Just like clockwork, the Philadelphia 76ers will once again have a lot of eyes on them this offseason. After yet another disappointing exit in the playoffs, the new-look front office will be under heavy pressure to deliver this summer, especially in free agency. Fortunately for them, they will enjoy some financial legroom to make crucial additions to the roster.
Fortifying the center position remains a huge point of emphasis for the 76ers. Joel Embiid will and should remain tethered to the stern conservation plan he is under, meaning that the team will have no choice but to install a viable backup for him who can rise to the plate and step into the starting five when needed. That makes it all the more opportune that the front office will have the luxury of getting to make use of the non-taxpayer mid-level exception, which amounts to $15 million.
Quantitatively speaking, the 76ers do not exactly have a dearth of options at center. However, what they lack without a shadow of doubt is someone who can be tenably counted on to log heavy minutes as the lone big man. But with the non-taxpayer mid-level exception, the front office can afford to go after a more proven option to man such a critical role.
The 76ers can go after a more proven big man in free agency
Players like Nikola Vucevic, Jusuf Nurkic, Mitchell Robinson, and Robert Williams, among others, are going to be available for picking in the open market. Unlike what the 76ers currently have in-house with the likes of Adem Bona, Johni Broome, and Dominick Barlow, those are more secure options which the team can comfortably trot out with more frequency on the hardwood.
The lack of reliable bench operators completely doomed the 76ers in the playoffs, and not having a competent backup to Joel Embiid proved to be fatal. If they want to win as many games as possible in the regular season in order to make life easier for them in the playoffs, it is an utmost imperative to boslter their cushion behind the former MVP.
Without sounding like a broken record, the center position is so crucial for the Philadelphia 76ers that it is simply not feasible for them to rely solely on Joel Embiid to have a competent pool of big men. As a result, the front office has to go after a more high-end option for his backup, lest they risk limiting their ceiling as a collective over the course of a season.
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