One thing the Philadelphia 76ers would be wise to do is to keep an eye on the big man market as the offseason and the first quarter of the regular season play out. Honestly, the big man market is rough right now.
Don't rule out a future trade for the Sixers, depending on just how bad it looks behind Joel Embiid. Ideally, though, the Sixers would see at least just enough out of Adem Bona or Ariel Hukporti to have them simply searching the buyout market, rather than making emergency trades.
In that case, the Sixers could soon see one name they should avoid: Taj Gibson.
Don't go down an old path
In a Friday morning news dump from HoopsHype's Michael Scotto, it was reported that since Taj Gibson's $3.82 million salary for the upcoming season is non-guaranteed, he is viewed as a potential candidate to be waived. Gibson signed a two-year deal with the Memphis Grizzlies back in February. The salary becomes guaranteed on January 10, 2027.
The 41-year-old frontcourt player has been in the NBA since 2009. He spent many seasons with the Chicago Bulls before stints with the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Minnesota Timberwolves. Gibson also had a four-year run with the New York Knicks, which was split up between two stints. He had runs with the Washington Wizards, Detroit Pistons, and the Charlotte Hornets before making it to the Grizzlies.
With the Grizzlies, Gibson played in 10 games, averaging 9.7 minutes per game. He produced averages of 3.4 points and 2.7 rebounds per game off the bench.
When I think of Gibson and a contending Sixers team, I can't help but believe that a Daryl Morey-led front office would be ready to pounce on a guy like Gibson deep into the year. He has 71 games of playoff experience, spanning across nine seasons. Gibson is a solid locker room presence, but the Sixers have enough of that.
We haven't seen Mike Gansey and Jameer Nelson's philosophy in the true buyout market just yet. They recently picked up Kentavious Caldwell-Pope after he struck a buyout with the Memphis Grizzlies, and he is on a much different timeline compared to a guy like Gibson. Nobody should be ruled out at the moment, but it would be in the Sixers' best interest to steer clear of a guy like Gibson at this stage.
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