The Philadelphia 76ers front office just caught everyone sleeping with their latest maneuver. Unfortunately, we’re referring to their own fanbase, which has just been defrauded in a dumbfounding fashion.
Despite resounding calls to the contrary, Daryl Morey and his crew found a way to sneak in a player who has almost nothing to contribute to the team any longer. ESPN’s Shams Charania has reported that the 76ers have re-signed Kyle Lowry to a one-year deal, bringing him back for a third season with the franchise.
Lowry, who is entering season, is already 39 years old and has given all indications that he can no longer be of actual use on the hardwood due to age-related decline. Last season, he only appeared in 35 contests, registering meager averages of 3.9 points and 2.7 assists per outing while shooting 35 percent from the field and 33 percent from downtown. Certainly, those are numbers not worthy of getting any player rewarded with another stint, right?
Well, Philly’s brass remains unfazed and unmoved, and in doing so, they just betrayed their own fans.
76ers fans get blindsided as Daryl Morey makes his worst free agency mistake yet
Remember when Morey when on record during his the team’s exit presser that the front office would prioritize and emphasize getting younger legs this offseason? Well, what then should we make of the team’s decision to sign Lowry to another deal?
After re-signing Eric Gordon, adding Lowry to the fold only makes things worse. First, Philadelphia had no more room for another mouth to feed in the backcourt. Sure, Lowry could simply function as a locker room leader, but the head coach is Nick Nurse. There is still a snippet of opportunity for him to sniff the court. Second, really, what can he provide that other alternatives like Jared Butler couldn’t? It’s too perplexing to make sense.
With the team touting too many players who are injury-prone, rounding out the roster with functional depth pieces is of tantamount importance. But banking on players like a 39-year-old Kyle Lowry to man that role is highly counterintuitive, if not utterly foolish.
The Philadelphia 76ers have not been able to tick off their biggest priority in free agency yet; thus, they must be adjudged by what they have done so far. And in all seriousness, this signing only makes their offseason slate look a lot worse than it should be, especially given the deception the fanbase has sustained from Daryl Morey and his crew.