2024 NBA Free Agency: Sixers have ‘had discussions’ with Caleb Martin nba,free,agency,sixers,have,had,discussions,with,caleb,martin,liberty,ballers,front-page,nba-free-agency,76ers-free-agency-rumors-news


The Sixers didn’t wait long to make a major splash in NBA free agency by landing Paul George, and have only added to that with more solid moves like adding Andre Drummond and Eric Gordon.

Next, the Sixers are looking to further bolster their forward depth. As Barry Jackson and Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald have now reported, the Sixers have had discussions with Heat free agent Caleb Martin:

The 76ers have also had discussions with Heat free agent Caleb Martin as they scan the free-agent market for options to fill their roster, according to a league source. …

The most the Heat can currently offer Haywood [Highsmith] or Martin while remaining under the ultra-punitive second apron is a contract with a starting salary of about $7 million with a maximum of 8 percent raises each season.

If the Sixers waive Paul Reed, they can still create about $9.2 million in cap space, which should give them enough spending power to sign someone like Martin. With the Heat also interested in finding a way to sign DeMar DeRozan using their remaining cap space, the Sixers could well be set up to outbid them for Martin.

Martin is one of the best forwards left on the free agent market. He certainly makes plenty of sense to help fill out the Sixers’ roster and give them even more versatile, wing-heavy lineup options. He’s a solid perimeter defender who can switch across several positions, a pretty confident three-point shooter (even if he isn’t the most efficient at 35.3 percent over the last two seasons, following a 41.3 percent mark back in 2021-22), a decent rebounder for his size, and he’s capable of attacking closeouts and making extra connective passes.

He’s also shown up many times on the playoff stage for Miami, especially in last year’s Eastern Conference Finals.

While the 6-foot-5 Martin doesn’t bring a lot of size or viability to play much at the 4, which is a spot the Sixers still need more help at, the team is also interested in another free agent forward from the Heat: former Sixer Haywood Highsmith.

With good length and the ability to cover forwards and some guards, plus 39.6 percent three-point shooting last season, Highsmith has found his way in the NBA as a 3-and-D role player since leaving Philly. He just had what was easily the best year of his career, playing a notable role for the Heat in 20.7 minutes per game. Partner his key traits with his size at 6-foot-7 and experience playing the 4 in Miami, and he’d be a helpful addition in Philly. It looks like Highsmith could wind up being a bit too expensive for the Heat to keep, too.

Both players make sense as targets for the Sixers right now. Maybe they can even find a way to steal both! We should hear more soon enough.

2024 NBA free agency: Sixers reportedly ‘in discussion’ with free agent forward Haywood Highsmith nba,free,agency,sixers,reportedly,in,discussion,with,free,agent,forward,haywood,highsmith,liberty,ballers,front-page,nba-free-agency,76ers-free-agency-rumors-news


Free agency rumors are beginning to heat back up! This latest report comes from Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer, who reports that Miami Heat free agent forward Haywood Highsmith is on the Sixers’ radar:

“The Sixers have interest in trading for Brooklyn Nets power forward Dorian Finny-Smith. They’ve also been in discussions with Miami Heat free agent and former Sixer Haywood Highsmith as a free-agent option. Houston Rockets free agent Reggie Bullock could be another option, but maybe for minimum salary.”

Pompey starts off by confirming the Sixers’ interest in Nets Forward Dorian Finny-Smith (first reported by Mike Scotto of HoopsHype). Kelly Iko of the Athletic first reported on Sixers’ interest in Reggie Bullock, but Haywood Highsmith is a new name on the radar.

OG Sixer (and Delaware Blue Coat) fans will remember Highsmith, who had a fascinating journey to get to this point. The Balitmore, Maryland product spent four years playing Division 2 basketball at Wheeling University, later declaring for the NBA Draft, going undrafted and being picked up by the Delaware Blue Coats.

Highsmith eventually played his way into a two-way contract with the Sixers during the 2018-19 season. He was later cut. After spending some more time in the G League, he earned his way onto the Miami Heat roster after several 10-day contracts where he’s been since.

Since his time with the Sixers, Highsmith has developed into a quality 3-and-D player, and has become a regular rotation player for the Heat. This past season, Highsmith averaged career-highs in games played, games started, minutes, field goal percentage, three-point percentage (39.6 percent on 2.9 attempts), assists, steals, blocks and points.

Highsmith’s stats probably don’t scream ‘SIGN HIM’ to most fans, but his advanced analytics do suggest he’s a better player than basic stats can tell. For example:

Highsmith is probably best as a rotation player than a full-time starting four, but on the right contract he makes a lot of sense for what the Sixers need. Speaking of contract, Pompey floated some numbers:

“Highsmith had career earnings of $4.2 million over his three NBA seasons. However, he could demand anywhere from $6 million to $8 million based on his improved play and impact as a role player. The Sixers are scouring for other options, but the 27-year-old Baltimore native could be a fallback option if the Sixers waive Reed.”

This range seems on par for what similar players have fetched in the open market. Numerous reports suggest the Heat are prioritizing re-signing Caleb Martin, which means Highsmith might get priced out as they look to save salary elsewhere.

The Sixers need some defensive-minded forwards around their big three of Tyrese Maxey, Paul George and Joel Embiid. We’ll see if the there’s a path towards the Sixers and Haywood Highsmith reuniting.

Sixers release 2024 Summer League roster featuring Jared McCain, Tony Bradley sixers,release,summer,league,roster,featuring,jared,mccain,tony,bradley,liberty,ballers,front-page,76ers-roster


The Philadelphia 76ers have released their roster for the 2024 Summer League, which will feature games in Salt Lake City, Utah along with Las Vegas.

As expected, the roster will feature their first- and second-round draft picks, Jared McCain and Adem Bona. Joining them will be the team’s current two-way players Justin Edwards and David Jones. Jeff Dowtin Jr., who recently had his team option declined, will join them for the Utah portion of Summer League. Ricky Council IV, now in his second year, will also suit up alongside them.

This roster also features some familiar names, including Tony Bradley who played (well) on the 2020-21 Sixers. Both Romeo Langford and RJ Hampton are former first-round draft picks and intriguing additions.

There’s plenty of intrigue to be found outside of the bigger names as well. Judah Mintz, a 20-year old guard out of Syracuse, went undrafted in the 2024 draft which came as a surprise to some. He plays as a bigger guard and has serious playmaking skill for his 6-foot-4 frame. If he shows out, he could make a serious case for their last two-way contract spot.

Keve Aluma is a Virginia Tech (2020-22) product who has played professional basketball overseas for the past few seasons. Darius Days out of LSU is another rangy forward who had a short two-way stint with the Houston Rockets in 2022-23.

Max Fiedler was one of several undrafted guys the Sixers came away with out of the 2024 NBA draft; signing an Exhbit-10 deal which means he’ll likely remain around the Sixers and Delaware Blue Coats post-Summer League. A fun fact about Fieder: He’s the all-time leader in rebounds (1,144), assists (571), field goal percentage (.658) and games played (148) and games started (135) for his alma mater, Rice University. He’ll likely backup Bona, alongside Tony Bradley as a reserve big.

Rounding out the roster is Justin Powell, who most recently played in the G League with the Cleveland Charge. Powell is a well-built shooting guard with an excellent perimeter shot and all-around game. Jaylen Sims shined during his time with the Greensboro Swarm as a rangy 6-foot-6 guard capable of providing a little bit of everything. Last but not least is Jordan Tucker, a 6-foot-7 wing who has spent time in the G League and playing overseas for the past few seasons.

Overall, I think the Sixers have fielded a diverse Summer League roster with legitimate talent. We’ll see if Jared McCain and company have enough to dethrone the Summer League super team the Utah Jazz have thrown together. See the Summer Sixers in action starting Monday, July 8, against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Report: Warriors in ‘serious talks’ to acquire Sixers’ Buddy Hield via sign-and-trade report,warriors,in,serious,talks,to,acquire,sixers,buddy,hield,via,sign,and,trade,liberty,ballers,front-page


The Sixers are still basking in the afterglow of having signed Paul George. But doing so — offering the 34 year-old small forward out of Fresno, a $212M four-year contract, has left them in a bit of a cap crunch. They were able to lock up Tyrese Maxey on a $204M deal of his own, one that the first-time All-Star deserved.

But the reason the team was able to sign PG in the first place was because they didn’t take on any long-term salary either last offseason, or around the 2024 NBA Trade Deadline.

Our Paul Hudrick wrote about the guts it took Daryl Morey to thread the needle there, doing what it took to help the team last season, without costing themselves the chance to pursue bigger fish last week.

One “needle-thread” move they did make, however, was when they acquired former Kings, and Pacers guard, Buddy Hield last February. Hield had his moments in a Sixers’ uni, but once Joel Embiid went down with a torn meniscus, he didn’t really deliver what coach Nick Nurse was hoping for.

And now it appears as if the Bahama Mamba may be departing for the Golden State Warriors.

Per Shams Charania, of The Athletic and FanDuelTV:

We’ve yet to get more details, but you can be sure that Philadelphia would love to recoup any type of asset, even if it were merely a future second-round pick or a trade exception.

We won’t expect miracles here but anything like that would be better than letting Hield, acquired for a couple of second-round picks, (while also parting ways with Marcus Morris, Sr. and Furkan Korkmaz in a three team trade that also included the San Antonio Spurs) walk for nothing return.

The Golden State Warriors recently bid fairwell to future Hall of Famer, Klay Thompson, a four-time champion with The Dubs, so apparently their newish front office wanted to bolster the shooters that Steph Curry can work with.

Earlier on Tuesday, current Warrior, Draymond Green shared his thoughts on the Warriors push to land Paul George that fell apart when the Clippers didn’t want to play ball with a Conference rival. That was just one of the things Daryl Morey and the Sixers needed to go their way.

Philly still has a few first-rounders and some cap space to work with. There was recently a report from Hoops Hype’s Michael Scotto that Philadelphia could be interested in acquiring Brooklyn Nets’ wing Dorian Finney-Smith, or potentially Warriors’ Lester Quinones.

So we’ll see if LQ might not be exchanged for Hield. The Sixers have already had sad goodbyes with De’Anthony Melton (a Warrior) and Nico Batum (a Clipper once again). Now it sounds as if Buddy could be bound for the Warriors, joining Melton.

Liberty Ballers free agency livestream at 4 p.m. liberty,ballers,free,agency,livestream,at,p,m,liberty,ballers,front-page,76ers-free-agency-rumors-news


Hello, Liberty Ballers community!

We’ll be hosting a livestream on Playback starting at 4 p.m. Drew Peltzman and I (Paul Hudrick) will break down the signings of Paul George, Andre Drummond, Eric Gordon and so much more. Please feel free to hop in the chat with any questions you might have. Would love to hear from all of you!

Check out the stream below starting at 4 p.m.!

Yes, he got paid, but Paul George chose Philadelphia and the Sixers in NBA free agency yes,he,got,paid,but,paul,george,chose,philadelphia,and,the,sixers,in,nba,free,agency,liberty,ballers,front-page,nba-free-agency,76ers-features-profiles


Philadelphia isn’t a place free agents want to come.

Outside of the Eagles, that saying has often rang true. After the Phillies’ golden era ended, the local nine struggled to field a competitive roster. Then, something amazing happened.

With plenty of options and interest from around Major League Baseball, Bryce Harper, the baseball equivalent of LeBron James who was just entering his prime, chose Philadelphia. While it took a couple years and a slew of other changes, Harper has helped make the Phillies a perennial contender and reinvigorated the city’s love of its local ball club.

No pressure, Paul George.

While nobody will expect George to have a Harper-like impact, the nine-time All-Star choosing to join the Sixers is a franchise-altering moment. And none of it would’ve been possible without Daryl Morey having the guts to deploy a bold plan.

This was all set in motion a year ago when James Harden surprisingly opted into his $47.3 million player option and promptly demanded a trade. You might recall things got a bit ugly, with the former MVP calling Morey — who has a commissioned painting of The Beard in his home — a liar. The saga would persist for months until finally the Sixers and Clippers, the only team Harden wanted to go to, came to an agreement.

In that deal, Morey acquired serious draft capital and four players, all on expiring contracts. While Nicolas Batum, Marcus Morris, Sr., KJ Martin and Robert Covington all helped to varying degrees, it was clear that Morey acquired them mostly for the flexibility their pending free agency’s provided. Including P.J. Tucker’s outgoing contract in the trade also proved to be a huge win.

The Sixers rode out the 2023-24 season, banking on Joel Embiid to improve upon his MVP season, Tyrese Maxey to continue his ascension and new head coach Nick Nurse to make his mark. Well, those things did happen early on with the Sixers getting off to a terrific start to the season. Embiid’s meniscus tear put a huge damper on things, but a strong playoff showing against a tough Knicks team provided hope — along with the unfathomable flexibility Morey gave himself this offseason.

Think about the gumption it takes to go into an offseason having just one player on a guaranteed contract. That just doesn’t happen. After the Sixers were eliminated by New York in Game 6, that was the case.

Embiid was the only player on a guaranteed deal for 2024-25. We all knew Maxey was going to get his max extension (he did), but Paul Reed’s contract was no longer guaranteed since the team failed to make the second round (joke’s on you, Danny Ainge). Ricky Council IV (who remains on the roster) and Jeff Dowtin, Jr. (who does not) were also on non-guaranteed contracts.

So, the slate was as clean as it had been since Morey inherited a roster with the ill-fitting Al Horford and Josh Richardson and the volatile Ben Simmons. The Sixers president of basketball operations was ready to build the team he wanted around his two stars in Embiid and Maxey.

But boy, did an awful lot have to go right.

Morey made it clear at his end-of-season presser that he was going star-hunting. Armed with loads of cap space and draft assets, he had the proper ammo, but who would be available? LeBron James? Donovan Mitchell? Jimmy Butler? As free agency crept up, the options seemed to fall off the board — except George.

The Clippers and George could’ve agreed to a four-year max extension at any point. They did not. LA was reportedly hellbent on not giving a fourth year. George was hellbent on getting one. Therein lay the opportunity for Morey to swoop in. After a roller coaster few weeks where it seemed like the Clippers were trying to call his bluff, George knew he had options.

He could’ve opted in, perhaps forcing a trade to the Warriors — though, as we saw in the case of Harden, that process isn’t always so smooth. He could’ve taken the three-year deal to stay home in Palmdale, taking another run at a title with Kawhi Leonard in the Clippers’ brand-new toilet-rich arena. He could’ve joined an up-and-coming Magic team loaded with young talent.

But on Sunday night/Monday morning, he chose Philadelphia. It’s not hyperbolic to say landing George makes this one of the greatest offseasons in franchise history.

Think about it: the last “big name” free agent to choose the Sixers was current GM Elton Brand — on what was then called the “Philly Max” — way back in 2008, the last time the Phillies won the World Series. Funny enough, the Clippers were also the team Brand left to join the Sixers. Before that, you’d have to go back to 1982, when reigning MVP Moses Malone signed an offer sheet with Philly, forcing the Rockets to match and complete a sign-and-trade.

One of those situations worked out slightly better than the other.

But in this moment, Sixers fans should enjoy it. An executive who’d become maligned in the Delaware Valley took a ballsy path and it worked. A nine-time All-Star, six-time All-NBA performer and four-time All-Defensive Team pick decided the Sixers were his best option. Is George perfect? Of course not. Because no player is. But he is damn good.

As has been chronicled, a contingent of managing partner Josh Harris, Morey, Brand and executive vice president of basketball operations Pete Dinwiddie, who has a relationship with George from when the two were with the Pacers, made the trip to visit George’s L.A. home. Joining them was franchise icon Julius Erving, who brought home the organization’s last championship with Malone back in 1983.

It was not Dr. J but another franchise icon who George was paying homage to that night as he planned to tell the team of his intentions. George was wearing an Allen Iverson t-shirt. Iverson of course was the biggest of cogs on the last Sixers team to get to the NBA Finals in 2001.

Wearing a t-shirt with The Answer on it to give the Sixers his answer. That’s some next-level pandering. Bryce Harper would be proud.

Updated Sixers 2024-25 roster as NBA free agency continues updated,sixers,roster,as,nba,free,agency,continues,liberty,ballers,front-page,nba-free-agency,76ers-free-agency-rumors-news


With the NBA Draft having come and gone as well as free agency now underway, it might be hard to keep up with who is actually on the Philadelphia 76ers roster right now. Not to worry, we have you covered.

Stay up to date with the Sixers roster with this post that we will be updating as things continue to develop and change!

Current Sixers’ standard roster (8 of 15 filled)

Joel Embiid, C

Andre Drummond, C

Paul Reed, PF/C*

Paul George, SF

Kelly Oubre Jr., SF

Ricky Council IV, SF**

Tyrese Maxey, PG

Eric Gordon, SG

Current Sixers’ two-way contracts (2 of 3 filled)

David Jones, SF (undrafted free agent, Memphis)

Justin Edwards, SF (undrafted free agent, Kentucky)

Current unsigned draft picks (2)

Jared McCain, SG (2024 NBA Draft, first round pick)***

Adem Bona, C (2024 NBA Draft, second round pick)****

Current Sixers’ free agents

(Only includes those not yet reportedly signing elsewhere)

Robert Covington, F (UFA)

Buddy Hield, G (UFA)

Kyle Lowry, G (UFA)

KJ Martin, F (UFA)

Cameron Payne, G (UFA)

*Reed’s $7.7 million deal is not guaranteed for 2024-25

**Council’s $1.9 million deal is not guaranteed for 2024-25

***McCain is likely to be given a standard NBA contract for $4.0 for 2024-25

****Bona is likely to be given the final two-way spot, but could also be signed using the second-round exception

2024 NBA free agency: How the Sixers should exploit KJ Martin’s cheap cap hold after landing Paul George nba,free,agency,how,the,sixers,should,exploit,kj,martin,s,cheap,cap,hold,after,landing,paul,george,liberty,ballers,front-page,76ers-analysis,76ers-free-agency-rumors-news


The Sixers made their big free-agent splash overnight Monday, agreeing with Paul George on a four-year, $211.6 million maximum contract. They’ve also agreed to re-sign Kelly Oubre Jr. (two years, $16.3 million), Andre Drummond (two years, “$10-plus million”) and Eric Gordon (one year, $3.3 million veteran minimum), which means they’ve already burned through most of their spending power this offseason.

From here, the Sixers must get creative to round out their roster. KJ Martin might be their best lottery ticket in that regard.

Martin is an unrestricted free agent, but he has a tiny $2.1 million cap hold, and the Sixers have his full Bird rights. They’d slightly cut into their cap space if they kept him on their books instead of an incomplete roster charge ($1.15 million), but having Bird rights on him allows them to re-sign him to anything up to his max salary.

The Sixers could take advantage of that cheap cap hold to both their own benefit and Martin’s. They could keep it on their books, spend the rest of their cap space and then overpay him on a two-year contract with a non-guaranteed second season. They could later look to flip him as salary filler in a midseason trade.

The Indiana Pacers gave Bruce Brown a two-year, $45 million contract last offseason, only to ship him to the Toronto Raptors six months later in the package for Pascal Siakam. The Sixers were reportedly open to emulating that strategy with Klay Thompson and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope this offseason if they struck out on George, according to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports.

Martin could enable them to do a miniature version of it.

If the Sixers had a specific midseason target in mind, they could do an exact dollar-for-dollar match on Martin’s new contract. That would enable both the Sixers and the other team to trade those contracts in a straight one-for-one deal and not trigger a hard cap. If they were instead just looking to add a tradable contract to their books, they could use the dollar amount of the taxpayer mid-level exception ($5.168 million), room MLE ($7.983 million) or non-taxpayer MLE ($12.822 million) as options.

The Sixers could try to sign-and-trade Martin if they’re looking to fill that void more quickly, although as cap specialist Yossi Gozlan noted, Base Year Compensation rules would complicate that. Only 50 percent of Martin’s new contract would count as outgoing salary, which would make it more difficult for the Sixers or whichever team trades for him to avoid triggering a hard cap at the first apron. They’d be better off signing Martin to a balloon deal and preserving his contract for a midseason trade.

The only downside to this strategy is if the Sixers plan to hard-cap themselves at either apron with another move. They won’t be adding unnecessary salary to their books in that case. Otherwise, there’s no reason not to do this. They’re going to be over the luxury-tax threshold when they fill out their roster either way, so they might as well go deeper into it to increase their midseason flexibility.

Without Martin factored in, the Sixers can still create roughly $9.2 million in remaining cap space even if they keep Ricky Council IV ($1.9 million) but waive Paul Reed’s $7.7 million non-guaranteed contract. If they keep Martin’s cap hold as well, they could still have around $8.3 million in cap space. Based on the prices for Derrick Jones Jr. (three years, $30 million), Naji Marshall (three years, $27 million) Goga Bitadze (three years, $25 million) and Gary Harris (two years, $14 million), that should be able to net them at least one more solid player.

Once the Sixers used the rest of their cap space, they’d use a minimum exception to sign Gordon, officially sign Tyrese Maxey to his five-year, $203.9 million extension (without a player option!) and presumably use the $8.0 million room mid-level exception to sign Oubre. That means George and Drummond are the only two who are going into the Sixers’ cap space.

The Sixers could also take advantage of expanded salary-matching rules and look to flip Reed’s contract for a more expensive salary—they can take back up to $7.5 million more than they send out as long as they stay below the first apron. Staying below the first apron might be a challenge once they finalize Maxey’s new max deal, though. (Keep that in mind regarding any Dorian Finney-Smith trades you cook up over the coming days.)

They’d be better off spending the remainder of their cap space and then signing Martin to a 1+1 balloon deal with the intention of potentially moving him at the trade deadline. Signing him to such a deal would give the Sixers a way to upgrade midseason that they otherwise wouldn’t have. Again, the only risk here is if they hard-cap themselves some other way.

If not, the Sixers owners should be willing to foot a larger tax bill to improve their new Big Three’s chances of winning a championship. There are no more half-measures after signing George. The Sixers are all-in on winning now.

With some creativity, Martin—and his next contract—could help them do just that.

Unless otherwise noted, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball Reference. All salary information via Spotrac and salary-cap information via RealGM.

2024 NBA free agency: After landing Paul George, Sixers’ surge to second overall in 2025 title odds nba,free,agency,after,landing,paul,george,sixers,surge,to,second,overall,in,title,odds,liberty,ballers,front-page,nba-free-agency,draftkings,76ers-analysis,76ers-free-agency-rumors-news


In the wee hours of the night here on the East Coast, the Philadelphia 76ers were making it rain. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski dropped the bombshell scoop that Paul George is signing a four-year $212M deal, with a player option for the 2027-2028 season, with the Philadelphia 76ers. Not long after that we learned that All-Star Tyrese Maxey was receiving a max extension and the team was also retaining last season’s stellar minimum level acquisition wing Kelly Oubre, Jr. on a new team-friendly deal. Big Penguin Andre Drummond is back on board, and Morey lands another one of his favorite former Rockets in Eric Gordon too.

Having utilized cap space for the nine-time All-Star George, Philadelphia still has the No. 16 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, sniper Jared McCain, the No. 41 overall pick, Adem Bona, an absolute freak athlete which he proved at the NBA pre-draft combine, plus the 76ers still possess four more future first-round picks to work with, and swaps.

We owe so much of it to our beloved Tyrese:

Tobias Harris is finally gone, landing big money to play for the Detroit Pistons (addition by subtraction?)

And they’ll look to round out the rest of the roster with a bit of remaining cap space before exceeding the cap by fleshing out the rest of the roster with veteran’s minimum deals for ring-chasing stars who can expect a fair amount of playing time — on such a now top-heavy roster.

Per Woj:

“George and his agent, Aaron Mintz of CAA, met in Los Angeles with a 76ers contingent that included owner Josh Harris, president of basketball operations Daryl Morey, general manager Elton Brand and Sixers legend Julius Erving, sources said. The Sixers even brought a front office executive, Peter Dinwiddie, who is a familiar face and friend of George’s from their years together with the Indiana Pacers, sources said.

The meeting came on the heels of months of unsuccessful negotiations between George and the LA Clippers on a deal to stay in his Southern California home.”

Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and the gangs’ odds on Draft Kings were around +1000 back when we thought there was a chance they might sign George.

Then their odds dropped precipitously to +1400 when Shams Charania reported the Sixers’ interest in the six-time All-NBA teamer had “significantly waned.”

It also didn’t help the Sixers’ cause when the New York Knicks traded for Mikal Bridges, and were soon able to retain OG Anunoby.

But by the time many of us woke up Monday morning, odds makers’ opinions of the current NBA hierarchy had shifted dramatically. Daryl Morey’s group has now peaked at +800, pushing the Knicks’ down from +800 to +950, following their loss of Isaiah Hartenstein.

The Boston Celtics have re-signed Derrick White, and even though Kristaps Porzingis is set to miss significant time as he rehabs from surgery, the reigning champs are still given a massive edge, +295.

The Celtics’ implied odds to win the 2024-2025 title are now around 25 percent. Philadelphia’s are near 11 percent. As many of you might remember, Morey said that if you have about a five percent chance it makes sense to cash in your future picks to go for it. Well, if that’s still the case, possessing an implied 11 percent should certainly entice him to keep looking to add firepower.

We’ll see how this plays out because it’s gotta be relatively unprecedented for a team that basically only has a handful of players (e.g. Embiid, Maxey, George, Drummond, Gordon, Oubre, Jr. McCain, Bona) in tow to be favored so heavily. So we’ll pay close attention to what happens with the final few roster spots. One name to watch could be veteran guard Reggie Bullock (pronounced Bull-LOCK which likely helps him lock up opposing guards).

The former Knick and Maverick is meeting with the Sixers and head coach Nick Nurse should be able to sell some helpful connective vets by offering a key role on a now true title contender.

2024 NBA free agency: Report: Sixers’ De’Anthony Melton to sign one-year deal with Warriors nba,free,agency,report,sixers,de,anthony,melton,to,sign,one,year,deal,with,warriors,liberty,ballers,front-page,nba-free-agency,76ers-news,76ers-free-agency-rumors-news


So that’s another member of last year’s squad that Philadelphia will be moving on from. The Athletic’s Shams Charania has reported that De’Anthony Melton is signing a one-year, $12 million deal with the Golden State Warriors.

This news came minutes after it was reported that Nico Batum will be heading back to the Clippers on a two-year deal.

Going into last season, it looked like Melton’s next contract would be too pricey for the Sixers to keep around. While that still ended up being the case, a lingering back issue did make it seem like a door might have been open for a return to Philly.

Looking at that $12.8 million, it appears the Warriors will use the full non-tax payer mid-level exception to sign Melton.

That’s something that wasn’t an option for the Sixers, given that it looks like they’ve used the room mid-level exception to bring back Kelly Oubre Jr.

So while it’s a bummer that Melton’s back issues caused his Sixers’ tenure to fizzle out, Philadelphia will have to look elsewhere to fill out their backcourt.