It seems like the NBA community is starting to get used to the Philadelphia 76ers pulling all the perfect stops this offseason that somehow, them landing a big fish went completely unnoticed for the most part. Case in point? Look no further than their signing of Anfernee Simons, whom the front office managed to lure in through a massive bargain bin deal.
As reported, the 76ers have inked Simons to a two-year $12 million contract with a team option on the second year. This goes without saying, but that is absolute bonkers of a value for someone who averaged more than 22 points per outing just a couple of years ago. Now, Philly might have just landed the early favorite to win Sixth Man of the Year.
Simons spent time last season with the Boston Celtics before getting jettisoned at the trade deadline to the Chicago Bulls. He had to settle for a lesser role this past campaign, averaging just 24.9 minutes a night, nearly eight minutes left from his average court time in his final season with the Trail Blazers. Nevertheless, his production remained rock-solid as he turned in 14.3 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per contest while shooting 44 percent from the field and 38.5 percent from the three-point land.
The 76ers just quietly landed another free agency jackpot in Anfernee Simons
After the 76ers managed to trade for Jaylen Brown, depth became a primary concern. The subsequent departures of both Kelly Oubre Jr. and Quentin Grimes further aggravated their shallow lineup. That made it so critical that the front office was able to bring someone like Simons into the fold.
Simons' foray as a Sixer alone quells most concerns surrounding the exit of Grimes and then some. Even with a lesser role, the former was able to put up a better individual campaign than the latter this past season, and more importantly, his services ended up being much less costly than Grimes, who commanded significant money in free agency.
So far, Mike Gansey and his crew have been nearly immaculate this offseason. The addition of Anfernee Simons only affirms their genius, and this will definitely go down as a signing which every other team wished they had pursued instead. For some reason, this move is not getting talked about enough, though it does not take away from the fact that this was a hell of a maneuver from the 76ers front office.
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