The Philadelphia 76ers face a very tall task of flipping the franchise's fortunes next season through front office maneuvering this summer. From a 24-win team, the squad does possess the talent necessary to make a quick turnaround, yet with the growing competition just in the Eastern Conference, sheer talent can only get them so far.
Put simply, the 76ers have to ace the offseason to even have a fighting chance at regaining their usual footing in the realm of relevance. The tools are still there for them to make a legitimate run next year, yet the team also needs to make the roster as foolproof as possible lest they risk settling for the middle spot –– the least enviable space in the NBA.
Right now, all eyes are on how the ping-pong balls roll to their favor, yet the 76ers have just gotten a pretty important update which, unfortunately, will definitely complicate things for the front office this offseason, especially in free agency.
The 76ers get a grim update that could complicate them in free agency
According to Marc Stein (subscription required), the 76ers are slated to operate with even less financial leeway this year as Kelly Oubre Jr., Andre Drummond, and Eric Gordon are all expected to pick up their player options to return to Philly next season.
While the move comes as no surprise, at least with Drummond and Gordon, Oubre sticking with his current deal is a tad surprising. After all, he had already settled for consecutive discounts, and his production could surely make him command a heftier payday.
Anyway, that the 76ers will likely continue housing these contracts on their salary books will only make things harder for the front office in free agency. As of now, Philly only has its mid-level and bi-annual exceptions to utilize, and keeping pivotal free agenst like Quentin Grimes and Guerschon Yabusele will require them to make drastic financial gymnastics while also being willing to dig deep into their pockets and paying the luxury tax.
Problem is, for Drummond and Gordon, a trade could prove to be a touch reckoning. Both have little to no value at this juncture, and the 76ers could be forced to keep them on the roster.
Oubre will be a different story given that he shoshouldld be plenty attractive as an expiring contract while being a starting-caliber player. Thus, dealing him will provide some much-needed cap relief for the front office.
The Philadelphia 76ers will need to really stretch things this year, but the reality of the situation is that they will most likely have to make some major concessions just to keep things contained financially, especially after this latest development.