After signing Reggie Jackson, the Philadelphia now have 13 players on their standard roster, leaving room for a couple more. Meanwhile, all three of their available two-way spots have been taken. Teams can carry as much as 20 in training camp, giving them some more legroom to make use of in the coming weeks.
While the roster is still not spotless, the 76ers seem ready for October with their current deck. Having said that, a team as vulnerable like them on the injury department would be best-served reinforcing at every position. Thankfully, the team should now be a hotspot for ring-chasing veterans who can also double as viable rotation cogs. Here are five whom the front office can still sign in free agency.
5. Jae Crowder would strengthen a thin 76ers forward rotation
The 76ers’ recent additions have somehow eluded the team’s most pressing need — forward depth. Beyond Paul George, the team only has two undersized wings masquerading as full-time forwards in Kelly Oubre Jr. and Calbe Martin. While both are capable, it leaves Philly just one George injury away from being completely depleted in that role.
There are still a slew of viable targets in the open market, but one they should zoom in on is veteran tweener Jae Crowder, who spent last season as a rotation player in Milwaukee. The club needs players who thrive doing the less glamorous things on the court with their battalion of scorers, and the 34-year-old is certainly an intangibles guy.
Crowder’s billing as a fringe All-Defensive Team caliber defender has been over for quite some time now, but he’s still a net positive as a stopper, especially within team concepts. He’s still used to long on-court stretches, and shot threes at a league-average clip last season.