The Philadelphia 76ers could have a mass exodus of their players next season with majority of their roster entering free agency, and the front office seems to be truly aware of the situation, even stating expressly that no one not named Joel Embiid or Tyrese Maxey will be a guarantee to return.
As for the specific case for each player to return, it appears that team president Daryl Morey has already commenced evaluating their impending free agents, and his latest remark certainly doesn’t bode well for the status of one of their main rotation pieces who will hit the market this offseason.
Daryl Morey drops unsettling truth on 76ers free agent Buddy Hield
During the team’s exit interview, Morey was asked about how the team will assess its stance regarding Buddy Hield, to which he replied:
"I think at no fault to Buddy, I think the fit was less good than I thought. Most of his time was without Joel, but I thought when Joel was back that his impact and his shooting that he’d get more open shots, and he didn’t. That’s on me that it didn’t work out as well as we hoped."
Hield, the 76ers’ prized trade deadline acquisition, came roaring out of the gates for Philly ini his first sew games, but he indeed slowed down as the regular season waned. Still, he posted respectable numbers of 12.2 points and three assists per outing with a remarkable 39 percent hitting rate on his high-volume three-point attempts.
However, his production drastically declined during their first-round series and and eventual ouster to the Knicks, to the point where he was simply unplayable. Save for a last-ditch explosion in Game 6, the sharpshooter turned in a grand sum of two points.
For that reason, it’s too difficult to make a compelling case for the 76ers to look into bringing Hield back. The veteran would still command significant attention anyway, so it would make more sense to let other teams throw considerable money to pluck him away from the market.
Of course, there’s still a chance that Philadelphia ultimately brings him back, perhaps at a below-market, prove-it deal, but unless something unforeseen happens and the 76ers miss out on all of their targets, Hield’s shot at another tenure with the franchise seems slim.