The Philadelphia 76ers have the Kelly Oubre Jr. free agency situation penciled in as one of their biggest priorities this offseason. After all, the veteran forward has become such a vital piece of the puzzle that the front office cannot possibly entertain any other possibility aside from keeping him in the fold, lest they rid themselves of a two-way impact player they badly need.
Unfortunately, despite an ideal partnership over the last three years, it is money that talks in free agency. As such, the 76ers could very well be forced to partake into a largesse out in the open market, especially with Oubre's price tag expected to increase this time around. To that effect, one team in particular that can make them sweat is the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Lakers are looking to re-tool this summer with the boatload of cap space they are projected to carry into the offseason. While most of their financial legroom is already earmarked for Austin Reaves' expensive new deal and their expected offer to keep LeBron James, LA has ample leeway to shape-shift their roster as they see fit in free agency.
The Lakers are going to be a pain for the 76ers in the Kelly Oubre bidding war
After putting up an impressive individual campaign this season on both ends, Oubre should command a lot of attention in free agency. And after handing the 76ers with couple of discounted deals in recent years, he is definitely due for a handsome pay raise –– and that alone will make it tough for Philly to keep him.
The 76ers do have the infrastructure to keep Oubre, although that will force them to go into the luxury tax zone and basically jettison some of their desired incumbent free agents. The bigger factor, however, is the fact that teams could outbid them for his services, and the Lakers are a prime example.
Los Angeles badly needs to surround Luka Doncic and Reaves with players who can show up on defense and score when needed. Those are essentially the traits that made Oubre such a good fit in Philly, and unfortunately, their act of unleashing him could very well end up going against them.
Having said that, the solution for the 76ers is a pretty straightforward one –– pay up. As long as the ownership group does not duck the tax and play league beggars, they should beable to retain the forward, who is likewise predisposed toward returning anyway. Otherwise, people can expect them to get preyed on by their richer counterparts.
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