In one of the more surprising moves in the NBA this offseason, free agent wing Kelly Oubre Jr. faced a dearth of suitors despite turning in his strongest statistical season yet in the previous campaign with Charlotte. However, the Philadelphia 76ers managed to hook him up after reportedly inking him to a one-year deal.
Oubre Jr.’s arrival gives the Sixers an even more fortified depth in the wings, which quickly became vital following the departures of key players in Georges Niang, Jalen McDaniels, and Shake Milton in free agency atop of James Harden’s impending exit.
That being said, the incoming nine-year veteran could certainly push some people out of the team’s rotation — if not its outright plans for next season. Here are three 76ers whom the front office could cut after their newest signing.
3 players the Philadelphia 76ers could cut after signing Kelly Oubre Jr.
1. Danuel House Jr.
Danuel House Jr. filled a pretty supplementary role last season for Philly as PJ Tucker’s backup in the 3-and-D role. And while the veteran certainly flashed effective spurts as a switchable stopper, his offense — including his three-point shot — simply became too marginal to warrant a bigger role. Eventually, he fell out of the rotation in the playoffs and in sum, tallied a career-low 14.4 minutes per outing.
The veteran quickly opted in to his player option, but at this rate, there’s no guarantee that he’ll still be on the opening night roster. His spot was already precarious prior to the Oubre signing. Now, his future in Philadelphia beyond next month could very well be a big toss-up.
Aside from Oubre, House will have too much better competition to even envision him as a viable rotation player at this juncture. From Tucker and Tobias Harris still projected to soak up the bulk of the minutes at the forward positions and even Paul Reed widely expected to have a more prominent role next season, there’s simply no more room for the 30-year-old.