The 76ers pulled off a couple of blockbuster additions this offseason with LeBron James and Jaylen Brown, but the job is not yet over for the front office. The team still has one roster spot available that they'll eventually have to fill. One player they should strongly consider is Maxi Kleber.
Kleber, who had just played with LeBron with the Lakers after getting dealt to Los Angeles as part of the infamous Luka Doncic trade, remains without a taker in free agency. That is probably not surprising, though, given that his play declined across the board last season. Still, there is some utility in his game that the 76ers could find useful, especially as a safety net in the frontcourt.
The 76ers could consider veteran big man Maxi Kleber for their final roster spot
The 76ers now have a few options on the roster, but Kleber is of a different ilk than all of them in that his primary niche is being a "three-and-D" player, which is not common for a player of his position.
Kleber's three-point shooting betrayed him last season, but he is a career 35.2 percent three-point shooter who has a track record of shooting even better in the playoffs (at 38.6 percent in the postseason).
Even better, the German is a reliable one-on-one defender who is more agile than he looks. While it has been a few years since then, Rick Carlisle once had him be the secondary defender on both Kawhi Leonard and Paul George when the Mavs faced the Clippers in the playoffs, and he did an admirable job helping to slow those All-Stars down.
Now, Kleber is already 34 years old and has had his fair share of troubles with staying healthy in recent seasons, but there is a lot to like about him as a candidate for the team's last roster spot. Of course, the 76ers do not have to commit to him hard given that he will have to prove himself in training camp on a non-guaranteed deal, but the front office would be hard-pressed to find better options at this juncture than Kleber.
The 76ers still have issues when it comes to three-point shooting, and even LeBron could only exacerbate that issue. Defense is also another department they could still be better at. Hence, someone like Maxi Kleber should be on their radar, even if his production in those areas have declined a bit.
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