The Philadelphia 76ers are focused on their stretch run right now as they aim to land a better positioning ahead of their return to the postseason, but that will not stop people from putting forth guessworks and speculation as to how they intend to approach the offseason. And given their muddled payroll as of the moment, there are bound to be some hard-hitting questions.
One of those is the status of Kelly Oubre Jr. The veteran forward has been a key part of the team for three years already, and that remains to be the case this season. He has become so valuable that fans have eventually cozied up to the idea of having him as a staple on the roster, although there are still those who want him gone due to his conceded weaknesses.
Well, those people might not even need to double down on their anti-Oubre agenda, so to speak. After all, given how his market could shake out, the 76ers might actually find themselves getting easily outbid right when free agency comes. Put simply, the team could easily lose him for nothing during the offseason.
The 76ers face an ugly Kelly Oubre Jr. dilemma in the offseason
Oubre is having arguably his best season in Philly in this campaign. Playing an auxiliary role in the starting unit, he is averaging 14 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.3 steals a night while shooting 46.3 percent from the field, which includes a career-best 36 percent conversion rate from three-point range.
Previously profiled as one-dimensional piece and a known ball-stopper, Oubre has settled into his role as a utility guy on both ends. He can still score when he needs to, but his defense has taken a significant leap since becoming a Sixer.
For those reasons, the 76ers are most likely not going to get another discounted deal from Oubre. Teams, especially those looking to become or remain competitive, will most certainly try to knock on his camp about a potential partnership.
Philly seems to be gearing for a major shake-up this summer judging by the cost-cutting moves they made as of late. Nevertheless, he is bound to get more costly to keep. And with this front office (or ownership group) looking intent on ducking the luxury tax, the prospect of losing the veteran for nothing is legitimate.
This is not a talking point as of the moment, but soon enough, the 76ers will realize that one of their most vital contributors is a true-and-blue flight risk.