Tag: will

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.

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: 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.

2024 NBA free agency: Report: Sixers among four teams that will have discussions with Warriors’ Klay Thompson nba,free,agency,report,sixers,among,four,teams,that,will,have,discussions,with,warriors,klay,thompson,liberty,ballers,front-page,nba-free-agency,76ers-free-agency-rumors-news

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The first domino to fall once 2024 NBA free agency officially opened was that the Golden State Warriors and Klay Thompson will be going their separate ways.

The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported that the two sides will be working towards a sign-and-trade.

Minutes later, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski named the Sixers as one of four teams that are planning on having discussions with Thompson to facilitate that trade.

Given who’s reporting this, it’s certainly notable that the Sixers were one of the team’s mentioned to be interested in Thompson’s services. At the same time, with Paul George’s decision reportedly set to dictate the market, and the Sixers still being strong suitors, it’s hard to see Philadelphia making this trade before George has made a decision.

But the Sixers’ having nearly $60 million available in cap space will likely have them named in just about every high stakes negotiation until they begin to spend some of that money.

If the plan is to sign George and also work out a sign-and-trade for Thompson, it could take some serious cap gymnastics from Daryl Morey. Still, adding a shooter like Thompson — along with a shooter like George — to complement Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey is intriguing.

2024 NBA free agency: Report: ‘Growing optimism’ Sixers will land Paul George nba,free,agency,report,growing,optimism,sixers,will,land,paul,george,liberty,ballers,front-page,76ers-free-agency-rumors-news

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As various dominoes have fallen in recent weeks, the clearest path for the Philadelphia 76ers to improve this offseason appears to be signing Paul George. That possibility came closer to reality yesterday when George officially declined his player option with the Los Angeles Clippers and became an unrestricted free agent. The Sixers were absolutely in the mix with George reported to be taking meetings with Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Orlando. Now, the flames on the hot stove are rising even further with this reporting from NBA Insider Chris Haynes.

Haynes’ sourcing is generally pretty rock solid, so we can put more stock in this report than the usual musings to come across the timeline.

While people may be worried about paying max money to a 37-year-old George in four years, it’s hard to make an argument that there’s a better way to make the team better in the present. Slotting George in as a third option, 3-and-D wing between Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey would be a dream fit. With Embiid now 30 years old and the injuries continue to pile up, taking a win-now mentality makes all the sense in the world. Cap space in 2027-28 is Future Daryl Morey’s problem, and at the very least, George’s high volume, three-point shooting will age well.

We’ll see what happens in the coming hours/days as free agency officially opens. Undoubtedly, an Embiid-Maxey-George big three would be an exciting start to the roster heading into next season. Make it happen, Daryl.

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.

2024 NBA Draft: Will the Sixers make a pick? Check out our full list of prospect profiles nba,draft,will,the,sixers,make,a,pick,check,out,our,full,list,of,prospect,profiles,liberty,ballers,front-page,nba-draft,76ers-draft-rumors-news

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The Sixers’ vibes are a little different this season ahead of the 2024 NBA Draft.

At this time last year, we didn’t know what would happen with James Harden. The Sixers also had zero draft picks. Well, Harden is a Clipper (for now) and thanks to the trade that sent The Beard to L.A., the Sixers now have a decent chunk of draft capital.

Going into Wednesday night, the Sixers own a first-round pick (No. 16) and a second-round pick (No. 41). They also have one player on a guaranteed contract (Joel Embiid) and another that is about to receive a max contract (Tyrese Maxey). That means Morey could potentially have 13 roster spots to fill before the start of the 2024-25 season.

But what will the Sixers do? Take a player at 16? Trade back to acquire more future picks and provide more cap flexibility? Trade it in a package for a player? This is likely the type of optionality Morey envisioned when he enacted his cap space plan. Wednesday night’s draft will reveal the first phase of that plan.

Below are all the draft profiles we published at Liberty Ballers over the last month.