The Philadelphia 76ers made a quiet move right after the free agency moratorium was lifted, quickly signing forward Justin Edwards to a new, three-year contract amounting to approximately $7 million. This allows the team to secure one of the more productive rookies from last season as they approach the 2025-26 campaign.
Edwards, who went undrafted last year, was a neat addition to Philly last season. Cudgeled into a prominent role in the rotation, he appeared in 44 outings, starting in 26 games, and turning in impressive numbers for a rookie with nightly averages of 10.1 points and 3.4 rebounds. He drained 45.5 percent from the field while also draining 36.3 percent of his three-point tries.
The 76ers front office clearly views Edwards as a key piece for the squad. The 21-year-old fills a position of need, and fulfills his role pretty well. Even better, the potential for growth for the Kentucky product cannot be ignored, and for that, the coaching staff must also invest in him by handing him an even more robust serving of court time next season.
But for them to be able to do that, Philadelphia’s brass must first get rid of this polarizing starter.
The 76ers should definitely try to trade Kelly Oubre to make more room for Justin Edwards
With Paul George having ample time to recover from injury and the 76ers bringing in Trendon Watford to shore up the forward positions, the team’s commitment to Edwards should spell the end of the Kelly Oubre experience in Philly.
Make no mistake — Oubre was a hell of a bargain for the 76ers over the last couple of seasons with his energy and improvement as a defender. However, his faults have similarly been highlighted during his stint with the franchise, failing to contribute to the team without also squandering areas of value.
The 10-year veteran is a negligible factor beyond the three-point line. Last season, he canned a measly 29.3 percent of his attempts from rainbow country. He is also far from a heady ball mover, and often finds himself stuck due to his tunnel vision when taking it to the rack.
An objective perusal of both the stats and the eye test all points to a resolute thing the 76ers must do — trade him. The athletic forward will be of better use for another team, and him being on an expiring contract makes him a lot easier to dangle away.
The Kelly Oubre Jr. saga in Philly has had its fair share of highlights and bursts of delight, but for the Philadelphia 76ers to build a more well-rounded dynamic around its core, trading him becomes a complete necessity. There is no other way around it.