The Philadelphia 76ers remain a popular choice among fans and pundits alike heading into the 2023-24 season to snag a lofty seeding in the Eastern Conference. That being said, the gap between them and their rivals such as the Bucks and Celtics has widened, giving the team a much smaller margin of error in their title hunt this year.
Having the reigning Most Valuable Player in Joel Embiid captain a talented roster is a tremendous leg up the competition, but the 76ers remain far from a perfect crop. Seeking external help will be key, but retaining financial flexibility for a crucial offseason next year is just as important.
Fortunately for Philly, here are four impending free agents the front office can trade for as one-year rentals this season.
4 players the 76ers can trade for as one-year rentals this season
1. Danilo Gallinari (PF — Washington Wizards)
Offense is actually not on the needs whiteboard for the 76ers this season due to their slew of scorers and shot creators, but as their last postseason run showed, you can never have too much variance on the offensive end, especially when facing teams littered with rangy, experienced defenders like the team they flamed out against.
Speaking of variance, veteran forward Danilo Gallinari has silently been among the most consistent scorers since the last decade. Sure, he’s coming off an ACL injury at 35 years of age, but shooting touch is one aspect of the game that ages gracefully — and boy is he good at it.
A career 38.2 percent three-point shooter, the Italian stretch forward is a constant threat beyond the arc who can bend defenses at will. Unlike players of his prototype, however, he is more than just an idle shooter as he has a penchant for drawing fouls in traffic.
Gallinari won’t offer much as a defender, but he generally has good court awareness and should be a relatively easy cover on D by latching him onto weaker offensive players. Even better, it shouldn’t cost much to pry him away from Washington due to his expiring contract.