The Philadelphia 76ers have already seen it all to begin free agency. Not only have they been served with an ice-cold serving of bitter truth, but they have also seen a huge opportunity slip past them without even noticing it.
In one of the savvier signings early in free agency, the Lakers managed to ink free agent forward Jake LaRavia to a two-year, $12 million deal. LaRavia played for Sacramento last season and played well enough to become one of the more understated and cost-effective free agents in the open market.
However, no one knew he would be available for that cheap. Had that fact been of constructive notice, teams in need of dire shooting like the 76ers would have gone after LaRavia with much more aggression. Instead, he goes to a Lakers team that badly needed a player of his archetype.
The 76ers miss out on Jake LaRavia, who surprisingly did not cost much in free agency
LaRavia posted a strong season in the previous campaign, draining north of 42 percent of his three-point attempts and flashing glimpses of being a heady defender during his stints in both Memphis and Sacramento.
The 76ers badly needed a sizable wing/forward who can be an active threat from rainbow country, especially with the team bringing in VJ Edgecombe and Jared McCain expected to be back in the running. LaRavia checks both of those boxes, but the front office probably did not see this relatively meager price tag coming.
LaRavIa, at 6’8”, would have been the perfect player for the 76ers to target. Now, the 23-year-old stays in the Western Conference and project as a much-needed replacement for a Lakers team which had just lost Dorian Finney-Smith in free agency.
The Philadelphia 76ers need to snag a 3-and-D piece in free agency, and while there is still ample time for them to do exactly that, they definitely missed out on what would have been a savvy addition without breaking the bank in Jake LaRavia.