76ers must make the necessary sacrifice after puzzling Kyle Lowry signing

Heading into the offseason, it was well known that the Philadelphia 76ers had limited flexibility. Fast forward to present and Philadelphia is scraping pennies to create enough wiggle room to re-sign Quentin Grimes without incurring the wrath of the first tax apron. It also needs another forward, but the addition of Kyle Lowry left only one roster spot available, which will be occupied by Grimes in all likelihood. Still, the 76ers have an ace up their sleeve – Ricky Council IV’s non-guaranteed contract.

The 76ers need to waive Council

Council is poised to make $2.2 million next season if Philadelphia keeps him by January 10th. For now, the 76ers can waive him to clear his salary off their books and open up another roster slot. If waived, Philadelphia would be $12.3 million below the apron. This may not seem significant, but as it stands, the 76ers will be a first apron team when Grimes is eventually retained. 

Let’s say Philadelphia signs Grimes to a contract that’ll pay him $18 million next season. It’d still be $6.2 million below the second tax apron if Council’s salary were waived. That separation will slightly decrease when Adem Bona’s contract is fully guaranteed in October and Johni Broome’s salary counts towards its payroll on July 31st. 

Also, it’s more of a pipedream at this point, but if the 76ers were able to shed Andre Drummond’s $5 million salary, they’d be at least $9 million below the second apron in this scenario. This would allow Philadelphia access to the $5.7 million taxpayer mid-level exception. Since the free agent market is underwhelming, the 76ers should save it for a rainy day. If Jabari Walker pans out, they could sign him to a long-term deal using the TP-MLE. Ironically, this is how Philadelphia inked Council to a multi-year contract in the 2023-24 season.

The 76ers still need another forward

Regardless, the 76ers would have the latitude to offer a veteran minimum contract to someone like Caleb Houstan, Trey Lyles, or Chris Boucher, without passing the second apron. Honestly, none of those options are exactly needle-moving, but Philadelphia isn’t in a place to be picky. Above all, the 76ers need another four that can space the floor and/or rebound. Yes, they have those things in Jabari Walker and Johni Broome. But, if neither can meaningfully contribute, Trendon Watford would be the only viable four on the roster.

This is exactly what made Philadelphia’s Kyle Lowry re-signing so head-scratching. With such front-court concerns, that roster slot would have been better utilized on another forward. Instead, Lowry and Eric Gordon are taking up $4.6 million of the 76ers’ payroll. It’s even more confusing when you factor in Grimes’ inevitable return, which prompts Jared McCain to take over as the reserve point guard. Philadelphia has done a solid job of adding more youth and athleticism, but the addition of Lowry puts it in an annoying position.