What needs to happen for Perfect 76ers Offseason

Questions.
That is the only thing this upcoming offseason brings for the Philadelphia 76ers. Uncertainty has prevailed throughout the last few years, but it has never been this difficult to address. Injuries, expiring deals, and trade rumors have swapped the front office and soiled title expectations only add more fuel to the fire.

To put it simply, this offseason will determine the outlook of the Sixers for years to come. Continuous failure is unacceptable and with time running around, Daryl Morey and the Sixers need to capitalize during this pivotal offseason.

The First Step: Trading Ben

While Morey has stated he wants to run it back with the current big three, Ben Simmons’s time in Philadelphia could be at its end. It is no secret that he is the biggest question. The top teams that would look to make the move for him are the Portland Trail Blazers, Minnesota Timberwolves, Indiana Pacers, and Chicago Bulls.

His value might at an all-time low but the Sixers need to make a push for the best deal possible. This could come from any of the teams above.
A likely deal that works for the benefit of both teams happens to be with the Pacers. The Pacers, much like the Sixers, have failed to live up to their expectations, and imminent change is needed. The combo of Simmons and Myles Turner should entice Indiana.

The Sixers should receive Malcolm Brogdon, TJ Warren, and a future draft pick in that trade (If you read my previous article, I suggested Caris Levert instead of Warren, but that might be asking too much). In that trade, George Hill would also be thrown in for salary cap purposes.

Brogdon’s playmaking matches the level of Simmons, so passing and creating shots is not a new worry. He also provides solid on-ball defense. It may not be at the level of Simmons, but it is enough to maintain the elite defense the Sixers have. What he offers over Simmons is his shooting. In one of the most elite ‘stat clubs,’ Brogdon has displayed he can hit 50-40-90 numbers. This exclusive list only includes 3 other players since 2011; Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, and Kyrie Irving.

Brogdon may not be as capable as a shot creator as those three, but he is one of the most perfect complements to Joel Embiid. He is a high-priority target.

The addition of Warren is excellent as well. Danny Green is an expiring deal, and he might leave the city of Brotherly Love. In that case, Warren fills the void of the veteran with great 3-and-D play, hitting around 40% from 3 in 19-20.
His only concern was that he played 4 games this season due to injury, but he has a full offseason to recover. He can score roughly anywhere between 12 to 17 points per game on the Sixers roster and can act as Green did, but just younger.

Expiring Deals

Along with Green, the Sixers also have Furkan Korkmaz, Dwight Howard, and Mike Scott entering free agency. The Sixers have full-bird rights on Korkmaz, early-bird rights on Scott and Green, and non-bird rights on Howard.

Ideally, the Sixers would keep Korkmaz, Howard, and Green, letting Scott walk in free agency. Scott was making $9 million to just sit on the bench during the playoffs. In the past, he has been a fan favorite, but now it’s time to move on.

Korkmaz is someone the Sixers need to retain. He shot roughly 5 threes a game and hit on 38% of them. Even in a league full of more shooters than ever, specialists like Korkmaz are hard to come around. His importance to the spacing of Philadelphia’s offense is a lot to just give up. With Korkmaz, hope for a team-friendly deal.

When it comes to Howard, he was a great veteran leader for the Sixers and the first capable backup to Embiid in his whole career. His fit with the team at times wasn’t best, especially when playing alongside Simmons, so it is still in the air if he returns. Nonetheless, if the Sixers can get him on a vet. minimum, they should do so.

Green is the trickiest of the four. Contributing to team success and mentoring the young is what Green did best, but it might be even more important to consider trade implications. Besides Hill, the Sixers do not have many players making money that can give trade flexibility, so resigning Green will allow that. Whether he stays with the team or not, Green is a must-have on the roster.

Super Max time for Embiid

This is the most important concern for the upcoming offseason.

Joel Embiid made an All-NBA team this season and is now eligible for the super max. In the NBA, the super max is a contract worth 35% of a team’s salary cap.

Embiid has 2 years left on his current contract and is eligible for the extension this offseason, but does not need to agree with it this year. If he waits until next season and makes an All-NBA team, he can get the same contract extension for 5 years.

Either way, it is better to get this sorted out sooner than later as it will determine a lot of salary decisions moving forward.

If does sign this year, here is the outlook for his yearly salary.

Current contract:

2021-22: $31.6 million

2022-23: $33.6 million

Super max extension

2023-24: $42.5 million

2024-25: $46.0 million

2025-26: $49.4 million

2026-27: $52.8 million

Crazy, right?

Draft Targets

This draft class has a lot of guards with shooting ability. Even at the 28th pick, talent that can translate is available. Players like Tre Murphy and Tre Mann will likely be available, but the Sixers could trade up to a spot earlier in the 20s and take Jaden Springer from Tennessee.

Springer fits the modern prototypical guard; he excels at on-ball defense and playing offense at all three levels. More than that, Springer just has a natural feel for the game. His tenacity and presence are felt on the court, being a true leader and performer. Watching him don red and white would be amazing.

Specialties include floaters, spot-up threes, help defense, perimeter defense, and stealing the ball.

Free Agents to Target

Depending on cap space, the Sixers could have a plethora of talent or veteran leaders to choose from.

Torrey Craig and Jeff Green fit the latter. Craig is would be a great rotational player for the Sixers. He is currently on the Suns and has been a defensive stopper as a wing for the team throughout the playoffs. Currently, he is playing on a minimum contract, so whether he would seek more is unknown, but the Sixers should make a decent push for him. Defensive depth is something the Sixers lacked throughout the playoffs, with only Matisse Thybulle being able to guard anyone one-on-one. Craig provides great help defense and will not hinder the development of the offensive game in players like Tyrese Maxey.

Conversely, bench scoring was also terrible in the playoffs; there might be no better veteran free agent than Jeff Green to fix this issue. In the regular season, Green averaged a respectable 11 points, but he shone best in the playoffs where he shot 55% from three. His scoring is something the team needs.

Gary Trent and Jared Vanderbilt are my two other favorite free agents. The problem with them is that they are both restricted, but both are also on teams interested in Simmons. In the event of a sign-and-trade, either one would be an amazing piece to bring off the bench and eventually start.
Trent is a young shooting guard who averaged 15 a game last season and is very efficient at scoring. Although he takes virtually only long-range shots, his ability to close out and attack can thrive in an environment like the Sixers.

Vanderbilt is a forward who can play both in the low post and wing. Think of him like a Matisse Thybulle but with basic scoring ability. Steals and blocks are his game, and he can crash the offensive glass too. He had limited playing time but showed bright flashes every moment he could.
Other top candidates could be Nicholas Batum and Devonte Graham.

All in all, the Sixers have a chance, albeit a small chance, to have a perfect offseason where their roster could look as follows:

Brogdon, Curry, Warren, Harris, Embiid
Maxey, Trent, Green, Vanderbilt, Howard, Springer, Korkmaz, Craig

The team has way more offensive firepower and the bench can score points.

The time to win is now. Big moves are coming. Let’s hope for the best this offseason