While the Philadelphia 76ers haven’t made any pact with a free agent yet, it should only be a matter of time until Woj or Shams breaks a deal involving the team. Almost no other team touts a wider amplitude of spending power this time around, and their many linkages with various names guarantee a breakout or two in the negotiation tables.
The 76ers, however, are not just looking to offload all of their own free agents. Some players had pretty significant contributions in the recently concluded season, and the front office has already revealed the names of those they want back for the next campaign. Conversely, though, here are five players who should be as good as gone this summer.
1. Buddy Hield had a lackluster audition piece for the 76ers
Despite an initially promising opening stretch in his first few weeks in Philly, Buddy Hield eventually regressed to the mean — and then some. As the season went on, the veteran sharpshooter went down in a slippery slope of his own doing, culminating in a pretty embarrassing postseason stint (his first one…ever) that could push him out of his novel club.
Put simply, Hield had a pretty lackluster audition piece for the 76ers. At gunpoint, he’s probably a goner this offseason, and it would disappoint, if not appal, fans if he somehow manages to extract a considerable deal to remain in the city. Mind you, despite his poor playoffs showing, Hield remains a hot commodity in this shooting-obssessed NBA milieu.
The number of high volume three-point shooters who are as good as Hield can be counted by one hand. By the same vein, however, he is pretty replaceable within the 76ers’ dynamic, and when you reckon his weaknesses against his strengths, it’s pretty apparent that the team would have to make concessions to accommodate his game. Is it worth it? Probably not.