Like a handful of other NBA teams, the Philadelphia Sixers are waiting to learn if LeBron James will choose them in free agency. They currently have one available roster spot that would go to the 41-year-old, and even if he does choose Philly as his next destination, they should still prioritize adding frontcourt depth behind Joel Embiid.
Because the Sixers have one roster spot, they'd need to create space to add another player if LeBron were to come to town, and they could do so by waiving Dalen Terry, whose contract isn't fully guaranteed.
Whether things go according to Philadelphia's plan for James or not, the Sixers desperately need to get more Embiid insurance. They lost Andre Drummond to New York in free agency, but they retained Adem Bona and Dominick Barlow and signed former Knicks third-string center Ariel Hukporti.
Given that Embiid has averaged just 32 games per season over the past three years, Philadelphia could use more than Bona, Barlow, and Hukporti, even more so now that the Sixers are in a better position to contend for a title with Jaylen Brown.
Sixers need to add another big to the roster
At this point in the offseason, there aren't many options out there for Philadelphia to turn to. The most obvious choice is Nick Richards, who is still on the market as an unrestricted free agent. The 28-year-old spent the second half of last season with the Bulls, averaging 9.4 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 0.9 blocks in 22.4 minutes across 20 games.
Jonas Valančiūnas is now someone the Sixers could be considering after the Nuggets waived him on Wednesday to clear eight million in salary off their books. He averaged 8.7 points and 5.1 rebounds per game in 13.4 minutes across 65 contests as Nikola Jokić's backup last season. The 34-year-old isn't the player he once was, but he can still step in and contribute.
Valančiūnas may prefer to leave the NBA and return to Europe, as he's already committed to a EuroLeague team. Nothing is official yet, though, so there's still time for the Sixers to swoop in.
Philadelphia knows it needs to add another reinforcement, not just to prepare in case Embiid misses time, but because the team will need to manage his minutes throughout the regular season, trying to put him in the best possible position come playoff time. Depth will be key to doing that.
The Sixers have had a great offseason, and adding LeBron would be the cherry on top, but that hype can't keep Philly from making a far quieter, though still important, move.
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