Tag: 76ers-news

Are the Sixers finally bringing back the black Allen Iverson-era jerseys? are,the,sixers,finally,bringing,back,the,black,allen,iverson,era,jerseys,liberty,ballers,front-page,76ers-news

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The Sixers have been giving fans everything they want so far this offseason — why not keep the hits coming?

The team on Sunday released a video capturing a tribute to Tyrese Maxey, whose five-year max extension became official earlier in the day.

The video itself is quite cool, as everyone from Joel Embiid to Dawn Staley to Dr. J heap praise on the first-time All-Star and the NBA’s Most Improved Player during a whole Maxey-centric event.

What will excite Sixers fans more though is a glimpse of a possible new (old) jersey for the 2024-25 season.

Could it be? Will the Sixers finally bring back the black jerseys from the Allen Iverson era?

As we’re all painfully aware, the Sixers took a big swing and a miss on the last black jerseys they produced in 2020-21, which featured Boathouse Row. To make matters worse, they teased the jerseys and used Iverson in the campaign, only to reveal … those. It would’ve been a great year to bring the original black uniforms back too. It was the 20th anniversary of the 2000-01 team Iverson dragged to the NBA Finals.

While there is nothing official here, teasing the fans by flashing these pictures around and not coming through would be crazy. It appears there’s a good chance we get to see Maxey, Embiid and Paul George rocking the jerseys that A.I. once made look so cool.

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

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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.

2024 NBA free agency: Report: Nicolas Batum will not return to Sixers nba,free,agency,report,nicolas,batum,will,not,return,to,sixers,liberty,ballers,front-page,nba-free-agency,76ers-news,76ers-free-agency-rumors-news

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Update, July 1, 2:42 p.m.: Former Sixer Nicolas Batum will reportedly sign with the LA Clippers, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

It sounds like forward Nico Batum will not be returning to the Philadelphia 76ers.

The Athletic’s Houston Rockets’ Insider, Kelly Iko, broke the scoop at the start of free agency. Philadelphia is in a holding pattern as they’re set to meet with Clippers’ unrestricted free agent Paul George. If they’re able to land PG on a $212M max, it would mean the belt starts to get very tight. So does that mean there simply isn’t enough money left over to retain the ideal role player? Are the Rockets swooping in to pay Batum more than the Sixers believe they’ll be able to afford?

Things are still a mystery because I think most Sixers fans expected the team to come to an agreement with Batum, who Joel Embiid specifically, has stated on numerous occasions he loves playing with.

Batum became almost indispensable the moment he joined the Sixers via the James Harden trade. The French native was perhaps the smartest player to ever play alongside Embiid. Batum’s ability to throw entry passes alone was invaluable, not to mention his three-point shooting, hyper versatile defense and ability to get his hands on tons of loose balls. He became a super glue guy for a team that desperately needed one.

We even got a Nico Batum Game in the Sixers’ first ever Play-In Game.

If there was one person who surely pushed for the team to re-sign Batum, it was Embiid. The two had lockers next to each other and there appeared to be an instant bond. Remember, Embiid is fluent in French and also possesses French citizenship.

While Batum was speaking with reporters after the team’s Game 6 loss, Embiid made sure to let the 35-year-old he had to come back for the 2024-25 season. There was some speculation though that Batum could retire after his run with the French national team at the Paris Olympics this summer.

It appears — despite Philly’s best efforts — Batum felt it was the right time to walk away or simply saw a better opportunity elsewhere.

“I could feel the passion of this city for sports, for the Sixers, and I fit right away,” Batum said after the Sixers’ final game. “Those fans … when you get booed, I said, ‘OK, get right. It’s tough right now, so you’ve got to play better.’ Like I said, this city’s not for everybody. They’re happy, I think. I tried my best. … It was fun. I’m sorry, guys, that we couldn’t have a better playoff run. You guys showed up and that was amazing tonight. The support was great.”

The Sixers will have serious work to do to replace Batum’s production on the court — with a player they hope Embiid will be equally as happy to have on board. If the Sixers whiff on George, there would have been ample spend to retain Batum. So maybe this is a sign that something big is about to happen. Or maybe another team was just quick enough to sneak in before Nico was willing to wait on Philadelphia’s potential offer.

Sixers 2024 NBA free agency tracker: With Paul George in the mix, what’s next? sixers,nba,free,agency,tracker,with,paul,george,in,the,mix,what,s,next,liberty,ballers,front-page,nba-free-agency,76ers-news,76ers-free-agency-rumors-news

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As of 6 p.m. ET on June 30, the 2024 free agency period is underway. The Philadelphia 76ers have the opportunity for a pivotal offseason with decent cap space and draft picks at their disposal. The Sixers also have a number of players entering free agency that they will have to make tough decisions on.

In this post, we will keep you updated on Sixers’ signings, the destinations of their free agents, trade rumors and more.

Signing agreements

Paul George

Nine-time All-Star Paul George is set to become a Sixer. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski broke the news at 3:30 AM ET Monday morning that George and the Sixers had reached an agreement on a four-year, $212 million contract.

Tyrese Maxey

The Sixers have agreed in principal to a maximum contract extension for Tyrese Maxey. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported the news just hours after the Sixers reached their agreement with Paul George. Talk about a huge morning.

Andre Drummond

Andre Drummond will return to Philadelphia on a two-year, $10 million deal, a source confirms to Liberty Ballers. Hoops Hype’s Michael Scotto was the first to report the news.

Eric Gordon

The Sixers will sign veteran guard Eric Gordon to a minimum contract, a source confirms to Liberty Ballers.

Sixers’ free agents news

Tobias Harris

After five long seasons, Tobias Harris is no longer a Sixer. As ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports, Harris is set to return to the Detroit Pistons on a two-year, $52 million deal.

Kelly Oubre Jr.

Kelly Oubre Jr. has earned himself a bit of a raise and at least one more season with the Sixers after spending last season in Philadelphia on a veteran minimum. A source confirmed to Liberty Ballers that Oubre will re-sign with the Sixers on a two-year, $16.3 million deal with a player option for 2025-26. The news was first reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Nicolas Batum

The Athletic’s Kelly Iko reported shortly after the opening of free agency that Nicolas Batum would not be returning to Philadelphia.

That being said, there has been no further reports on Batum’s next destination. Early Monday afternoon, Yahoo’s Jake Fischer reported that the San Antonio Spurs were interested in Batum.

Having already signed future Hall of Fame point guard Chris Paul, another veteran the Spurs are targeting in free agency is French forward Nic Batum, sources said, who would join countryman Victor Wembanyama.

Kyle Lowry

Kyle Lowry returning to Philadelphia is still up in the air, Marc Stein reported just before the opening of free agency:

One source close to the process told The Stein Line that a return to Philly is merely one option under consideration and that Lowry is expected to receive external interest from multiple interest once free agency officially beings.

Terquavion Smith

The Sixers will not extend a qualifying offer to Terquavion Smith, a source tells Liberty Ballers. That means the two-way guard becomes an unrestricted free agent.

Other Sixers’ free agents with no reports so far:

  • Robert Covington
  • KJ Martin
  • De’Anthony Melton
  • Mo Bamba
  • Cameron Payne
  • Buddy Hield

Meetings with other free agents

Klay Thompson

Klay Thompson is set to meet with multiple teams early in free agency, including the Sixers, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Reggie Bullock

League veteran Reggie Bullock has been fielding his options after it was reported by The Athletic’s Kelly Iko that the Houston Rockets were unlikely to re-sign him. Iko further reported that Bullock has begun meeting with teams — including the Philadelphia 76ers.

Trade rumors

Nothing yet on the trade rumor front Sixers-wise. We will keep you posted.

2024 NBA free agency: Veteran wing Reggie Bullock has reportedly met with the Sixers, other teams nba,free,agency,veteran,wing,reggie,bullock,has,reportedly,met,with,the,sixers,other,teams,liberty,ballers,front-page,nba-free-agency,76ers-news,76ers-free-agency-rumors-news

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Reggie Bullock is entering his 12th season in the NBA, and he’s looking for a new home.

The Athletic’s Kelly Iko reported on X (formerly Twitter) that the league veteran was unlikely to be re-signed to the Houston Rockets after being brought there in October of 2023.

Bullock has been fielding his options, apparently, with Iko further reporting that Bullock has begun meeting with teams — including the Philadelphia 76ers.

With such a splashy start to the Sixers’ offseason, this obviously wouldn’t be the biggest headline by any measure. A signing for Bullock would almost definitely be on a veteran minimum just to add depth for Philadelphia at the forward position.

Bullock is still regarded as a decent defender. Iko’s characterization of the once 2013 first-round draft pick as a “sharpshooter”, however, may be a bit of an exaggeration at this point in his career. Bullock is coming off a tough season in Houston, posting a career-low 2.2 points per game in just 44 appearances averaging under 10 minutes per outing. He averaged 40.3% from beyond the arc, but on just 1.5 attempts per game. That being said, it is of course a small sample size due to his lack of playing time this past campaign.

Whether he still has the potential to be a sharpshooter is a bit of an unknown at this point.

This would very much be a low-risk signing just to see what’s left in the tank for Bullock if the Sixers decide to take a chance on the veteran.

2024 NBA free agency: Report: Tyrese Maxey agrees to 5-year, $203.9 million extension with Sixers nba,free,agency,report,tyrese,maxey,agrees,to,year,million,extension,with,sixers,liberty,ballers,front-page,76ers-news

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At 3:30 a.m. ET on Monday, the Sixers agreed to a four-year, $211.6 million max contract with Paul George. Five hours later, they took care of their other biggest piece of offseason business.

With the 2024-25 salary cap officially landing at $140.6 million, Maxey’s starting salary will be $35.1 million. He’ll earn $203.6 million in total over the life of the deal, which notably does not contain a player option, according to Wojnarowski.

Order of operations will be the key here. The Sixers and Maxey have agreed to a deal, but nothing can become binding until July 6. At that point, the Sixers will keep Maxey’s $13.0 million cap hold on their books until they spend the rest of their cap space. They’ll officially have Maxey sign his extension after that.

If Maxey signed his extension right when the July Moratorium expires on July 6, his $13.0 million cap hold would jump up to $35.1 million. That would close off the Sixers’ path to full max cap space, which means they wouldn’t be a realistic landing spot for George anymore. By timing their moves this way, they can now create more than $60 million in cap space, which would leave them with nearly $13 million to spend even after landing George. (That isn’t taking Andre Drummond into account.)

To some extent, it was surprising that the Sixers could get Maxey and his agent, Rich Paul of Klutch Sports, to buy into waiting on an extension in the first place. However, Maxey had an all-time bet-on-yourself season, finishing with a career-high 25.9 points, 6.2 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 3.0 made three-pointers en route to his first All-Star nod and the league’s Most Improved Player award.

Maxey gave himself even more leverage in contract negotiations with his performance against the New York Knicks in the first round of the playoffs. He averaged 29.8 points on 47.8 percent shooting, 6.8 assists, 5.2 rebounds, 3.7 made threes and only 2.2 turnovers in 44.5 minutes (!) per game. His 46-point, nine-assist masterclass in Game 5 both temporarily helped the Sixers stave off their imminent demise and conclusively proved that Maxey isn’t only an 82-game player.

Considering the stratospheric leaps that he’s made since entering the league, it’s easy to forget that Maxey is only 23. The Sixers are locking him up through at least the beginning of his prime, and if he continues upon his current trajectory, his contract will wind up being an outright steal. The NBA’s new national TV contracts should send the salary cap soaring in the coming years, so Maxey will take up a slightly smaller percentage of the cap with each passing season.

To wit: Maxey is set to earn $46.4 million in the final year of his new extension in 2028-29. Beginning in 2025-26, if the cap continues to jump the maximum 10 percent that it can annually, it will break the $200 million barrier in 2028-29. Maxey’s salary would take up only 22.5 percent of the projected cap that season, whereas other stars of his caliber will be earning well north of $60 million annually.

In Maxey, the Sixers now have their present and their future locked up. It’s now on team president Daryl Morey and the rest of the front office to surround Maxey, George and Joel Embiid with a championship-caliber supporting cast.

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: Report: Sixers will sign Paul George/Paul George to sign with X [DO NOT PUBLISH] nba,free,agency,report,sixers,will,sign,paul,george,paul,george,to,sign,with,x,do,not,publish,liberty,ballers,front-page,nba-free-agency,76ers-news,76ers-free-agency-rumors-news

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It appears James Harden did not scare away the Sixers’ “Plan A.”

Paul George will be a Sixer. The nine-time All-Star is leaving the Clippers and plans to sign with Philly for a four-year, $212 million max deal. ESPN’S Adrian Wojnarowski first reported the news. The fourth and final year of the contract is a player option, per Woj.

While reports circulated about the Sixers’ interest waning and George perhaps opting into his deal with L.A., Daryl Morey got it done the cleanest way possible by signing the four-time All-Defensive Team pick into the team’s cap space. There was much to consider for George, a Palmdale native, leaving the West Coast, but the Sixers’ offer likely proved to be one he couldn’t refuse. Several reports indicated that L.A. was unwilling to offer George a fourth year.

In signing George, the Sixers get the player many believed to be the team’s “Plan A” with its cap space plan. George, a six-time All-NBA selection, adds size, scoring, playmaking and defense on the wing. With his ability to make threes at a high volume (41.3% on 7.9 attempts per game last season) and add complementary scoring, he is an ideal running mate for Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey.

The concerns with George will be mostly tied to his age. He turned 34 in May, meaning he will be 37 entering the final year of his deal with the Sixers. On top of that, there are some durability concerns. While he played in 74 games last season, that was his highest amount played since he was a member of the Thunder in 2018-19. In the previous four years, George played 189 out of a possible 318 games — or less than 60%. On a team that features Embiid, that could loom large.

So, what’s next? The Sixers will still have cap space to spend and draft assets to play with. Now that they’ve got their three stars locked in, it’s time to finish building out the roster around them.

2024 NBA free agency: Report: Kelly Oubre, Jr. to re-sign with Sixers nba,free,agency,report,kelly,oubre,jr,to,re,sign,with,sixers,liberty,ballers,front-page,nba-free-agency,76ers-news

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To think there were people that were actually upset when the Sixers brought in Kelly Oubre, Jr. on a minimum deal.

Now the veteran wing has earned himself a raise. Oubre will re-sign with the Sixers on a two-year, $16.3 million deal with a player option for 2025-26, a source confirms to Liberty Ballers. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski was the first to report the news.

A roller coaster has less twists and turns than the last year for Oubre. After his market dried up last summer, he chose to sign with the Sixers at the veteran’s minimum. He parted ways with agent Torrel Harris and looked to take advantage of his new opportunity in Philly.

And he did just that.

Oubre went from sort of an afterthought signing to an integral cog in the Sixers’ rotation. There were incidents along the way — when Oubre fractured a rib when he was struck by a car back in November or when he totaled his Lamborghini after a playoff game — but he ultimately showed his value to the team. With Joel Embiid out and Tobias Harris struggling, Oubre proved to be the Sixers’ second-best player behind Tyrese Maxey to close the regular season.

The 28-year-old acquitted himself quite well in his first postseason appearance since 2018. He played terrific defense against All-Star guard Jalen Brunson, who probed and prodded himself away from Oubre in all six games of the Sixers-Knicks first-round series. Oubre was also the team’s third-leading scorer against New York behind Embiid and Maxey.

Oubre was open about his desire to start last season. It will be interesting to see where he slides into the rotation when the Sixers finish all their free agency business. Woj specifically referring to Oubre as “the Sixers’ starting two-guard” feels purposeful.

After the Sixers’ Game 6 loss to the Knicks, Oubre gushed over head coach Nick Nurse and his overall time in Philly.

“At the end of the day, I want to go to somewhere where they respect and they love me,” Oubre said at the time. “It’s been nothing but love here, of course. So at the end of the day, I feel as if there’s unfinished business and a lot of things to be done — and a lot of work to get better and to get us back here past this point and this threshold that Sixers fans have been wanting to get past for so long. I feel as if I kind of failed because we didn’t get past that. I’ve got to just reflect, talk to my family, and sit down and work on the next steps here.”

Unfinished business seemed to be a theme with the Sixers. Now, Oubre has a chance to finish what he started to build in Philly.

2024 NBA free agency: Report: Nicolas Batum will not return to Sixers nba,free,agency,report,nicolas,batum,will,not,return,to,sixers,liberty,ballers,front-page,nba-free-agency,76ers-news,76ers-free-agency-rumors-news

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It sounds like forward Nico Batum will not be returning to the Philadelphia 76ers.

The Athletic’s Houston Rockets’ Insider, Kelly Iko, broke the scoop at the start of free agency. Philadelphia is in a holding pattern as they’re set to meet with Clippers’ unrestricted free agent Paul George. If they’re able to land PG on a $212M max, it would mean the belt starts to get very tight. So does that mean there simply isn’t enough money left over to retain the ideal role player? Are the Rockets swooping in to pay Batum more than the Sixers believe they’ll be able to afford?

Things are still a mystery because I think most Sixers fans expected the team to come to an agreement with Batum, who Joel Embiid specifically, has stated on numerous occasions he loves playing with.

Batum became almost indispensable the moment he joined the Sixers via the James Harden trade. The French native was perhaps the smartest player to ever play alongside Embiid. Batum’s ability to throw entry passes alone was invaluable, not to mention his three-point shooting, hyper versatile defense and ability to get his hands on tons of loose balls. He became a super glue guy for a team that desperately needed one.

We even got a Nico Batum Game in the Sixers’ first ever Play-In Game.

If there was one person who surely pushed for the team to re-sign Batum, it was Embiid. The two had lockers next to each other and there appeared to be an instant bond. Remember, Embiid is fluent in French and also possesses French citizenship.

While Batum was speaking with reporters after the team’s Game 6 loss, Embiid made sure to let the 35-year-old he had to come back for the 2024-25 season. There was some speculation though that Batum could retire after his run with the French national team at the Paris Olympics this summer.

It appears — despite Philly’s best efforts — Batum felt it was the right time to walk away or simply saw a better opportunity elsewhere.

“I could feel the passion of this city for sports, for the Sixers, and I fit right away,” Batum said after the Sixers’ final game. “Those fans … when you get booed, I said, ‘OK, get right. It’s tough right now, so you’ve got to play better.’ Like I said, this city’s not for everybody. They’re happy, I think. I tried my best. … It was fun. I’m sorry, guys, that we couldn’t have a better playoff run. You guys showed up and that was amazing tonight. The support was great.”

The Sixers will have serious work to do to replace Batum’s production on the court — with a player they hope Embiid will be equally as happy to have on board. If the Sixers whiff on George, there would have been ample spend to retain Batum. So maybe this is a sign that something big is about to happen. Or maybe another team was just quick enough to sneak in before Nico was willing to wait on Philadelphia’s potential offer.

Source: Sixers do not extend qualifying offer to guard Terquavion Smith, making him an unrestricted free agent source,sixers,do,not,extend,qualifying,offer,to,guard,terquavion,smith,making,him,an,unrestricted,free,agent,liberty,ballers,front-page,76ers-news

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The Sixers will not extend a qualifying offer to Terquavion Smith, a source tells Liberty Ballers. That means the two-way guard becomes an unrestricted free agent.

Signed as an undrafted free agent out of NC State last year, Smith did show flashes with his high-volume shooting and microwave scoring. In 22 games for the Delaware Blue Coats last season, Smith averaged 23.1 points in 31.1 minutes per game while shooting 37.1% from three on a preposterous 10.5 attempts per game.

With the Sixers decimated by injuries, Smith did get a cup of coffee with the big club. Across 16 NBA games, Smith shot 37.1% from deep on 14.9(!) attempts per 36 minutes.

While we did get a few “Terq Time” moments and flashes, there were obvious concerns about Smith’s frame and how he’d hold up getting NBA minutes. Still, this move feels like it’s more about flexibility than any sort of referendum on Smith.

With the Sixers moving quickly to sign UDFA wings Justin Edwards and David Jones to two-way deals, it feels like that third two-way spot will eventually go to second-round pick, Adem Bona. And with first-rounder Jared McCain in the fold as undersized off guard that’s a high-volume three-point shooter, Smith might be redundant.

It was reported by The Inquirer’s Keith Pompey Saturday that the team will also decline point guard Jeff Dowtin, Jr.’s team option, making him an unrestricted free agent as well. Dowtin was a solid depth ball handler last season. We can’t rule out a possible return, but Daryl Morey is clearly choosing to keep all options open amid the team’s pursuit of Paul George.

NBA free agency kicks off at 6 p.m. Sunday when teams are allowed to contact free agents.