Tag: could

2024 NBA Draft: 5 prospects the Sixers could target in the second round nba,draft,prospects,the,sixers,could,target,in,the,second,round,liberty,ballers,front-page,nba-draft,76ers-draft-rumors-news

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We’ve made it to the first ever second day of the NBA Draft.

On Wednesday night, the Sixers somewhat surprisingly stood pat at 16 and took Duke’s Jared McCain. McCain is an intriguing prospect with a great story that should fit well.

On Thursday, Daryl Morey and company hold the 41st pick. While the 2024 draft doesn’t feature much in the way of star power, there are a lot of intriguing role players — even in round two.

Let’s look at five prospects that could make sense for the Sixers.

KJ Simpson

With the Sixers taking an undersized guard in the first round, would they take another in the second? Much like McCain, the only true knock on Simpson is his size. He was awesome for Colorado last season, averaging 19.7 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game. Like McCain he was lethal three-point shooter (43.4%) on high volume (4.9 attempts).

What he lacks in size Simpson makes up for by being an absolute dog on the defensive end of the floor. Unlike McCain, Simpson is a floor general, capable of setting up the offense and facilitating at a high level. He has that bulldog mentality that Nick Nurse seems to covet in his point guards. After getting some late first-round buzz pre-draft, Simpson would be a steal at 41.

Bobi Klintman

Another player that some thought would go in the first round, size is not an issue for Klintman. The Swedish wing stands at nearly 6-foot-10 and has an intriguing skillset. Though his shooting numbers weren’t elite during his year at Wake Forest or his season spent in the NBL, Klintman has a smooth stroke and can easily fire over the top of defenders with a high release.

He’ll need to refine the rest of his offensive game to survive on the wing, but there are flashes. He’s also not an elite athlete, but his length can make up for a lot of that defensively. He has the makings of a hyper versatile 3-and-D player.

Harrison Ingram

Ingram spent the first two seasons of his collegiate career at Stanford before transferring to North Carolina. He almost feels like a throwback power forward, measuring at 6-foot-6 and 233 pounds with a 7-foot wingspan. Ingram has a multi-faceted offensive game, at times serving as a playmaking hub. He also shot the ball really well last season, hitting 38.5% on 4.6 threes per game.

While he isn’t the most athletic player, his length and strength make him viable in different defensive matchups. He’s also a strong rebounder, pulling down 8.8 boards per game last season. He’s savvy player that could fit on just about any team if the shooting translates.

Pelle Larsson

Larsson is a player we didn’t actually get the chance to profile at LB (sorry, only so much bandwidth!), but that I really enjoyed watching. His shot was sort of inconsistent during his time at Arizona, but he hit 42.6 from deep last season on over three attempts a game. The Swedish guard has a pretty diverse offensive skillset. He’s a legit 6-foot-5 and can dribble, pass, shoot and finish at the rim.

He tested well athletically at the combine and held his own defensively at the collegiate level. He slides his feet well and isn’t afraid to stick his nose in there physically. The biggest thing with Larsson is there aren’t many holes in his game. The only knock is he’s a little older at 23. Frankly, I’m a little surprised he’s not being talked about more.

Jalen Bridges

Bridges started his career at West Virginia before transferring to Baylor. During his redshirt senior year, he emerged as a terrific 3-and-D wing. Standing at 6-foot-7 with a nearly 7-foot wingspan, Bridges possesses the size and athleticism to be a terrific NBA wing defender. While his three ball wasn’t great for much of his collegiate career, he knocked down 41.2% on over five shots per game from deep. He’s always been a good free throw shooter, so the improvement seems real.

Like Larsson, one of the knocks on Bridges will be his age. There might not be a ton of upside for him as a playmaker or creator, but 3-and-D wings are hard to come by and he has all the makings of one.

Sixers NBA mock draft roundup: Could Rob Dillingham fall? What about Jared McCain? sixers,nba,mock,draft,roundup,could,rob,dillingham,fall,what,about,jared,mccain,liberty,ballers,front-page,nba-draft,76ers-draft-rumors-news

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Well, Tuesday’s late-night Woj bomb was certainly a downer. In case you missed it, the New York Knicks gave up a massive draft pick haul to land the Brooklyn Nets’ Mikal Bridges. The price was steep, but man, it makes the team that just eliminated the Sixers from the playoffs even better.

Onto happier things.

The Sixers actually have draft picks this year! They possess a first-rounder (No. 16) and second-rounder (No. 41). While a trade is very much in play for pick 16, Daryl Morey and company could have a few intriguing options fall into their laps.

With that in mind, we rounded up all the latest mock drafts from a few of our trusted sources.

Could Dillingham really slide to 16?

Why do Kentucky guards always slide in the draft? The 2024 version of that appears to be Rob Dillingham. Both Sam Vecenie of The Athletic and the folks over at No Ceilings have the dynamic guard slipping all the way to 16.

Per Vecenie (who is the best in business in this writer’s humble opinion):

“Philadelphia has cleared significant cap space to go star-hunting, so, if the right deal becomes available, this pick could be used to further that goal. … The 76ers will likely take a ‘best player available’ approach under Daryl Morey if they keep the pick.

“Dillingham averaged 15.2 points and 3.9 assists per game this past season while shooting 47.5 percent from the field and 44.4 percent from 3. He maintains control well despite playing at a fast pace, using a bevy of crossovers and well-timed hesitation moves to maximize his speed. Evaluators are confident he’ll be able to separate from his man in the NBA.”

Analysis: I’ve long held the belief that the Sixers will move this pick one way or another — the most likely option being a trade down to acquire more draft capital. But if a player as special as Dillingham drops, Morey has to consider it. The knocks on Dillingham are his size and his defense (kind of related), but he is an elite shot creator that can also really shoot it. A long-term Maxey-Dillingham backcourt is risky, but my goodness, would it be dynamic offensively.

McCain is an exciting option if he slips

Chances are Dillingham will go before 16, but if he slips at all, it could mean other guards are slipping as well. ESPN and Bleacher Report both have the Sixers snagging Duke sharpshooter Jared McCain at 16.

Per ESPN’s Jonathan Givony:

“The Sixers are known to have conducted only a handful of workouts, possibly the fewest of any team drafting in the first round. That info has caused some speculation that this pick could be on the move, depending on which player falls to No. 16.

Regardless of who is picking, McCain has an easy niche he can fill in the NBA with his scoring versatility, basketball instincts, competitiveness and smarts, making him an attractive option for teams drafting in this range.”

Analysis: While McCain might not be in the same category as Dillingham, he’s pretty damn special in his own right. Like Dillingham, size will be the issue — McCain is a 6-foot-2 two guard with a 6-3 wingspan. But as Givony states above, McCain should be able to overcome his disadvantages because he’s an elite shooter with amazing feel. He also fights like hell on defense and is a smart team defender. Again, if he’s there, the Sixers have to consider simply taking him.

Walter is an elite 3-and-D starter kit

If Dillingham and McCain go off the board before 16 — much like they did in the SB Nation community mock draft — Baylor’s Ja’Kobe Walter could prove to be the best player available. Krysten Peek of Yahoo and Tankathon have the Sixers drafting the high-volume shooting wing.

Per Peek:

“Walter’s game translates better to the NBA than what scouts saw from him in college. He has good size at the guard position and elite shooting mechanics. With the spacing of the NBA game, it’ll free him more as a shooting threat with how well Tyrese Maxey plays with the ball in his hands and how much space Joel Embiid commands in the paint.”

Analysis: If the board falls this way, Morey would have to seriously consider a trade back. Still, Walter is plenty intriguing. He was a five-star recruit joining Baylor and he can really shoot it. He also has the makings of an elite defender. The floor is a high-level 3-and-D dog. He’s still just 19, so there’s a chance he hasn’t even scratched the surface of his ceiling yet.

Da Silva the safe pick

Rounding out our look around the mock draftosphere is Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer. KOC has the Sixers taking Colorado forward Tristan Da Silva, maybe one of the safest picks in the draft.

Per KOC:

Da Silva is one of the safer bets to find success in the NBA because of his two-way abilities, and the Sixers could use his size and versatility no matter what they end up doing in free agency.

Analysis: Despite his banging on the table for Killian Hayes a couple years back, KOC typically provides good draft analysis. In this instance I couldn’t disagree more. When has Morey ever drafted a “safe” player? He’s always been much more prone to target the best player available and upside. Da Silva at 16 feels like a reach. That’s not even a knock on the player, who I think has excellent glue guy potential. It just doesn’t line up with Morey’s draft record.

Report: Clippers could be ‘calling [Paul George’s] bluff’ in contract talks report,clippers,could,be,calling,paul,george,s,bluff,in,contract,talks,liberty,ballers,front-page,76ers-analysis,76ers-free-agency-rumors-news

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That’s a wrap on the NBA Season, and the dreaded Boston Celtics fans get to party in the streets for the 13th time since 1957.

If the Sixers want to beat a team with as much top-end firepower as the team that Danny Ainge (now with the Jazz, although he did most of the heavy lifting here), Mike Zarren and current President Brad Stevens have built, they’re going to need major reinforcements.

The name at the top of Daryl Morey’s wishlist is Clippers’ star Paul George. PG has a player option for the coming season worth $48.7M.

But we heard reports earlier this season that Steve Ballmer, by far the NBA’s richest owner worth an estimated $129.7B, was hesitant to allow his front office to offer PG more money than Kawhi Leonard on a potential extension.

Leonard, the two-time NBA Finals MVP, is the Clippers best player when healthy. But as Sixers fans know all too well, that “when healthy” distinction is kind of a big asterisk. PG, now 34, isn’t exactly an exemplar of perfect health himself, but he was the safer bet than Leonard to be healthy by playoff time. And he seems like the safer bet for the next three-four seasons as well.

On ESPN’s “Get UP” Monday, insider Brian Windhorst speculated on the latest from Clipperville:

“What is interesting to me is that is that the Clippers are very aware that somebody is going to offer [George] a four-year max contract. Whether that’s the 76ers or the Magic or a team could even trade for him. But there’s another thing with Paul George that I want to point out. He has an option in his contract. It’s known as ‘The Chris Paul Move.’ Where you come to a team and say ‘I’m either going to sign with this team over here, or you’re gonna pick up my option and trade me there.’ So even if you don’t have cap space, a team for example, like the New York Knicks. Okay, if they wanted Paul George they could say ‘okay, you could come to us, we’ll trade for you.’ You don’t have to sign him outright. Clippers know all this is gonna go on. And yet they’re still not making this offer. They’re still not [inaudible] to do this. And so if you get to July 1st, and the Clippers have done this, they’re gonna play hardball, that’s when you know he’s truly gonna be in the market. I suspect the Clippers read, at least on June 17th, is that they’re calling his bluff. They don’t actually think he’s gonna leave his hometown of L.A. to go to Philly or Orlando or some thing like that.”

This stalemate would seem to have begun back in January.

The Clippers essentially drew a line in the sand implying PG wasn’t deserving of what Kawhi was (three years, $152M) received last January, offering him less on an extension. PG wisely scoffed at the insulting, paltry bid. Now that miscalculation may bite them.

If George opts out, he is eligible to sign a four-year deal (the NBA’s “Over 38” rule forbids teams from offering him a fifth year) max deal worth up to roughly $221.1M. Possessing George’s Bird Rights, the Clips can offer the nine-time All-Star 8 percent raises, while all other teams can only offer 5 percent raises.

That means the Sixers can “only” offer George $212.5M over the same deal. Still, it’s only an $8.6M difference.

As one might expect in any ongoing negotiation, the PG-to-Philly barometer has swung a few times lately. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski back in May reported that, “The Clippers are determined to keep Paul George and James Harden in free agency, and the organization will move into the new, state-of-the-art Intuit Dome for the start of next season.”

But Windy is, more recently at least, singing a different tune.

Examining that Chris Paul opt-in-and-trade scenario (the kind Daryl Morey, while in Houston, once famously executed to rescue Chris Paul from Doc Rivers the Clips), with an expanding salary cap, it does seem PG could make more money long-term by opting in.

But he’d have to wait six months, and if any player knows that catastrophic injuries can occur, it’s PG, who broke his leg in multiple places back in 2014 during USA Team play.

If I were deciding between $212M today or waiting I’m not sure I’d want to risk playing from November through January for the additional ~$12M. Additionally, PG could learn the “Carmelo Anthony” lesson, and try to avoid depleting whichever new team he wants to play for of precious draft assets they’d need later to beat the Celtics.

So the best news here is that it appears the Clippers are still playing hardball with George. They’ve done nothing to suggest thus far that they feel he’s worth every penny of a max deal. As stellar as the quintessential triple-threat-3-and-D wing has been, with a new arena set to open, deciding he couldn’t make as much as Leonard, now trying to catch a bluff? It’s all pretty weird. Imagine how Kawhi would feel if they wound up letting him walk for nothing in return?

Is there any chance they’re pulling a bit of a 2023 version of the Morey-with-Harden, and sending these silent signals in hopes he opts in, so that they can make a blockbuster move? Unlike Beard, PG has max offers elsewhere tempting him not to do that.

The less good news for the Sixers here is this idea that PG could ultimately make more money by opting in, which could give him incentive to listen to pitches from contenders without cap space. Yuck.

The Sixers can spend up to $65M in cap. But if other teams can trade for him — with plans to extend him come January for even more than the max he’ll command in July — well, you can see the problem there. Miami? Cleveland? New York?

George, a CAA client shares an agent with Knicks’ star Jalen Brunson. The Knicks have been linked to PG in some reports too.

If PG felt Brunson is a safer bet than Embiid to be healthy come next year’s playoffs… maybe that throws a monkeywrench in the works for Morey — even if things fall apart with PG and the Clips.

But let’s focus on the good news for today. The Clippers appear to think that PG won’t leave, they certainly aren’t rolling out any red carpets like Morey is, and are perhaps “calling a bluff.” That would, I’d argue, mark the second time they’ve insulted him in five months. First, by deciding he’s not worth what Leonard was last January, and again now, knowing that other teams are prepared to drop a full stack, while they quibble over an amount that equates to about 0.17% of Ballmer’s total net worth.

2024 NBA Draft: Dayton’s DaRon Holmes II could be the exact type of combo big the Sixers need nba,draft,dayton,s,daron,holmes,ii,could,be,the,exact,type,of,combo,big,the,sixers,need,liberty,ballers,front-page,nba-draft,76ers-draft-rumors-news

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Before the 2024 NBA Draft, we’ll take an in-depth look at different prospects here at Liberty Ballers and try to figure out which players would be the best fit for the Sixers at Nos. 16 and 41. Next up in this series is Dayton’s DaRon Holmes II.

In his sophomore year, DaRon Holmes II built upon an excellent freshman season by becoming the focal point of Dayton’s offense. In his junior year, he dominated for the Flyers and was named the Atlantic 10’s Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year and a Consensus All-American.

Profile

2023-24 Stats: 33 games, 32.5 minutes, 20.4 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 0.9 steals, 2.1 blocks, 54.4% FG, 38.6% 3P, 71.3% FT

Team: Dayton

Year: Junior

Position: C/PF

Height & Weight: 6’8.75” | 236.2 lbs

Born: August 15, 2002 (21 years old)

Hometown: Goodyear, Arizona

Strengths

Standing over 6-foot-9 with shoes and boasting an impressive 7-1 wingspan, Holmes has ideal NBA size. He’s built solidly at over 236 pounds and his strength shows on the court. When you couple that with Holmes’ improving skill, you have an intriguing prospect.

The two biggest improvements in Holmes’ offensive game were his shooting and court vision. After attempting just 26 shots from deep in his first two seasons, Holmes hoisted up 83 threes in 2023-24 with impressive results (38.6%). His post-up game was once again strong, but he showed better feel as his usage rate went up and he saw constant double teams. He was outstanding in the pick-and-roll, both rolling to the rim and popping for threes.

Holmes also features a face-up game and ability as a straight line driver. He was able to line up opposing post players and either hit midrange jumpers or short fadeaways over them. He uses long strides, a nasty spin move and his strength to get downhill and finish at the rim. It’s this type of versatility that makes you see why NBA folks believe he can play the four.

Holmes was the anchor of Dayton’s defense, taking home the A-10’s Defensive Player of the year last season. He’s an outstanding rim protector, reads the pick-and-roll well and flashes a little switchability.

Weaknesses

It’s easy to see why Holmes is rising up draft boards. There really aren’t many holes in his game and there’s intriguing upside.

But his age will be a factor — he’ll turn 22 before next season begins. While there is belief he can succeed as a four at the next level, he’ll need to prove his shooting uptick wasn’t a fluke and improve his handle a bit.

Respectfully, it’s also worth noting that the A-10 isn’t exactly a powerhouse, but Holmes did play well against Nevada and Arizona in the NCAA Tournament.

Positional Fit

Holmes is definitely an NBA five. He has the size and proper skillset to succeed at that position. What’s more intriguing is envisioning him playing minutes at the four. A player like the Timberwolves’ Naz Reid is an interesting comp. Holmes is a different player from the NBA’s reigning Sixth Man of the Year, but both players provide legit combo big versatility.

Draft Projection

SB Nation mock draft: No. 16, Sixers

I can hear the collective groans at the idea of the Sixers selecting a center at 16, but Holmes feels like a unique player. If you look at the way Chris Finch — a close coaching friend of Nick Nurse — utilized Reid, there could be a similar path for Holmes with a team like the Sixers. With Joel Embiid on the floor, Holmes could space the floor in the corner or hang in the dunker spot where he can catch lobs and crash the offensive glass. When Embiid is off the floor, Holmes — who excelled as both a roller and popper last season — provides an intriguing pick-and-roll partner for Tyrese Maxey while also providing strong rim protection on the other end.

How the Sixers could get creative with Paul Reed’s contract this offseason how,the,sixers,could,get,creative,with,paul,reed,s,contract,this,offseason,liberty,ballers,front-page,76ers-analysis

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Because the Sixers didn’t win a playoff series this year, Paul Reed’s future is now up in the air.

The offer sheet that Reed signed with the Utah Jazz last offseason stipulated that his $7.7 million salary for the 2024-25 season would only become guaranteed if his team advanced to the second round of the playoffs. Instead, the New York Knicks and Joel Embiid’s case of Bell’s palsy helped ensure Reed’s contract would remain non-guaranteed through Jan. 10.

The Sixers could waive Reed this offseason and be left without a dead cap hit, which they’d likely consider if they land a third max-contract player. Cutting him would be their path to still having meaningful cap space, along with the $8.0 million room mid-level exception once they were capped out. But they don’t have a nearby deadline by which they have to make a decision. They can see how the offseason plays out and proceed accordingly.

Since Reed’s full contract is non-guaranteed, he’d count as $0 in outgoing salary in trades unless the Sixers guaranteed some or all of his deal. But as long as they stay under the salary cap after a trade, they don’t need to worry about salary-matching rules. If anything, they could leave him non-guaranteed to sweeten a trade offer, allowing his next team to decide whether to keep him as depth, re-route him or waive him for cap relief.

The Sixers could also manipulate their offseason order of operations to take advantage of Reed’s contract in a creative way. If they keep him on their books and guarantee his full salary, they could flip him to acquire a much higher-paid player even if they’re over the cap at the time.

Under the NBA’s new collective bargaining agreement, trades involving two teams below either apron have looser salary-matching rules than they once did. Teams that send between $7.25 million and $29 million in salary can take that amount of salary back plus $7.5 million. In other words, a team could trade a $7.5 million contract for a $15 million contract, or a $29 million contract for a $36.5 million contract.

With Reed set to earn $7.7 million next season, the Sixers could flip him for a player earning as much as $15.2 million as long as they stay below the first apron after the trade. They would then be hard-capped at the first apron for the remainder of the league year. Depending on how the rest of their offseason shakes out, that could be their best chance to round out their roster and add more depth.

For instance, let’s say they sign Paul George for his full max salary of $49.4 million. They could have as much as $16.7 million in cap space if they waive Reed and Ricky Council IV, trade the No. 16 overall pick, turn down their team option on Jeff Dowtin Jr. and renounce the rights to all of their free agents. They’ll likely wind up having less than that because they keep Reed, don’t trade the pick or re-sign some of their own players.

The Sixers could still have as much as $10.2 million in cap space along with the $8.0 million room MLE with a George max deal, Reed and Joel Embiid’s contracts and Tyrese Maxey’s cap hold on their books. Once they spent that cap space, they could flip Reed for a higher-paid player to upgrade that spot without having the cap space to fill it otherwise. They’d effectively be turning $7.7 million of cap space into $15.2 million, except they could only spend that on trades.

The Sixers would still be slightly out of range salary-wise on Lu Dort ($16.5 million), Deni Avdjia ($15.6 million) and P.J. Washington ($15.5 million) on the off-chance that any of them became available this offseason. However, they could squeeze Dorian Finney-Smith ($14.9 million), Luke Kennard ($14.8 million team option) or Naz Reid ($14.0 million) in with the salary-matching buffer on Reed’s contract. Larry Nance Jr. ($11.2 million), Gabe Vincent ($11.0 million) and Maxi Kleber ($11.0 million) could be slightly less expensive options.

In some respects, the Jazz did the Sixers a favor in the way they structured Reed’s contract. If he had a team or player option instead of a non-guaranteed salary, he’d have his contractual fate determined by late June either way. Instead, the Sixers can keep him on their books heading into July and pivot as needed from there.

If the Sixers land a third max-contract star, it wouldn’t be surprising if they just waive Reed outright. If they snag someone on a slightly smaller deal—Brandon Ingram, Donovan Mitchell or Mikal Bridges, for instance—they might have enough cap space to round out their roster even with Reed’s contract still on their books. From there, they could evaluate their options at backup center without him and explore the trade market for him as well.

There’s no guarantee that the Sixers will waive Reed right as the offseason begins, though. In fact, it would behoove them to maintain their optionality with his contract for as long as possible, unless they needed his $7.7 million of cap space to sign a free agent.

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.