An exhaustive list of to-dos will await the Philadelphia 76ers the moment they enter the offseason. On the heels of a massive head-turning showing this season, albeit for all the wrong seasons, the front office will have no other choice but to make some changes to the roster once more to give themselves a fighting chance to remain relevant in the immediate future.
Unlike last year when the 76ers brass enjoyed having the deepest pocket in the league, the front office will be entering this summer with a much more constrained spending power. In fact, it is the draft that is most expected to give them the best shot at landing a big upgrade.
Having said that, Philly is still looking to keep most their impending free agents after a slew of them turned in pretty impressive campaigns of their own. There has been some silver linings for the squad even amid a delfating season, and it would be highly disappointing if the front office fails to secure their services for next season and beyond.
The 76ers may not be able to re-sign Guerschon Yabusele in free agency
One player the 76ers specifically want to keep on the roster for next season is Guerschon Yabusele. The Frenchman, who signed with Philly shortly before the season began to the tune of a one-year, minimum deal, is expected to fetch a lot of suitors in the open market thanks to his strong play in his first foray in the big league since initially exiting in 2019.
Unfortunately, despite the 76ers clearing up some cap space before the trade deadline, re-signing Yabusele will be an uphill climb. Given his current deal and the fact that the team does not have his Bird rights, Philadelphia will only be able to offer him around $2.85 million at most unless the front office uses their taxpayer mid-level exception amounting to around $5.7 million.
However, doing so would cap the 76ers on the second apron which, in turn, could have drastic repercussions on their ability to sign an even more important to-be free agent — Quentin Grimes. He will be a restricted free agent, meaning that the franchise will be able to match any offer to keep him in the city, but the team’s limitations cap-wise would incentivize another team with spending power to hand him a poison offer sheet just to paralyze the 76ers. It has been done multiple times before.
The Philadelphia 76ers have to get really creative in free agency if they want to keep their standout players on the roster. Otherwise, they could be in for a huge letdown brought upon by their own overspending.