The utter silence surrounding the current phase of the offseason has left the Philadelphia 76ers stuck in suspense. After all, the front office has yet to completely check their boxes this summer, as pressing roster issues subsist and the team is still in a standstill with one of their most important key players next season.
The Quentin Grimes situation remains one in need of a firm resolution, even if only a short-term one. Yet coming to terms with the 25-year-old’s camp and putting a halt to this restricted free agency push-and-pull cannot just be the final imprint of the front office in this offseason, lest the team risks hurting their chances right from the get-go next season due to their unaddressed needs.
At the very least, though, the 76ers seem to be cognizant of that unchecked box. Not counting the one guaranteed spot obviously meant as a placeholder for Grimes, the squad still has another roster opening, arming the front office with some much-needed and potentially instrumental flexibility to improve the lineup during the season.
In that respect, Daryl Morey and his crew may just be plotting something bigger behind the scenes and away from the arbitrary spotlight of the rumor mill.
The 76ers maintain flexibility by keeping a roster spot open
By keeping a roster spot, the 76ers retain the ability to sign a free agent during the season using their unused taxpayer’s midlevel exception. A slew of veteran free agents remain available for taking, such as Malik Beasley, Malcolm Brogdon, and former Sixer De’Anthony Melton, among others. They could also be a major player for those who could find themselves loitering in the buyout market, such as Haywood Highsmith.
Morey has customarily kept a roster spot open before the start of each season, and he seems to have continued that trend. But aside from having the ability to sign a free agent outright with this roster spot, the 76ers have also opened up some possibilities for them in the trade market.
Players whom the 76ers should want to ship away, such as Paul George, come with steep salaries that would be difficult for teams to match in a direct swap. By having a roster opening, teams can aggregate contracts to make the money work and plot a viable trade framework.
Of course, that also applies to players who make less money, such as Kelly Oubre Jr. and Andre Drummond.
That makes this decision all the more important for the 76ers. At the very least, they will not be constrained to some options that will be tricky to pull off.