Thanks to a notably disappointing season, the Philadelphia 76ers are relegated to spectator duty in the thick of the action-packed 2025 NBA Playoffs. Only eight teams remain in the tight race for the rights to hoist the Larry O’Brien trophy in June, and just like in previous years, the postseason has become wildly unpredictable.
Philly has its sights set on the upcoming offseason which, for them, will be kicked off by the draft lottery. The 76ers have a strong chance at snagging an elite prospect this year, but they are also incentivized to keep a close eye on the postseason action, as a handful of players from clubs still in the loop could pique their interest come summertime.
Having said that, the 76ers cannot afford to get too grandiose when it comes to choosing the names to put on their whiteboard. Given their financial constraints, they will be limited to the non-taxpayer mid-level exception, worth about $14.1 million, and the bi-annual exception, equating to roughly $5.1 million.
Still, their outlook remains far from certain as a handful of players have player options they could exercise. All in all, the 76ers could definitely hit the first apron, which could very well close the door on them re-signing key players like Guerschon Yabusele and Quentin Grimes.
The 76ers could break into the Ty Jerome bidding war as his value wanes
Someone the 76ers can probably realistically go after — given what has transpired as of late — is Cleveland’s Ty Jerome. The 27-year-old combo guard finished third in the Sixth Man of the Year voting this season, which reflects the massive impact he has made for the Cavaliers this season on their way to a first-place finish in the East.
However, things have been a different story for him in the playoffs. After averaging 12.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 3.4 assists in just a hair below 20 minutes per outing while shooting almost 52 percent from the field and 44 percent from three-point range, Jerome has posted similar numbers in more minutes, butto the tune of less sterling shooting splits, draining just 38.1 percent of his field goal attempts and 34.4 percent of his attempts from rainbow country.
There is also his defensive miscues to take into account. And with Cleveland having no realistic means of re-signing him given their increasingly expensive salary book, Jerome is bound to leave in free agency.
Having said that, if his decline continues, his price tag could actually become reasonable enough for the 76ers to treat him as a plausible target. If Grimes proves to be too costly for them to keep, Jerome could be a nice pivot thanks to his versatility in the backcourt. Even better, he will come at a less burdensome cost.
The Philadelphia 76ers have to be very opportunistic in free agency, and keeping a watchful eye on the playoffs could give them an idea on which players they could snag for cheap, just like Ty Jerome.