The Philadelphia 76ers just got a king-sized serving of reality check almost right after free agency negotiations opened, and it is one they definitely should keep in mind for the rest of the offseason.
Fans were treated to a relatively long bout with awkward silence as soon as free agency kicked off at 6 PM ET, but things slowly started to flow more smoothly with the Grizzlies firing off a couple of moves to begin the evening. One of those moves was re-signing free agent big man Santi Aldama to a new three-year, $52.5 million deal.
While far from unprecedented, and Aldama was not necessarily a target on the part of the 76ers, the Spaniard’s price point was a relative unknown. He has been a very solid role player for Memphis for quite some time now, and it appears that their front office has put a premium on his services with this figure.
For the 76ers, however, this may be a sign of things to come — bleak ones.
The 76ers get a slap in the face as soon as free agency kicked off
Joel Embiid had always needed a stretch four who can defend in the frontcourt, and that has been pretty elusive for quite some time now. With Aldama getting that much, it is now extremely unlikely that the 76ers will be able to obtain that desired running mate for Embiid this summer.
Guerschon Yabusele, who seems to fit that mold, is also a long shot to remain in Philadelphia. The 76ers, believing they can easily convince him to sign to a new deal, will now have to deal with a rather robust market for the free agent, unless they somehow miss out on Quentin Grimes and preserve all the money to offer him a new deal.
Alas, there are not a lot of players of Aldama’s archetype whom the 76ers front office can really take a hard look at. You might convince some with the silhouette of Al Horford, but the veteran will probably not even consider reuniting with the franchise this offseason given how that previous partnership ended.
Really, given their financial constraints and the actual options in the open market, the Philadelphia 76ers will have to resort to other avenues to get Joel Embiid what he wants and what he needs. After all, free agency, usually the best route to that effect, has already foreclosed itself for the franchise this year.