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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.

The first apron would complicate a Dorian Finney-Smith trade for the Sixers with the Nets the,first,apron,would,complicate,a,dorian,finney,smith,trade,for,the,sixers,with,the,nets,liberty,ballers,front-page,nba-free-agency,76ers-analysis,76ers-free-agency-rumors-news,76ers-trade-rumors

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Once the Sixers finalize their signing of Paul George, their $60-plus million in cap space will be a thing of the past. Based on current projections—which are fluid at this time of year—they’ll be left with roughly $8.9 million in cap space to spend if they waive Paul Reed while keeping Ricky Council IV on their books. (If they keep KJ Martin’s cap hold to perform some CBA shenanigans, they’d have $8.0 million.)

After the Sixers spend that cap space, sign Tyrese Maxey to his max contract, re-sign Kelly Oubre Jr. (presumably with the room mid-level exception) and fill out their roster with minimum contracts, they’ll be perilously close to the $178.1 million first apron. That’s something to keep in mind while proposing solutions to their current vacancy at power forward.

Brooklyn Nets forward Dorian Finney-Smith gained steam in recent days as a possible Sixers trade target, and Michael Scotto of HoopsHype poured gas on that fire earlier this week. He reported the Sixers have “exploratory interest” in trading for Finney-Smith, although he noted “nothing is considered imminent there.”

The NBA’s new collective bargaining agreement may be the main reason why.

Teams above the first apron can’t acquire more salary than they send out in trades, among other restrictions. The Sixers could be less than $1 million below the apron once they spend the rest of their cap space and fill out their roster with minimum deals from there. That means they’ll need to send out nearly as much salary as they take back in any trade.

Finney-Smith is earning $14.9 million this season. The only players whom the Sixers have under contract other than Embiid are Reed ($7.7 million) and Council ($1.9 million). The math isn’t mathing there.

The Sixers could arrange a sign-and-trade involving Martin, whose $2.1 million cap hold could be key to the rest of their offseason plans. However, Base Year Compensation issues might complicate any effort to move him before Jan. 15 if they give him a short-term balloon deal.

The Sixers’ reported “exploratory interest” in Finney-Smith might have been an inquiry about the Nets’ asking price if they don’t trade him until the deadline. At that point, any of the Sixers’ players who sign contracts this offseason will be eligible to be traded, which opens the door for a potential midseason shakeup.

The hard-cap rules still apply once the season begins, though. If the Sixers take back more salary than they send out in a trade, they’d get hard-capped at the first apron. They’ll still need to send out almost an equivalent amount of salary than they take back in any trade given their proximity to the first apron.

On the bright side, they wouldn’t run into BYC issues with Martin in a midseason deal. If they give him a two-year deal with a non-guaranteed second season—a contract basically designed to be traded—they could aggregate his salary with anyone else’s on the roster to acquire a player earning even more. The Sixers would be hard-capped at the second apron if they did aggregate contracts, but it’d be hard for them to reach that level of spending this year without wildly overpaying Martin (something like $20-plus million per season).

The TL;DR version: If the Sixers are going to acquire another player with an eight-figure contract, it seems far more likely to happen in-season—when they can aggregate the contracts they sign this summer, including multiple minimum deals—than it does over the rest of the offseason.

With cap space drying up around the league, the Sixers might prefer to wait out the market and see if they can find another Oubre-esque steal like they did last summer. If not, they can package some of the deals they sign this offseason for a midseason trade.

Either way, it’s encouraging to hear that the Sixers are sniffing around players such as Finney-Smith, Caleb Martin and Haywood Highsmith. That suggests they’ve correctly identified the glaring hole on their roster and are proactively working to address it.

That just might not happen right away, or even this offseason at all, much to fans’ chagrin. Like clockwork every year, team president Daryl Morey stresses that he’s less concerned with what the roster looks like in October than what it looks like April, May and June. He might be planning on pursing an upgrade at that spot at the trade deadline and doing some early information gathering.

In the meantime, go back to debating Martin vs. Highsmith, everyone.

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

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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.

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

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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.

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: Big Penguin returns — the Sixers are reportedly signing Andre Drummond nba,free,agency,big,penguin,returns,the,sixers,are,reportedly,signing,andre,drummond,liberty,ballers,front-page

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The Philadelphia 76ers may be all in on pursuing Paul George. And Nico Batum might already be on the way out.

But one name you’ll most certainly be familiar with is now reportedly returning. Andre “Big Penguin” Drummond is signing a two-year, $10M deal, league sources told Hoops Hype’s Michael Scotto.

Scotto adds that Dummond gets a player option for the second year. The two-time All-Star played for the Sixers during the 2021-2022 season before he was included in the Ben Simmon-James Harden blockbuster, packing his bags for Brooklyn. By all accounts Drummond loved his time in Philadelphia, and the team loved the energy he brought both on and off the floor.

Moments before Scotto’s report made it official, Drummond offered us this fun clue:

It’s a terrific low-cost signing to bolster the backup center spot. As we know all too well the Sixers tend to hemorrhage points whenever Joel Embiid sits down or misses a game. Drummond’s name should already be up there with the best backups of Embiid’s career thus far. Now he’ll get another chance to prove he’s the top reserve for Joel.

Although Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer just said that No. 41 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, Adem Bona, could be coming for that title as well.

All eyes are still on Paul George, but the Sixers still had the bandwidth to make some key value signings for their bench.

Last season season in Chicago, the 30-year-old averaged 8.4 points and 9.0 rebounds appearing in 79 games. For those keeping score in fantasy, that amounts to a monstrous 19 rebounds per 36 minutes. And if you’ve blocked this from your memory, the Sixers couldn’t rebound the basketball very well against the Knicks in the playoffs and got absolutely smoked whenever Embiid sat down. Drummond should plug a big roster gap in that regard.

This does leave Paul Reed’s future with the Sixers in doubt. The 25-year-old’s contract is not guaranteed for the 2024-25 season. With the reported signing of Drummond, it feels likely that the Sixers will not carry Reed’s $7.7 million cap hit on their books.

Paul George-Sixers free agency rumor tracker: Where will the nine-time All-Star end up? paul,george,sixers,free,agency,rumor,tracker,where,will,the,nine,time,all,star,end,up,liberty,ballers,front-page,nba-free-agency,76ers-analysis,76ers-free-agency-rumors-news,nba-rumors-news

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Buckle up Sixers’ fans.

Paul George has opted out of his $48.7M player option and is set to take some meetings this weekend. What the SoCal native decides to ultimately do next will begin a chain of dominoes around the NBA. Reports indicate he will meet with the Orlando Magic, Philadelphia 76ers and Los Angeles Clippers sometime after 6 p.m. Sunday once rival teams can make their pitches to UFAs.

Teams like the Sixers and Magic can offer George up to $212M on a four-year deal. Because of the NBA’s over 38 rule, the Clippers can only offer him up to a max salary beginning in the same range, although L.A. — possessing PG’s Bird Rights — can offer 8 percent raises increasing the total to $221M. But they don’t seem to have any interest in even offering him a fourth year so far. Whether or not that’s a bluff and they’ll cave to his demands is yet to be determined.

Players like Klay Thompson, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, DeMar DeRozan and a handful of multi-billion dollar franchises’ fates hang in the balance of what’s the 2024 summer version of “The Decision.”

George was rumored to be considering an extension with the Clippers at multiple points during this season and offseason. More recently, we also learned that he was considering opting in and seeking a trade. Well, neither of those materialized, and perhaps Daryl Morey and the Sixers’ $60M in cap space might have appeal, along with stars in place like Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey.

Here we’ll track some of the latest rumors before he makes his big decision.

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, appearing on Sports Center:

Per Woj:

“Paul George has had a year to negotiate a deal with the Clippers that he wants to take and they’ve gone back and forth, certainly in the last several months…. He wants that fourth year on his contract, the Clippers have not offered it. And certainly he’s looking at that Clipper roster and asking himself too ‘are we a championship contender?’ All other factors. I think being in Southern California and being part of the Clippers as they go into the new Intuit Dome, I think those are things that are still very appealing to him but Philadelphia out in the marketplace, Orlando to an extent out in the marketplace for him, can offer him that fourth year. And Philadelphia certainly. Is there a clear path in the Eastern Conference to try to win? Although you still have to be able to go through Boston and Philly sees Paul George as a player that can help them get through the Celtics.”

According to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer, there is more than a bit of room for optimism here.

Per Pompey:

“Sources believe Philly is the frontrunner to acquire the 6-foot-8, 220-pounder. However, the Orlando Magic, another potential destination, cleared up available cap space to offer the max. And you have to wonder if he’ll remain in Los Angeles if the Clippers give into his demands for a fourth year….If he comes to Philly, sources believe George will help recruit solid role players for the Sixers’ pursuit of an NBA championship-caliber roster.”

If the Sixers whiff on PG, they may continue to look at names above like KCP and Klay as free agents, although Thompson has now been connected with the Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers.

Pompey adds that Brandon Ingram is another possibility via trade:

“But the Pelicans are “unlikely” to offer a maximum salary and will look to trade him if no deal is reached. However, their asking price has been steep.”

The problem there is that Ingram isn’t as good as George, and would cost them significant draft capital to acquire. What more they can add with those picks should PG sign into Philly’s cap space will definitely be part of Daryl Morey’s pitch to George this weekend.

Chris Haynes of TNT and Bleacher Report thinks the Sixers are a legitimate threat in this race.

Monte Poole with NBCS, who covers the Golden State Warriors, believes the Clippers still have the inside track here.

With this much interest around the NBA, I can’t help but wonder if the Clippers don’t find SOME number in between their current three-year bid and the four-year max Philly and Orlando will likely offer — ultimately retaining PG.

Heck, the Clippers could always sign him and then turn around and try to trade him before February’s 2025 NBA Trade Deadline in exchange for some draft picks and maybe a young player or an expiring contract at least then, right? That all seems better than nothing. But then again, maybe PG would remember what happened once to Blake Griffin (signing a max then quickly getting shipped off to Detroit) and worry he’d later land somewhere far less preferable than Philadelphia and their live title aspirations.

If I were PG, weather, and family aside, I’d head to the Sixers. He’s already considered one of the best to ever do it. A championship ring on his finger would vault him way up that all-time ladder, and since Morey would still have up to four first-round picks to play around with, this would be his best chance to get there, in our biased opinion.

Game on.

We will continue to update this post as news develops over what’s set to become a landmark weekend for the Joel Embiid era.

Six under-the-radar free-agent targets for the Sixers in 2024 six,under,the,radar,free,agent,targets,for,the,sixers,in,liberty,ballers,front-page,nba-free-agency,76ers-analysis,76ers-free-agency-rumors-news

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Now that the 2024 NBA draft is over, the Sixers have to quickly turn their attention to free agency. Teams have been free to negotiate with their own free agents for more than a week, but they (legally) can begin to reach out to free agents from other teams at 6 p.m. ET on June 30.

The Sixers’ top options are already flying off the board, though. On Wednesday, OG Anunoby agreed to a five-year, $212.5 million contract to stay with the New York Knicks. Malik Monk and Pascal Siakam have likewise agreed to re-sign with the Sacramento Kings and Indiana Pacers, respectively. And LeBron James is presumably staying with the Los Angeles Lakers after they spent the No. 55 pick on his eldest son, Bronny.

Los Angeles Clippers forward Paul George was reportedly the Sixers’ Plan A this offseason, but even that might be on life support. Earlier this week on the Hoop Collective podcast, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst shared that George doesn’t seem keen on leaving the West Coast.

The Sixers reportedly plan to pursue Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in free agency, and they could always use their cap space to absorb contracts via trade, too.

Regardless of which big fish (if any) they land, they might need to round out their roster with a few value signings, too. Here, we’ve assembled six potential candidates to consider.

Naji Marshall, SF

Naji Marshall might not be a starting-caliber wing, but he’d be a valuable addition to the Sixers’ rotation nonetheless.

Marshall has spent his entire four-year NBA career with the New Orleans Pelicans, over which time he’s averaged 7.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists in only 19.5 minutes per game. He also knocked down a career-high 38.7 percent of his three-point attempts this past season (albeit on low volume) and ranked in the 91st percentile leaguewide in Dunks and Threes’ defensive estimated plus/minus.

Standing 6’7” with a nearly 7’1” wingspan, Marshall has the frame to soak up minutes on the wing. He might not be much more than a three-and-D option, but that’s the exact archetype that team president Daryl Morey is aiming to add alongside Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey.

In April, Will Guillory of The Athletic told HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto that the Pelicans were “pretty much sold” that Marshall would leave in free agency “because they’ve got all these other financial situations going on.” It’s unclear whether the $8.0 million room mid-level exception would be enough to snag him or if the Sixers would need to offer him a double-digit annual salary to pry him away from other suitors, though.

Caleb Martin, SF

If (when) Caleb Martin declines his $7.1 million player option, he’ll be one of the better wings on the free-agent market. He averaged a career-high 10.0 points per game to go with 4.4 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.3 three-pointers, 0.7 steals and 0.5 blocks in only 27.4 minutes per game this past season despite starting in only 23 of his 64 regular-season appearances with the Miami Heat.

Martin has also been a plus defender in recent years, which adds to his three-and-D appeal. He’s been a relatively low-volume shooter throughout his five-year NBA career, but he’s shot 35.7 percent from long range.

ESPN’s Bobby Marks told Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald that he projected Martin to receive the full $12.9 million non-taxpayer mid-level exception this summer. The Sixers won’t have access to the NTMLE if they dip below the cap—they’ll only have the $8.0 million room mid-level exception instead—so they’d likely have to sign Martin with a portion of their cap space.

There’s always a concern about Heat players falling apart once they leave Miami, but Max Strus hopefully dispelled that notion after joining the Cleveland Cavaliers last offseason. Besides, that’s what the Sixers have Nick Nurse for.

Mario Hezonja, SF

In mid-June, longtime NBA insider Marc Stein reported that Mario Hezonja was “increasingly coming up as a free agent to watch this offseason when it comes to an NBA return.” Shams Charania of The Athletic reported that Hezonja has an NBA out clause in his contract until July 19 and “is receiving interest from multiple teams to return to the NBA.”

The Orlando Magic originally selected Hezonja with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2015 draft, but he never lived up to his draft stock. Shooting was supposed to be a strength of his, but he shot only 31.9 percent on 2.5 three-point attempts per game across his five-year NBA career.

Hezonja hasn’t played in the NBA since the 2019-20 season, but he might have earned himself another look after his past two seasons with Real Madrid. This past season, he averaged 11.9 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.8 threes in only 22.3 minutes per game across 81 appearances. He also shot 39.0 percent from deep overall and 43.1 percent on 5.1 attempts three-point attempts per game in 38 Euroleague games.

The 29-year-old Hezonja might be mostly a shooting specialist in the NBA—he doesn’t offer much as a playmaker or on defense—but he could be a slightly younger alternative to someone such as Doug McDermott. Given Morey’s fixation on adding shooting, Hezonja should at least merit consideration as the Sixers probe the fringes of the free-agent market.

Gary Trent Jr., SG

If the Sixers land Caldwell-Pope or Klay Thompson in free agency, they presumably won’t splurge on another shooting guard as well. But if they strike out on both, Gary Trent Jr. will be among the better remaining options. (Granted, the Sixers might have two even better alternatives on their own roster in De’Anthony Melton and Buddy Hield.)

Trent had the best years of his career in his two full seasons with Nurse on the Toronto Raptors. He averaged 17.9 points, 2.8 three-pointers and 1.7 steals per game across those two years, although he went from starting all but one game in 2021-22 to coming off the bench 22 times in 2022-23.

However, it’s unclear whether Trent would want to reunite with Nurse. According to Eric Koreen of The Athletic, Trent said after last season “that he got used to the coach’s criticism coming out in the media before Nurse told him in person,” which hardly sounds like an enjoyable workplace experience.

After picking up Bruce Brown’s $23 million team option on Friday, the Raptors may have bigger changes afoot. That could make Trent expendable, which should at least put him on the Sixers’ radar as a backup option if their top shooting guard targets fall through.

Patrick Williams, PF

Full disclosure: There’s a chance that Patrick Williams is just Tobias Harris 2.0. On the bright side, he shouldn’t cost anywhere close to a max contract.

Like Harris, Williams is a frustratingly low-volume three-point shooter despite being an above-average marksman. He has drilled 40.9 percent of his 3.4 long-range attempts per game over the past two seasons, which begs the question of why he isn’t firing away far more often.

The good news is that Williams has been a plus defender in each of the past two seasons. At 6’7” and 215 pounds with a nearly 7-foot wingspan, he has the exact type of physical toolkit that Nurse has maximized on both ends of the floor in the past.

According to K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago, the Bulls offered Williams an extension in the neighborhood of four years for $64 million with a team option,” while he reportedly wanted “in the vicinity of De’Andre Hunter’s four-year, $90 million deal with Atlanta.” However, Johnson added that Williams “might’ve come down to $20 million annually.”

If the Sixers strike out on their top wing options (Paul George, Brandon Ingram, etc.), it might not hurt to throw an offer sheet at Williams and dare the Bulls to match.

Jonas Valanciunas, C

The Sixers’ never-ending search for a reliable backup to Joel Embiid might continue anew this offseason if they waive Paul Reed before his $7.7 million salary becomes guaranteed in January. Andre Drummond will be a popular free-agent target—and we’ll address him quickly later—but Jonas Valanciunas should be on the Sixers’ radar as well.

Multiple reporters have suggested that Valanciunas is unlikely to re-sign with the New Orleans Pelicans, particularly after they began trimming his role this past season. He averaged only 23.5 minutes per game—his fewest since the 2018-19 campaign—as head coach Willie Green would often downsize with Larry Nance Jr. in his place.

Valanciunas is more of an old-school big man than a modern-day, switchable center, although he can knock down an occasional three-pointer. Still, his value to the Sixers would be primarily as a backup, although he could be a viable starting fill-in whenever Embiid missed time.

Valanciunas might not be ready to be demoted to a full-time backup yet, although it’s hard to see a starting opportunity available to him this summer. Given the likelihood of Embiid missing time next season, the Sixers might be his best option to both fill a consistent role off the bench and still prove himself as a starter at times.

Minimum-contract targets

Andre Drummond, C: Drummond was a fan favorite two years ago, and he remains one of the most prolific rebounders in the NBA. He might not be a heavy-minute player in the playoffs, but the Sixers wouldn’t need him to be as long as Embiid stays healthy.

Dennis Smith Jr., PG: After the Dallas Mavericks took him with the No. 9 pick in the 2017 draft, Smith has reinvented himself as defensive specialist. However, he’s a career 29.8 percent shooter from deep, which could make him a liability in the playoffs.

Kris Dunn, PG: Like Smith, Dunn is a former lottery pick—No. 5 in 2016—who found his niche as a defensive stopper. He’s also a mediocre, low-volume three-point shooter, but he could be someone to pair with rookie guard Jared McCain in the reserve unit.

Lonnie Walker IV, SG: Finally, a shooter! Walker signed a minimum contract with the Brooklyn Nets last offseason and drilled 38.4 percent of his 4.7 three-point attempts per game. Walker won’t provide much defensively, but he could be a far cheaper alternative to Hield.

Malik Beasley, SG: Beasley would fill the same niche as Walker as a one-dimensional shooter off the bench. He signed a one-year, minimum deal with the Milwaukee Bucks last summer and knocked down a career-high 41.3 percent of his 6.9 three-point attempts per game, although he seemed to fall out of favor with head coach Doc Rivers late in the year.

Torrey Craig, SF: A quintessential three-and-D guy. Craig has shot 39.4 percent from deep on 3.1 attempts per game over the past two seasons combined. He signed a minimum-salary deal with the Bulls last summer, so the Sixers would likely prefer to land him at somewhere in that price range.

Gary Harris, SG: Harris has played 65-plus games only once in the past eight seasons, so the Sixers might not want to pin their hopes on another oft-injured player given Embiid’s injury history. However, Harris is a career 37.0 percent three-point shooter and a plus defender, which would make him an easy fit off the bench.

Eric Gordon, SG: Gordon turned down his $3.4 million player option Thursday, per Charania, and reportedly has interest from “multiple contenders.” Given his shooting prowess and the years he spent with Morey in Houston, it’s likely safe to assume the Sixers are one of those suitors.

Gordon Hayward, SF: Maybe he isn’t as washed as he looked in OKC last year? It could at least be worth a training camp deal to find out.

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.

Don’t let the nail polish and TikTok videos fool you — Sixers’ Jared McCain is a killer on the court don,t,let,the,nail,polish,and,tiktok,videos,fool,you,sixers,jared,mccain,is,a,killer,on,the,court,liberty,ballers,front-page,nba-draft,76ers-features-profiles,76ers-draft-rumors-news

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Tyrese Maxey might be the most positive person to ever put on a Sixers uniform.

His smile lights up a room. He makes his teammates — and even curmudgeonly reporters — laugh. With the Sixers selecting Duke’s Jared McCain with the 16th overall pick Wednesday night, Maxey might have a little competition in the sunshine and rainbows department.

But just like Maxey, don’t mistake the kindness for weakness. McCain is a stone-cold killer on the court who will bury a three in your face — with a smile on his.

By now you’ve likely seen that McCain paints his fingernails and has a massive TikTok following. While a bunch of old, insecure men clutch their pearls over it, it shows McCain is comfortable in his own skin — a strong statement to make about a 20-year-old.

While McCain enjoys doing things off the court, he is a fierce competitor on it. Watch just about any game he played at Duke last season and you’ll likely see some trash talk and fiery celebrations after a big shot.

“I think it’s a good balance I have,” McCain said Friday at the Sixers’ practice facility. “Being on social media and doing all this stuff outside of basketball, it comes with a lot of hate. And when you get a lot of hate, you kind of want to prove yourself that you can be one of the best players in the world in college.”

And McCain did just that, shining all season long for the Blue Devils, especially in the NCAA Tournament.

One of the elite skills that helped McCain realize his NBA dream is shooting. He knocked down 41.4% of his threes on a healthy 5.8 attempts per game in his lone season with Duke.

As we’ve seen, Daryl Morey is an executive who highly values three-point shooting, especially when building around a player like Joel Embiid.

“He’s already putting up a high volume of threes,” Morey said after the draft Wednesday. “And being able to shoot threes at a high volume and be in the high 30s, low 40s (percentage-wise) is maybe the most valuable skill in the NBA. It’s on the list of the top few, so that’s a big, big part of the calculus with Jared. One hundred percent, absolutely.”

McCain is far from a one-dimensional player though. He’s plenty crafty off the bounce, able to knock down midrange jumpers, floaters, fadeaways and finish with both hands at the rim. He’s a smart offensive player that understands spacing and is a good connective passer. What he lacks in size and athleticism on the defensive end he makes up for with his basketball IQ and desire to win.

He’s made numerous big shots, he’ll dive for loose balls, he’ll get in there and fight for rebounds. Simply put, he’s a winning basketball player.

“Frankly, he sort of checked every box,” Morey said, “that’s why we were so high on him — in that he not only is someone who has a skill and the work ethic to get out there on the floor, and also playing in high-level games … He’s been a top-10, top-15 guy in the country in his class the whole way across. So he’s a combination of a guy we think could get out there a little quicker and, at the same time, a lot of upside given he’s very young and has a great work ethic.”

Every competitive athlete feels like they have something to prove. For McCain, he said he focused on his ability on the ball during the pre-draft process. At 6-foot-2, the ability to operate as a ball handler could be critical to his development. McCain doesn’t have to go far to find an example of a player that’s had success in this area.

Maxey came to the Sixers as an explosive off-ball guard. He thrived in that role next to Ben Simmons and James Harden. After The Beard was dealt to the Clippers, the ball was in Maxey’s hands. He took some lumps along the way, but the increased role led Maxey to his first All-Star appearance and being named the NBA’s Most Improved Player.

After learning so much from guys like Harden and Kyle Lowry, Maxey will become the teacher — and he has a willing pupil in McCain.

“For me, in college I obviously played more of an off-ball role,” McCain said. “So I think being able to learn on-ball stuff from Tyrese and being able to show that I can be on the ball, make reads in pick-and-rolls. … I think the mind is something a lot of people undervalue in the draft — just being able to figure out stuff, the IQ. I think I’m good at that, so I’m going to try to show that as much as I can in my rookie season.”

The moment has never been to big for McCain. He starred at Centennial High School in Corona, California, being named the state’s Gatorade Player of the Year as both a junior and senior. He was a McDonald’s All-American and a consensus five-star recruit.

He committed to Duke and had a monster one-and-done season. He was named to the ACC All-Rookie Team and was an All-ACC Honorable Mention. He set a Blue Devil freshman record by hitting eight threes in a game — and he did it twice (one of those times in the NCAA Tournament). His season-high 35 points has only been matched by Zion Williamson in school history for a freshman. He had three 30-point games — including two in the NCAA Tourney — which was most among all Division 1 freshman.

So, do you think McCain is ready for his opportunity in the NBA with the Sixers?

“Since high school, I’ve felt like I’ve always wanted to be on the biggest platforms, be on the biggest stages, and that’s why I chose Duke,” he said. “Now to be in Philly, to have those championship aspirations, I feel like I’m ready for it.

“I’ve always wanted to play in the big games and I feel like when the lights are the brightest, I want to show out and be myself out there on the court. I’m excited. It’s something I’ve looked forward to my entire life and now I’m finally here.”

He’s going to keep painting his nails. He’s going to keep making TikTok videos. He’s going to keep smiling.

But don’t let any of that fool you. Jared McCain wants to hoop.

“Obviously, now being a rookie, I’ve got a lot to prove, so I’m just willing to take on that challenge,” he said. “And once I set a goal, I’m going to put my mind to it and work as hard as I can to keep going. I think that mindset of always wanting to be the best always motivates me.”

Like Maxey before him, he has the chance to make a lot of people look silly for doubting him.