The season may not be over just yet, but a lot of eyes are already set on the Philadelphia 76ers, a franchise well-positioned to have the most eventful offseason in the NBA. No other team with title aspirations has more financial legroom than them, and the fact that they have been linked to the big names is a testament to their spending power.
Having said that, the rumor mill tends to show a blatant disregard of the realities of the market, making some linkages unrealistic, even for the 76ers. Thus, let’s take a hard look at the different free agent options the team has ranging from realistic to mere pipe dreams.
Realistic 76ers target: DeMar DeRozan
DeMar DeRozan will enter free agency as one of the least predictable stars in the market. While a return to Chicago is pretty much in play given how the Bulls have effectively handcuffed themselves into a middling position, it makes little sense for the six-time All-Star to spend the remaining years of his prime on a team destined to be on the NBA’s purgatory.
Since DeRozan is unlikely to command anywhere near a max contract in free agency, he could actually be a tenable high-end target for the 76ers. While certainly not the best available talent out there, he’s still an All-Star caliber wing with a pretty versatile skill set who can fulfill various roles, save for the three-point shooter hat.
Still one of the most efficient, high-volume scorers in the NBA, the 34-year-old DeRozan would be a tremendous upgrade over Tobias Harris and an even more talented connector than Nicolas Batum. While his lack of a consistent three-point shot is admittedly a turn-off, he’s still a desirable offensive piece thanks to his masterful rim-running, opportunistic one-on-one scoring, and much improved playmaking skills.
A reach target for the 76ers: OG Anunoby
At surface level, OG Anunoby is everything the 76ers need: an outstanding defender who can play and guard multiple positions while functioning as a viable tertiary option. Players who can fit into any roster like Anunoby don’t come often, even in this era of the NBA where positional designations have become blurry be design.
That being said, it would take a lot of stars aligning the 76ers way for them to be able to snag him from the market and from the smothering clasps of New York. Anunoby will definitely decline his player option to enter the open market, but the Knicks, despite rumblings to the contrary, are guaranteed to do everything in their power to ensure he remains in the Big Apple.
Philadelphia may be deemed the second-in-line after New York, but the odds of Anunoby staying with the Knicks are much higher than him testing the waters with the 76ers. Again, it’s not impossible though, and one cannot blame Philly should they go all-out on the Anunoby sweepstakes give his perfect fit with the team.
Dream 76ers target: Paul George
At this point, the Paul George to 76ers talks are as repetitive as a nursery rhyme. It’s become a weekly newsstand thing, and while we definitely aren’t trying to evade the wrecking ball of blame, it’s simply untoward not to shed light on how real the linkage is between both camps. There must a strong factual basis in account of its frequency.
Philadelphia is the lone win-now team that can offer George a max contract outright, save for the Clippers, his current team. What makes George a pipe dream target, however, is the fact that LA is apparently hellbent on exhausting all possible options to ensure that he stays in Hollywood as he slowly starts slipping away from his prime.
Following Kawhi Leonard’s lucrative extension, the Clippers have virtually no other choice than to continue climbing their way into an improbable championship with George and James Harden also coming along for the ride. Unfortunately, that means the 76ers only have a very slim chance to form what could be the most formidable threesome in the East with Embiid, Maxey, and George.