The Philadelphia 76ers front office managed to reel in some sleek moves this offseason, via the draft and through free agency, that will surely come in handy down the line, but no one will be giving them an A-plus grade for their current summer slate.
After all, Daryl Morey and his crew have also made a couple of moves that, put simply, make zero sense for the team. Going completely wayward from their prior commitment — which now appears to be mere grandstanding — to add younger bodies and fresher legs to the roster, the front office re-signed both Eric Gordon and Kyle Lowry.
That is atop the fact that the front office miscalculated and/or misfired on the Guerschon Yabusele situation. Arguably one of, if not their most important free agent from a fit perspective, the team simply allowed to let him walk away for nothing after expressing full confidence in being able to re-sign him in free agency and opting not to trade him before the deadline.
Yet despite all of those things, the front office seems to be…done? Yes, you heard that right.
The 76ers are reportedly finished making moves this offseason
According to The Athletic’s Tony Jones, the 76ers are essentially done making moves this offseason and maneuvering in the free agency market barring an unexpected trade, aside from, of course, resolving their continued impasse with restricted free agent Quentin Grimes.
Morey and the team’s brass appear to be content with the roster as currently constructed which, if true, is definitely a bold proposition.
No team in the NBA will benefit from a cleaner bill of health next season than Philadelphia, yet there is not a single soul on the planet that will peg them as the title favorites with sheer conviction. The roster is still far from being a foolproof one, especially since their main draft addition was more of a reinforcement for the future than it is to mitigate a pressing roster need.
There is also the fact that they still need to find better alternatives than Andre Drummond and Kelly Oubre Jr. in the rotation. But with this apparently passive stance, the 76ers will not get anywhere. Now, they look like they are willing to take their weaknesses in once more despite their clearly debilitating impact on the team’s dynamic on both ends.
Put simply, there is no world where it would be conceivable for the Philadelphia 76ers to prematurely end their offseason plans. They have to remain active on all fronts, lest they limit their collective ceiling as a collective in the upcoming campaign.