The Philadelphia 76ers have some tough decisions to make this offseason, but one easy call on their part is keeping Kelly Oubre Jr. The veteran is hitting the open market anew this year, but this time, his price tag is expected to end up being considerably steeper than his previous salary, which was admittedly well below his market rate. That makes it more difficult for the team to retain his services.
Heck, it seems like the 76ers are actually already preparing for Oubre's possible exit in free agency. According to Hoops Hype's draft workout tracker, all of the prospects which the team has had a workout with play the forward positions, namely Houston's Chris Cenac, Santa Clara's Allen Graves, Texas' Dailyn Swain, Arizona's Koa Peat, Duke's Isaiah Evans, and St. John's Zuby Ejiofor.
It is definitely strange –– if not outright improper –– that the 76ers are not exploring beyond the forward spots. The center position, for example, has long been one of their most pressing needs, yet the front office apparently has a different idea. If anything, this goes to show that Oubre is indeed a strong flight risk this offseason.
The 76ers are quietly preparing for life without Kelly Oubre
Fresh off two solid campaigns for the 76ers, Oubre managed to outdo himself in his third season in Philly, turning in arguably his most impactful year yet for the franchise. He averaged 14.1 points, five rebounds, and 1.4 steals a night while draining a career-best 36 percent of his three-point tries. Nick Nurse heavily relied on him, and it is not difficult to see why.
Oubre was probably the most reliable defender the 76ers had in the recently concluded season. He was often deployed to guard the opposing team's best player, especially in the playoffs. His emergence as a slightly above league-average three-point shooter was also a big thing for the team since he canned just 29.3 percent of his triples the season prior.
Clearly, the 76ers cannot afford to have Oubre cast them away in the open market. Unfortunately, money talks in free agency, and Philly might not be able to secure his services even if they go all-in on the veteran given that other teams have stronger spending power to lure him away from the franchise.
That is most likely a huge reason why the 76ers are doubling down on their lookout for forward prospects in this year's draft. While that is a heady contingency plan in the grand scheme of things, ultimately, it should not preclude them from aggressively trying to convince Kelly Oubre to return for another go-round.
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