid and the lane was always clogged. His shooting percentage fell from 53.5% in his last season in Boston to 45% in Philly. We paid what looked like a washed-up center $26.25 million and were more than happy that Oklahoma City took his contract off our hands. The problem is now Horford is back with Boston and looks as if he never left.
2. Matt Geiger
Matt Geiger comes in at number 2 on this list for the Sixers. Geiger was not a top prospect coming out of college where he had two pit stops at Auburn and Georgia Tech. Following his senior season, the big man was selected with the 42nd pick in the 2nd round of the 1992 NBA Draft by the Miami Heat.
Geiger stayed in Miami for three seasons and mostly played the role of a backup center where his best season was his last there averaging 8.3 points and 5.6 rebounds per game in 23 minutes. The next stop in Charlotte is where Geiger played his best basketball. He started half of his games in Buzz City and averaged over 11 points and 6. 5 rebounds per game in two out of the three seasons. Again these are not eye-popping numbers, but for a backup big man, Geiger did his job.
Why Geiger lands on this unfortunate list though is because the Philadelphia 76ers decided to pay him a staggering amount of money during his free agency after the 1997-98 NBA season. In Miami and Charlotte, Geiger never made more than $1.6 million per annum. That is probably spot on in terms of his worth and production on the basketball court.
The Sixers signed Geiger to a 6-year, $51 million contract! I cannot imagine that other NBA teams were knocking down his door looking to pay him $8 million per year based on his prior six years in the league. Maybe I am wrong, but the Sixers seemed to bid against themselves here, a common theme on this list, and this contract would prove to be one of the worst in franchise history.
In his first season in Philadelphia Geiger started about 80% of the games for the team and averaged a career-high 13.5 points playing 31 minutes per game. This was Geiger’s best year with the Sixers and they probably felt pretty good about the signing. The next season, however, Geiger fell out of the starting lineup and his points fell to 9.7 per game in 10 fewer minutes per game.
By the third year of his contract, Geiger had been hit by the injury bug and only appeared in about half the games that season. In his fourth year in Philadelphia, he was only able to get on the floor for four games total and ended up retiring due to knee injuries. As I said before, it is tough to judge player contracts fairly when injuries are involved, but they are a part of the game and hindsight is 20/20. Even without the injuries, the Matt Geiger contract would likely be on this list.
1. Elton Brand
I hate to do our current general manager like this, but unfortunately Elton Brand lands as the worst free-agent signing in the Philadelphia 76ers franchise history. As I mentioned on the first slide this is not about how good a player was, because both Al Horford and Elton Brand are multi-time All-Stars in the NBA. But when you look at the production Brand provided to the Sixers compared to expectations based on the length and amount of the contract he signed, this is likely the worst.
For some background, Brand went to Duke where he played under Mike Krzyzewski for two years before entering the 1999 NBA draft. Back then, a player leaving early from a school like Duke was almost unheard of, but Brand was a special talent and ready for the NBA. In his sophomore season at Duke, Brand won the National Player of the Year and ACC Player of the Year awards as well as being a first-team All-American.
Brand’s dominance in college led him to be drafted 1st overall by the Chicago Bulls. Brand is the second first-overall pick to land on this list after Kwame Brown. In his first two seasons in Chicago, Brand lived up to the hype of a number-one pick, starting all but one game he was available to play and averaging 20.1 points and 10 rebounds per game. He was subsequently traded to the Los Angeles Clippers after his second season.
In Los Angeles Brand thrived. He made two All-Star teams and one All-NBA team during his seven years with the Clippers. With the Clippers Brand had four seasons where he averaged over 20 points and 10 rebounds per game. His career-high season averages maxed out at 24.7 points and 11.6 rebounds. The last season in LA, Brand had an Achilles injury that had him sidelined for the majority of the season. This might have been the first sign of his decline.
In the summer of 2008, Brand went cross country to sign with the Philadelphia 76ers for 5 years and $82 million. At the time of the contract signing, the Sixers felt they were getting a star center in his prime that could propel this team to the next level. And why shouldn’t they have felt that way? Brand was a stud with the Clippers. Unfortunately for the 76ers, it did not carry over in Philly.
Brand’s first season in Philadelphia was cut short by a shoulder injury and he played in only 29 games. Over the subsequent three years, Brand was the starting center for the Sixers, but his production dropped drastically. His scoring average dropped almost 40% from his peak in Los Angeles and he only averaged over 14 points per game once during his four years here. That is unacceptable for a player being paid what Brand was being paid and playing over 30 minutes per game.
Maybe we are spoiled now with Joel Embiid averaging 33 points in 30 minutes per game, but to have a starting center in this league not able to get 15 points at a time that was still favorable to centers. It is different now with the stretch big men, but in Brand’s playing era, he should have been able to thrive.
As I said at the beginning of this article, these rankings are not about how good a player is because Brand arguably gave the Sixers more production than any other player on this list. The problem is he came into the league as the first overall pick and prior to Philly was an All-Star caliber player. Brand never lived up to that hype here and did not really get close.
Philadelphia 76ers: Should the team re-sign this key role player?
The Philadelphia 76ers have a number of contract decisions to make this upcoming off-season. One is if they should re-sign this key role player.