As we slowly creep into the official start of free agency more than a week from now, deals between teams and impending free agents should start getting to the final touches. The same goes for the Philadelphia 76ers which, while currently idle on the transaction table, have been pretty much just as noise-gathering as anyone so far.
Most 76ers-related entries in the rumor mill has alluded to them diving deep into their war chest to snag a third star in the market, but with a hundred of open roster spots to fill in, they cannot afford to sit pretty in the role players department. Sooner than later, the front office will have to come to terms with potential game-changers even if they don’t come off as A-listers.
76ers rumored to be interested in free agent forward Naji Marshall
Conjunctively, a fresh rumor has Philadelphia setting its sights on a free agent forward in the form of Naji Marshall, who spent the last four seasons with the Pelicans. The 76ers have been linked with New Orleans for other reasons not entirely different from this one, but it seems like the team will have to engage with the club from Crescent City more than once this offseason.
Marshall, a 6’7” tweener, currently finds himself stuck in a Pelicans team loaded with talented, high-upside wings. Put simply, with New Orleans slowly recalibrating when it comes to its roster construction, they may not be too amenable to signing another forward just to serve as a depth piece, especially with their core starting to become more expensive to sustain.
Luckily for Marshall, there should be a good-sized market for his services, and one of those teams reportedly cooming in on him is Philly which, conversely, has zero forwards on the roster. The 76ers have to make filling in the position a priority, and Marshall could definitely work as a 3-and-D option who can play off the bench or start when needed.
The Xavier alum profiles as a defensive-minded piece, but he’s more than just a stopper. He was a 38.7 percent three-point shooter in the recently concluded season, and perhaps, his biggest selling point is his intangibles and on-court hustle which had evidently rubbed off on the disruptive Pelicans.