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.
BREAKING: Free agent F Paul George has agreed on a four-year, $212 million maximum contract with the Philadelphia 76ers, sources tell ESPN. George committed in a meeting with Sixers officials and returns East to join Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey in pursuit of an NBA title. pic.twitter.com/pkCfGu3hyp
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.
ESPN Sources: Philadelphia 76ers All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey has agreed in principle on a five-year, $204 million maximum contract extension. pic.twitter.com/rBT8Tpkvg8
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.
Tobias Harris has agreed to a two-year, $52 million deal with the Detroit Pistons, sources tell ESPN.
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.
Nicolas Batum will not be returning to the Philadelphia 76ers, sources tell @TheAthletic.
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 Sixerswill 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.
Klay Thompson plans to have discussions with the Mavericks, Lakers, Clippers and 76ers in the opening hours of free agency, sources tell ESPN.
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.
Ah, so they’re still doing the ex-Houston Rockets thing.
The Sixers, apparently one of the few teams who have realized free agency has started, have added another role player. The team will sign veteran guard Eric Gordon to a minimum contract, a source confirms to Liberty Ballers.
The Athletic’s Shams Charania first reported the signing. PHLY’s Kyle Neubeck first reported that it is a one-year deal for the veteran’s minimum.
Eric Gordon is on a minimum deal with the Sixers per source
Gordon spent last year with the Phoenix Suns, where he averaged 11 points in 27.2 minutes per game last year. He’s shot the ball well in the later years of his career. Last season in Phoenix he shot 44.3% from the field and 37.8% from behind the three-point arc.
Gordon of course has history with Daryl Morey. He was with the Houston Rockets for six seasons. It’s also worth noting that Gordon and Paul George, who appears likely to sign with the Sixers, were teammates with the Clippers in 2022-23.
While he likely won’t be counted on for as many minutes as the Suns did, the Sixers are certainly hoping Gordon still has some two-way juice left entering his age-36 season.
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.
Breaking: The Philadelphia 76ers and free agent center Andre Drummond have agreed to a two-year, $10+ million deal, league sources told @hoopshype. Drummond gets a player option Year 2. During his career, Drummond has been a two-time All-Star and a four-time rebounding champion. pic.twitter.com/r9Z77n844C
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.
Adem Bona will be the best backup in Joel Embiid’s Sixers career. Pure energy and hustle.
But Bona’s versatility could also enable him to play WITH Embiid for two-big lineups. Embiid can space on offense, Bona can handle perimeter matchups on defense. pic.twitter.com/oldR69gO7Q
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.
Well, it appears the Sixers’ Plan A is still intact.
Paul George has reportedly opted out of his contract with the LA Clippers, making him an unrestricted free agent when the bell rings Sunday evening. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski was the first to report the news.
BREAKING: Los Angeles Clippers star Paul George is declining his $48.7M option and entering free agency, sources tell ESPN. He’s planning to set meetings with cap space teams and the Clippers beginning Sunday night. An opt-in/trade scenario is now gone. pic.twitter.com/kASDp58eDD
Bleacher Report’s Chris Haynes adds that the Sixers will be a “legitimate threat” to sign George.
Philadelphia 76ers are expected to aggressively pursue Paul George and is a legitimate threat in luring the star away from Los Angeles, sources say. https://t.co/c3JYzn335H
The best-case scenario for the Sixers was George declining his $48.7 million player option for the 2024-25 season. Now the team has the chance to woo the six-time All-NBA pick in free agency and offer him a four-year, $212 million max deal — one the Clippers have been reportedly unwilling to offer.
George could’ve opted into his current deal and potentially been traded to the Warriors, who were reportedly ready to offer him a max contract. As we learned with the James Harden saga last year, these types of situations can linger. It’s also fair to note that LA could’ve played hardball here, not wanting to help Golden State in their quest to get Steph Curry another ring (anyone who still has PTSD from the Jimmy Butler sign-and-trade should get that).
So, what now?
Expect the Sixers to roll out the red carpet for George when free agency begins at 6 p.m. Sunday night. Geography is not the Sixers’ friend here as all indications are that the nine-time All-Star wing has a strong desire to stay on the West Coast with his family. It will be up to the team to convince the Palmdale native that moving across the country to partner with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey is the right move.
So, what happens if they whiff on PG-13?
Well, Brandon Ingram is still a Pelican even after New Orleans dealt for Hawks’ guard Dejounte Murray Friday night. While it still feels like a long shot, there’s a chance the Jazz could trade All-Star Lauri Markkanen — and the Sixers would be well positioned to give Utah its best offer. In free agency, they could pivot to elite role players, like Denver’s Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.
Free agency begins at 6 p.m. Sunday when teams are free to negotiate with free agents. We’ll see what Daryl Morey has up his sleeve.
Just days after the 2024 NBA Draft, and days before the free agency period, the Atlanta Hawks and the New Orleans Pelicans have made a big trade.
After two seasons, the Hawks are pulling the plug on the Trae Young-Dejounte Murray backcourt. And the New Orleans Pelicans have swooped in, sending out draft capital and Larry Nance Jr. in exchange for the former Spurs’ 2022 All-Star, Murray.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski broke the story in bits and pieces on X: “Full trade on ESPN: Dejounte Murray for Larry Nance Jr., Dyson Daniels, 2025 first-round pick (via Lakers), 2027 first-round pick (least favorable of Bucks-Pels),” Woj reported.
In a follow up tweet, Woj added:
“New Orleans was 0-24 when trailing entering the fourth and 2-14 in close games and see Murray as a player who can generate offense late in games. Pels remain committed to core that includes Zion Williamson and CJ McCollum. Pels are trying to find common ground with Brandon Ingram contract.”
Woj said there is still more work to be done in Atlanta, remaking the young core in place there. Is Nance Jr. now a name the Sixers could eye? Daryl Morey and co. once showed some interest in acquiring the versatile and bouncy forward back in 2021.
But it’s that last line from Woj above about Ingram that will likely have most Sixer fans attention… will the Pelicans ultimately find common ground on a new extension with Ingram? I think most insiders would still guess that Ingram will be traded and not wind up extending with the team who traded for him five years ago in the Anthony Davis Lakers’ blockbuster. But this certainly gives them a bit more optionality.
The Pelicans have a chance to do something special with Ingram now and are not limited to securing a guard.
Possibilities are vast. Including the possibility he stays on a sub max!
PG has things on hold for at least another handful of hours
Photo by Tim Heitman/NBAE via Getty Images
According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, speaking earlier Friday on ESPN’s “Get UP:”
“[The Sixers] have the most cap space out there, around $60M. They are obviously interested in signing Paul George. They have to hold their other business, their other free agent aspirations, until they see what Paul George’s decision is. That decision could come [Friday or Saturday] it may not be into free agency.”
So the Sixers may have real interest in trading for Brandon Ingram here. We’ve heard that he’s atop some of their fallback plan options in the past. But Daryl Morey and Co. likely won’t want to part with the precious draft assets for Ingram (they can still trade up to four first-rounders following their selection of Jared McCain Wednesday) until they know where they stand with PG.
Signing PG into Philadelphia’s cap space for a $212M max four-year deal would not only allow them to acquire a player more feared by defenders and scorers than Ingram, but additionally retain their significant draft haul to target even more help via trade between July and February’s 2025 NBA Trade Deadline.
But in the more likely event that PG remains on the West Coast, this big move by the Pelicans should:
probably signify a willingness-acceptance to move on from Ingram without any positional needs (the good part) and
give them more leverage in a potential deal — since their own fans will likely want to see how the current core looks together (the bad part).
Ingram has never played more than 64 games for the Peli’s in a single season, but the 26-year-old can create his own shot, pass, draw free throws, space the floor and knock down triples at a respectable clip.
We’re all waiting to see what happens with George. And before that, we’re keeping a close watch on names like Chris Paul and Andrew Wiggins, to see if the Warriors can find a way to thwart Morey’s plans just like the Clippers would love to do.
But New Orleans making a move like this could certainly be interpreted as a team that has accepted the very real possibility of moving on from the former No. 2 overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft and 2020 All-Star.
There’s plenty of trade activity to come, just like Detroit’s deal for Tim Hardaway Jr. that we had to scrap from what was filed last night! More on the shaping offseason landscape @YahooSports: https://t.co/4e2SdvkL3k
Earlier Friday, Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer wondered if three first-round picks might be enough for Morey to land Ingram.
Could the Murray deal, sending out two picks, increase NOLA’s appetite to restock their future draft coffers? Or does GM David Griffin think they can work something out to keep BI around, having now added one more key piece to this Pelican puzzle?
Woj’s wording that New Orleans remains committed to Zion Williamson and CJ McCollum is probably the most interesting nugget from the Sixers’ POV. Keep watching that clock to see what Paul George does… he has until Saturday at 6 p.m. Eastern to make up his mind. Because Woj did not say they’re fully committed to building around BI, and Murray’s presence may be further evidence they’re ready for a retool. I wonder if B-Ball Paul Reed might appeal to them now that Nance Jr. is in Hotlanta. I guess they could use a low-priced athletic big.
The New Orleans Pelicans are now $2.6 million below the $171.3 million luxury tax line with 12 players, but more moves could follow.
They need a center, and are down one by moving Larry Nance Jr.
Brandon Ingram or CJ McCollum could be trade candidates to help acquire a big man.
Finally, the Hawks, still owe unprotected picks in 2025 and 2027 plus a swap to the Spurs San Antonio from the 2022 trade when they landed Murray. The Hawks may be thinking fire-sale if Morey wants to place a call and offer future draft ammo there too. Names like Trae Young, De’Andre Huter, Bogdan Bogdanović, Onyeka Okongwu, could all be left wondering about their future now as well.
The Sixers drafted a guard in Jared McCain in round one.
McCain already seems like a lot of fun, with an infectious personality and drive, reminiscent of the enchanting “he’ll smile dazzlingly while going full Mortal Kombat Kano fatality on you,” Tyrese Maxey.
McCain’s TikTok videos and nail polish all clearly belie a dude with an obvious hypomaniacal drive to perfect his footwork on movement triples. At 20 years old, the Duke product’s shooting form is already flawless, which makes it impossible not to reminisce about another Duke alum and former Sixer in JJ Redick — whose offseason and pregame form-work obsession was simply unmatched for the better part of two decades spanning the Lakers’ new head coach’s college freshman days as a Blue Devil through his final NBA season with the Dallas Mavericks.
In round two of the draft the Sixers selected big man, Adem “The Nigerian-Turkish Terminator” Bona, the hardest competitor in the entire draft (that nickname I cooked up isn’t working so you’d better help us workshop some better ones in the replies section below).
So with Joel Embiid, Maxey and McCain all penciled in, possessing options to retain Paul Reed, Jeff Downtin, Jr. and Ricky Council IV, they’ve got somewhere between 3-6 players in tow as Bona is still unsigned.
At 6 p.m. Eastern Sunday, teams can negotiate with rival free agents. Saturday is the deadline for Paul George, the NBA’s biggest story now, to opt in or out of his $48.7M player option with the Los Angeles Clippers.
What’s going to happen? Let’s get to the latest rumors.
KCP looking more and more likely to join the bell-ringing bunch
Photo by David Berding/Getty Images
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope makes a lot of sense for the Sixers. He is currently what they once hoped Danny Green could be for them.
He’s a multi-time champion who plays stalwart D and knocks down over 40 percent from distance on roughly four tries per battle. He’s willing to dive and get dirty, and doesn’t need the rock to be effective. The price won’t be cheap, but he’s a terrific fit that won’t force Daryl Morey to put all of his eggs in one basket. By signing KCP to a $20-plus million dollar deal, it would still leave room to sign another high-end free agent or two, plus a big-time trade acquisition as well — since the Sixers have over $60M to spend.
Jayson Tatum sure wouldn’t be as thrilled to have to square off against KCP as he would have facing Kyle Lowry or Tyrese Maxey; neither would Jalen Brunson.
It does not sound as if the Nuggets intend to retain the Thomaston, Georgia native’s services:
I asked Calvin Booth about retaining Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.
“When you look at good teams in the past, they had to find a way to replace fourth, fifth starters.”
According to Marc Stein, via recent Substack newsletter:
“Denver’s Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is emerging as one of the focal points of NBA free agency. A difference-maker, league sources say, who suddenly appears more likely than not to switch teams. The Orlando Magic and the Philadelphia 76ers, meanwhile, appear especially well-positioned to capitalize on Caldwell-Pope’s expected availability if they choose. The Nuggets have been unable to come to terms on a contract extension with Caldwell-Pope, who is expected to decline his $15.4 million player option for next season to become a free agent before this season’s marketplace officially opens Sunday at 6 PM ET.”
Stein mentioned that the reigning West champs, the Dallas Mavericks, are also interested in landing the former Georgia Bulldog, but Denver has little interest in helping a team that recently supplanted them in the conference pecking order. Dallas almost certainly doesn’t have the cap space to make a winning KCP bid so they’d need help from the Nuggets via sign-and-trade. That seems farfetched.
With Paul George’s situation in flux, this KCP-to-Philly scenario is beginning to feel more and more realistic by the hour.
Klay Thompson ring that bell brother?
Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images
Stein continued:
“[Klay] Thompson is said to be seeking a three-year deal at a minimum. The cap space teams [Philadelphia and Orlando] are believed to prefer shorter contract structures than Thompson covets but can offset that with higher dollar amounts than teams like the Nuggets and Mavericks can muster.”
More on Klay from The Athletic.Sam Amick and Anthony Slater combined to confirm reports that the Sixers have interest in the five-time All-Star and four-time NBA Champion sniper.
Per Amick and Slater:
“A league source said Philadelphia has interest in Thompson. If the Nuggets lose free-agent-to-be Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who has decided to decline his player option and enter the market, a league source said Denver has pegged Thompson as a possible replacement. Caldwell-Pope, as it were, is believed to be a strong possibility for Orlando. There are a handful of other rival teams also in play for Thompson, depending on his price tag.”
So if the Sixers were to sign KCP, that might diminish their ability to acquire Klay, creating scenarios where The Splash Brother lands in Denver (or Orlando). But Philly does sound interested in Thompson as a fallback plan, provided they could get him on a one or two-year deal; even if that short-term deal approached similar totals as the three-year iterations.
“Overpaying” for Klay (or KCP) on purpose, heading into a potential expiring contract by summer of ’25 or ’26 might also keep Philly’s big game-hunting options open since they’d have a solid player on a hefty short-term annual deal — helping to match for the next disgruntled star to seek a trade.
These types of “fallback plans” would also likely leave the Sixers more total spend if they intend to keep Kelly Oubre, Jr., De’Anthony Melton, or Buddy Hield; names expected to command more money than a Kyle Lowry or a Nico Batum.
So if Philadelphia executed a Jimmy Butler blockbuster by February via draft picks and large short term-deals for example, they might still be able to keep a few players on their current roster in addition; something they could probably not do if they sign Paul George outright next week.
And yeah, it’s no secret that Joel Embiid is simply dominant when there’s spacing around him, and who’s to say Thompson can’t thrive in a reduced role, as his catastrophic injuries wane further into the rearview mirror?
Brandon ‘Tiny Dog’ Ingram
Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images
Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer, a Liberty Ballers alum, offered the latest on Brandon Ingram — long connected to Philadelphia this offseason as another possible fallback plan.
Per Fischer:
“Ingram has been listed among Philadelphia’s targets this offseason, sources said, somewhere below George, although it’s not exactly clear where Ingram ranks among the Sixers’ proverbial group of wing targets to slot between Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. In the event George spurns Philadelphia, the Sixers could easily acquire Ingram into their $60-plus million in cap space, but could Philly’s three first-round picks prove enough for Ingram?”
This is the first I’ve heard of a potential price tag discussed regarding Ingram to Philly.
It’s my current understanding that the Sixers can trade up to four first round-picks: 2026 (their own or the HOU/LAC/OKC pick), 2028 (their own or LAC’s), 2029, 2031.
They’d have to put some conditional language on the 2029 and 2031 picks, but there are swaps and possible second-rounders (which still occasionally hold considerable value as evidenced by day two of the 2024 NBA Draft). If Ingram could be had for three future firsts, would the Sixers pony up? If so, they’d still have some draft ammo remaining, as well as another ~$30Mish in cap space to work with. Former Lakers’ BI and KCP to P anyone?
High-stakes PG-13 game of chicken
Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images
Alas, no roundup is complete without the deluge of speculation regarding Paul George’s future.
According to Hoops Hype, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst recently offered the following, on a “Brian Windhorst & the Hoop Collective” pod:
“To my mind, there’s only three real options that I know about that Paul George really has. Stay in LA, which I would still put as the highest percentage chance of happening. Stay in LA for similar to what Kawhi got. Opt-in and trade, probably to the Warriors. The Warriors I know are interested in this. Third, sign straight up with the Sixers.”
And it’s sounding more and more like the Golden State Warriors could offer PG a max extension worth north of $212M should he opt in by Saturday — then quickly extend him upon trade; as well as the opportunity to remain on the West Coast — something that is reportedly quite important to the Cali native, who has family there.
But the Clippers may not want to take on Andrew Wiggins’ lengthy and exorbitant price tag. That makes Wigz a third-team trade candidate and has the Dubs playing some real hardball with the 2022 champ, apparently barring Maple Jordan from even taking part in the Olympic games, fearing an injury that could derail trade talks.
The Golden State Warriors are playing ‘hardball’ with Andrew Wiggins, which will prevent him from playing for the Canadian national team in the Olympics this summer, per @SmithRaps
Still, Stein emphasizes that Steph Curry’s team is basically all-in on landing PG here.
Golden State has this week prioritized the trade pursuit of the LA Clippers’ Paul George above ALL OTHER business, per @TheSteinLine.
The Warriors seem to be throwing all their eggs into one basket trying to make a Paul George opt-in and trade happen by tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/wVo5NVHs8S
The Golden State Warriors could also choose to guarantee Chris Paul’s $30M 2024-2025 salary and use him as trade bait.
But that doesn’t mean Clips’ owner Steve Ballmer and Team Prez Lawrence Frank have to cooperate in helping a Conference rival.
The LA Clippers have a “gigantic price” for Paul George, per @WindhorstESPN on The Hoop Collective:
“I think it’s going to be really really hard [to put together a trade]. The Clippers are not super interested in helping out the Warriors. If they are interested, they’re going to… pic.twitter.com/UUHdCx649N
“The cleanest way to do this would be to guarantee Chris Paul and Andrew Wiggins, except that would cap the Clippers at the first apron and make it impossible for them to re-sign James Harden. A simpler pathway would be to cut Paul and aggregate Wiggins, Gary Payton II and Moses Moody; the Warriors can also trade up to two first-round picks and three pick swaps to bait the hook for LA.
However, several other options exist if you prowl deeper in the weeds; for instance, it’s possible to do a Paul-Payton-Moody deal with the Clippers for George, trade Kevon Looney to a third team and get under the apron that way. Even more options exist if a Wiggins side deal emerges. The new complication of the tax apron has made putting together blockbusters a much more tangled, confusing business than it was 12 months ago.”
So the NBA world, Golden State, L.A., Philadelphia, and Orlando, in particular (but who knows what other teams may be lying in wait to pounce) will wait and see what George does next.
His opt in deadline is now a matter of hours away and this thing could be finalized swiftly, or drag on into the season. If the Clippers call PG’s bluff and he does opt out, would they then cave in and offer him a four-year, $200M deal, and then look to shop him between July and February?
Or even just keep him in the fold, new CBA-be-damned if they like how the team looks by Christmas?
Would they just take whatever deal the Warriors come up with in order to avoid a worst-case scenario where they get nothing, George walks, and Frank has to sell Leonard on a cap-space pipe dream by 2026?
We’re watching the clock closely on PG. And we’re starting to get a sense for what fallback plans may be in place for Joel Embiid and co. I’d be lying if I said it’s safe to feel too comfy about any one scenario playing out.
But my gut says the Clippers are smart enough to find some way to get something back for PG here. That helps the Warriors who should probably considered the favorites to land PG if he moves; and that should really limit Morey’s chances of hitting a cap-space homerun here. But still we’re in a holding pattern for good reason.
“The reason this impacts so many different people are the teams that are involved in trying to get Paul George if he were to leave the Clippers. So for example, you have the Philadelphia 76ers … they are obviously interested in signing Paul George, they have to hold their other…
— Philly Sixers Galaxy (@sixers_galaxy) June 28, 2024
Well, after plenty of build-up and speculation over who the Sixers could draft or what trades they could make, the 2024 NBA Draft is in the books. The Sixers kept both their picks in the end, opting to select 6-foot-2 sharpshooting guard Jared McCain from Duke with their 16th overall pick, and the super athletic UCLA big man Adem Bona at 41 in the second round.
As the draft came to a close, the Sixers didn’t wait around on the undrafted market either. They quickly agreed to a two-way deal with Philly native Justin Edwards, a 6-foot-8 wing with a smooth shooting stroke who’s well worth taking a shot on. They’ve also agreed to sign Memphis wing David Jones on a two-way deal, and big man Max Fiedler to an Exhibit-10 deal, per Jon Chepkevich of DraftExpress.
Rice’s Max Fiedler has agreed to an Exhibit-10 deal with the Philadelphia 76ers, I’m told.
The 6’11 ¼” big man boasts a unique statistical profile at his size, averaging 5+ AST per game the past two seasons.
Savvy post-facilitator, DHO hub, and decision-maker out of the elbows.
There’s a lot to like about the skills and upside the Sixers’ two picks are bringing to the team, so let’s see what different draft experts think of McCain and Bona, and how they grade the Sixers’ draft.
(Spoiler alert: it’s very good.)
ESPN
Grade: A-
We’ll start things off on a high note, with ESPN’s Kevin Pelton’s A- for the Sixers’ draft overall. Pelton even had McCain ranked as his eighth-best prospect, making the sharpshooter a bit of a steal at 16:
The stat-minded Sixers landing McCain, my eighth-ranked prospect, at No. 16 is no surprise. McCain’s shooting (41% on nearly six 3-point attempts per game) should fit well on a team that needs to space the floor for Joel Embiid. I do wonder how much McCain (6-2 barefoot) will be able to play alongside 6-2 Philadelphia starter Tyrese Maxey. However, getting value is more important in the long term than questions of fit.
Bona wasn’t quite as strong by my projections, but there’s a lot to like about his defensive potential after he blocked 2.7 shots and came up with 1.7 steals per 40 minutes as a sophomore. Compare those with Sixers backup Paul Reed, who averaged 2.3 blocks and 1.3 steals per 40 when he was a sophomore at DePaul.
Here at SB Nation, Ricky O’Donnell’s first round analysis made a fair comment regarding McCain’s smaller build and limited athleticism, but had high praise for the shooting skillset he brings:
McCain lacks ideal NBA size and athleticism for a guard, but he makes up for it with shooting. He has a deep range and fantastic accuracy as a three-point shooter, which should be a good fit around Tyrese Maxey’s drives to the rim and Joel Embiid’s interior creation. I worry that McCain might be a too small to be a long-term backcourt partner for Maxey, but his shooting is so good that this is a perfectly fine selection.
As for O’Donnell’s second round grades, he was even higher on Philly picking up Bona:
Bona was one of my favorite second round bets as a long, strong, and explosive center. Bona crushed the glass and hammered dunks throughout his sophomore year at UCLA, and showed off his physical gifts by jumping 40-inches at the combine. He’s short for a center and doesn’t have much perimeter skill, but Bona is a freak athlete and that’s worth betting on.
adem bona on being drafted by the sixers: “i’m so excited to be there. actually my older brother is a philly fan. he’s really excited right now, probably. he’s back home in nigeria watching. i can’t wait to be there, man. i’m also getting the opportunity to meet joel embiid.” pic.twitter.com/omHKfl137b
Kyle Irving at Sporting News was a big fan of both of the Sixers’ selections:
The 76ers addressed two needs with their two picks: McCain provides backcourt depth as a playmaking combo guard who can shoot the 3 and disrupt opposing ball-handlers on defense while Bona gives Philadelphia a much-needed physical interior presence behind Joel Embiid. The Sixers went 2-for-2 in this draft.
The Ringer
Grade: B for first round, B- for second round
Danny Chau, grading the Sixers’ 16th overall pick, said Jared McCain has shades of somewhere between Steph and Seth Curry, which certainly isn’t a bad spot to fall on for a scale of undersized yet highly talented shooters.
A team with the gravity that Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey command will always need release valves on the perimeter. That’s the value that McCain brings. He was one of the best 3-point marksmen in college basketball as a freshman at Duke. He is elite on catch-and-shoot attempts and has great energy transfer in his mechanics pulling up in transition. The Sixers may look to develop his ability to shoot off movement because McCain’s apparent lack of burst will put a strain on the kind of playmaking he was able to accomplish at the NCAA level…
As for picking Bona in round two, Chau was slightly cooler on the selection, giving the Sixers a B-, partly due to need concerns. But there’s still no denying how impressive Bona’s explosiveness, speed and lateral quickness are. He’s one of the very best athletes in the draft with serious defensive talent, even if Chau questions the Sixers’ need for this kind of player:
Though a bit undersized at the 5, Bona’s remarkable 7-foot-4 wingspan and seamless ability to change direction laterally make him one of the easier projections as a switch big. Outside of the occasional P.J. Brown–esque midrange jumper, Bona’s offensive game is mostly limited to explosive rim runs, but a pathway to success in the modern NBA has been paved for a player of that archetype. Bona is a real defensive talent, but it’s fair to wonder how much Philadelphia needed this type of player specifically.
However, as Daryl Morey continues to make clear, he’s going to take the best player available, regardless of fit. And if the Sixers aren’t happy with Paul Reed at backup 5 long term or if he gets moved at some point, having Bona onboard for his athleticism, versatile defense, energy and simple yet effective finishing gives them another interesting option.
Adem Bona — the Sixers’ newest backup center — was one of the quicker big men in this entire draft class.
Extremely versatile defender and capable of beating slower bigs off the bounce when given space. pic.twitter.com/8UBRRdfEZp
Bona is still only 21 years old and started basketball late too, which bodes well for how quickly he’s developed already and could continue to do so. For instance, with skills like the face-up ability he’s flashed thanks to his speed, quick elevation, and length to rise up and finish over/past opponents.
The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor is even higher on not just Bona’s ability, but his potential to fit in different lineups for the Sixers.
Adem Bona will be the best backup in Joel Embiid’s Sixers career. Pure energy and hustle.
But Bona’s versatility could also enable him to play WITH Embiid for two-big lineups. Embiid can space on offense, Bona can handle perimeter matchups on defense. pic.twitter.com/oldR69gO7Q
Apart from knocking the Sixers’ first-round grade slightly as star Tennessee wing Dalton Knecht was still on the board (and ultimately went to the Lakers next at 17), Kyle Boone and Adam Finkelstein at CBS Sports were still high on the team’s picks overall:
If Dalton Knecht weren’t on the board, I’d bump this up a grade. But I love what McCain brings as a shooter and scorer and personality. Defensively, he and Tyrese Maxey may not be ideal as two smaller guards who focus on offense. But there’s a lot to like, and adding shooting around Joel Embiid makes sense. And his competitive spirit is worth betting on.
As for their thoughts on Bona, they understandably highlighted the rookie’s energy, massive wingspan, and presence he can offer as a finisher and rim protector:
Philly has been trying for years to find viable frontcourt support next to Joel Embiid, and it might have stumbled into something here. Bona’s a high-flier with relentless energy as a big who brings a 7-4 wingspan and can be impactful around the rim on both ends.
Yahoo! Sports
Grade: A
Short and sweet analysis from Yahoo! Sports’ Krysten Peek, but yet another top grade for Philadelphia’s picks:
The 3-point shooting from McCain (42% from deep at Duke) and the physical presence of Bona (6-8, 245 pounds) will pair nicely with Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid.
Well, B’s and A’s across the board is a rather good result!
Now, it’s a time to dig into more analysis of the Sixers’ new rookies. We’ve already got you covered here at Liberty Ballers, with articles like Sean Kennedy’s look at Jared McCain’s fit with the Sixers, with comments from McCain himself and Daryl Morey. Plus Josh Grieb’s piece on how ready McCain is for anything that comes his way in Philadelphia.
The Sixers are heading into a kind of important offseason, in case you haven’t heard.
Joel Embiid is the Sixers’ only player under guaranteed contract beyond the 2023-24 season. Tyrese Maxey will join him soon enough, but Paul Reed’s $7.7 million salary for next season is now non-guaranteed since the Sixers didn’t win a playoff series. Ricky Council IV, whom the Sixers signed to a four-year, $7.4 million deal at the end of the regular season, is fully non-guaranteed for next season, while the Sixers have a team option on Jeff Dowtin Jr.
So, where does that leave the Sixers heading into the offseason? We’re partnering with SalarySwish to use their data and help answer every question you have about the Sixers’ financial situation and what it might mean in free agency.
We’ll make updates here as the offseason rolls along, so bookmark this page to keep up on the latest changes moving forward.
Sixers Roster, Salaries, Draft Picks, Cap Space and More
Here’s a table with all of the Sixers’ salary information, courtesy of our friends at SalarySwish:
That’s a lot of information to sift through, so let’s dive into a few key notes.
FAQ
Let’s start with the one on everyone’s mind.
How much salary cap space can the Sixers have this offseason?
The Sixers can generate up to nearly $65 million in cap room this summer. To do so, they’d have to waive Reed and Council, decline their option on Dowtin, trade No. 16 overall pick Jared McCain without taking any salary back and renounce every free agent they have, including Buddy Hield, De’Anthony Melton, Nic Batum and Tobias Harris. (Sixers fans will surely be devastated about the last name there.)
Barring a surprise trade, it seems like the Sixers plan to keep McCain. There’s no reason to waive Council, either, as his salary ($1.9 million) isn’t much more expensive than an incomplete roster charge ($1.2 million). If the Sixers do keep both McCain and Council, they can still create up to $61.3 million in cap space this summer.
They could also operate as an over-the-cap team by keeping their free agents’ cap holds on their books until they re-sign in Philly or head elsewhere. That could give them access to the $12.9 million non-taxpayer mid-level exception and $4.7 million bi-annual exception, but using either one would subject them to a $178.7 million hard cap for the rest of the season.
The Sixers figure to split the difference by opening some cap space but retaining a few of their free agents along with Maxey. It’s unclear which players they’ll prioritize or how much they’ll be willing to spend on each of them, but they’ll have plenty of external options to pursue as well.
That isn’t just limited to free agency, either. In fact, cap space could be more valuable than usual this summer if some teams decide to shed quality players for financial reasons. We’ve already begun to see that with the likes of Davion Mitchell, Wendell Moore Jr. and AJ Griffin.
How much will the Sixers pay in luxury taxes this year?
As of now, nothing. The Sixers did everything in their power to keep it that way, too.
After signing Darius Bazley, Kai Jones and DJ Wilson to 10-day contracts worth roughly $116,000 each, Dowtin to a rest-of-season contract for $127,000 and Council for an extra $864,000 this year, the Sixers were projected to finish roughly $755,000 below the $165.3 million tax line at the end of the regular season.
The problem from the Sixers’ perspective was the $1.1 million in unlikely-to-be-earned incentives in Hield’s contract. If he achieved all of those—one of them was making it to the NBA Finals this year, for what it’s worth—the Sixers could have finished a little too close to the tax line for comfort. That’s why the Sixers staggered their signings to ensure that they were at no risk of going back into tax territory.
One silver lining of the Sixers’ first-round exit is that they will officially stay below the tax this year, which means they’ll reset the clock on the repeater tax. They now can’t be subject to it until 2027-28 at the earliest, which should give the new-look core that they assemble this offseason a 3-4 year window.
What draft picks can the Sixers trade?
The Sixers can currently trade first-round picks in the following drafts:
2026 (their own, protected 5-30, or the OKC/LAC/HOU pick)
2028 (their own, protected 9-30, or an unprotected LAC pick)
2029 OR 2030 (not both)
2031 (if they don’t trade 2030)
The Sixers owe a top-six-protected pick to the San Antonio Spurs in 2025 and a top-eight-protected pick to the Brooklyn Nets in 2027. The Stepien Rule, which prohibits teams from going back-to-back drafts without a first-round pick, limits what other picks they can trade.
They also have the right to swap first-round picks with the Los Angeles Clippers in 2029 (top-three protected). Considering that all three of the Clippers’ stars are in their mid-30s and two of them are set to become free agents after a disappointing first-round exit, those could wind up being valuable swap rights.
Additionally, the Sixers can currently trade the following second-round draft picks:
2027 Bucks pick
2028 Pistons pick (top-55 protected)
2029 Sixers pick
2030 Sixers pick
They can’t trade their 2027 or 2028 second-round picks for now because they’re tied up conditionally in the first-round picks that they owe to the Spurs and Nets. If their 2025 first-round pick conveys to the Spurs next summer, they will be able to trade their 2027 second-round pick afterward. The same goes for their 2028 second-round pick if their 2027 or 2028 first-rounder conveys to the Nets.
If you found this page useful, please bookmark it and/or share, and if you have any questions or information you’d like to see included, let us know in the comments below!
Day one of the 2024 NBA Draft is in the books and the Philadelphia 76ers chose Duke’s Jared McCain, No. 16 overall — and no, they did not trade him….yet!
Daryl Morey, known to partake in more than a bit of gamesmanship, has already spoken about the 20-year-old, 6-foot-2 sniper as a player the team hopes is around for a long-time.
And McCain himself sounds like he’s prepared for a fanbase that can be notoriously love-hate: “Obviously [playing at Duke] comes with a lot of hate and a lot of scrutiny wherever you go,” McCain said, “but I think that’s preparing for where I’m at, especially with Philly, so I think I’m ready for it.”
So the Sixers have a couple of players on the roster. Three or four down, just need another 11 or 12 and they’ll be ready to roll.
One player whose name has come up is Portland Trailblazers forward Jerami Grant. Ten years ago, Grant was the No. 39 overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. Former Sixers’ President Sam Hinkie took Grant 36 spots after he landed Joel Embiid and 27 spots after selecting Dario Sarić.
On Thursday, before the start of the second day of the draft (where the Sixers are set to pick No. 41) Zach Lowe hosted “The Lowe Post” with fellow ESPN NBA Insider Jonathan Givony.
With the draft’s first round behind them, how will the Sixers fill out what’s nearly a full team’s worth of roster spots?
Lowe speculated about three names in particular in case Los Angeles Clippers’ star Paul George doesn’t end up joining them. Per Lowe:
“[Jimmy Butler may be] going back to Miami, OG Anunoby re-signed with the Knicks, other players that would have been free agents this year never got to free agency, notably Jrue Holiday. Philadelphia is running out of targets for the cap space. And the biggest story now in the NBA will get some clarity on Saturday — I wouldn’t say clarity, some version of clarity. And that’s when Paul George’s deadline is to opt in or opt out of his player option for next year…. I now have officially no feel for what’s gonna happen with Paul George…
Well, I guess his having no idea offers a little more hope they can still sign George than ESPN’s Brian Windhorst offered Wednesday. Notice Windy’s recent use of the past tense, and even tire violence:
“I’m not so sure Paul George really wanted to leave the West Coast. I think that was something that Philadelphia kinda ran into when they kicked the tires there.” — @WindhorstESPN
“….And I know Philadelphia is sitting there with this cap space and 25 percent of an NBA roster, sitting there knowing ‘we’ve gotta do something with that space to compete with Boston and now New York, and probably Milwaukee and maybe Indiana, and Cleveland…,the rest of the East. I’m sure they’ve got plans D, E and F. People have whispered Brandon Ingram, people have whispered Jerami Grant, neither of those are as exciting to me as Paul George. I don’t know what the hell is gonna happen here but we’re gonna get some clarity there on Saturday….”
Lowe goes on to mention that the Golden State Warriors will provide some clarity by Friday, when Chris Paul’s $30M salary could become guaranteed, and “obviously” they’ll look to trade the 12-time All-Star. Golden State is connected to George now as well, in the event George opts in and seeks a trade. Lowe says that CP3 decision will impact Klay Thompson’s free agency, and that while Lowe has “given up trying to read the tea leaves” on PG, another option is for the Sixers to look to sign a couple players like a Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, plus a “player X, Y, and Z.”
We’ve discussed Ingram and KCP at length in the past, but we have not heard many (if any) of these Jerami Grant whispers. Grant, now 30 years old, shot over 40 percent from distance, on over five 3PA per game in 117 games with the Blazers since 2022.
He averaged 21 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists on 45-40-82 shooting splits. It’s probably pretty tricky to truly evaluate players on 21-win teams (Grant comically coming full circle from his Process days) now up in Oregon. But there has been some sentiment that his defense has slipped in recent years (hovering around 112-114 def. rating in Denver and Detroit, now just 120 Drtg in Portland).
But the Sixers would obviously have to watch the tape to see how much of a 3-and-D player there is here and wonder if he couldn’t slow down names like Jaylen Brown or Jayson Tatum in playoff environments. Grant signed a $160M five-year deal just over a year ago. Many fans interpreted that move as a silly, failed attempt to keep Damian Lillard, now in Milwaukee, happy in Portland.
Grant is set to earn $29.7M in 2024-2025, and his annual raises bring his player option for the 2027-2028 up to $36.4M. Grant will turn 31 just four days before Joel Embiid will, as the two Pisces were born just days apart after swimming in different career directions.
Fun fact-story…. Hinkie drafted Grant then later Bryan Colangelo traded JG to OKC for a future pick. Colangelo quickly used that pick to move up to draft some dude who never came over (for the Sixers) named Anžejs Pasečņiks It was the same year Colangelo traded Hinkie’s bequeathed No. 3 pick and prized Kings’ 2019 pick to Boston for Markelle Fultz. By 2018, when Burnergate broke and Fultz busted, acting GM Elton Brand traded Markelle for the pick that would eventually become Tyrese Maxey. So thank you to Hinkie, Jerami, Elton, and, of course, Mike Muscala.
Grant isn’t a sexy name. He’s substantially overpaid and he’s a stunningly poor rebounder for a player with his size and athleticism.
But when you begin to consider that names like Kentavious Caldwell-Pope may be eyeing their own $25M contracts, maybe this one isn’t regarded as terribly as it was one summer ago?
Another way to sell yourself on a move like this would be to ask questions like the following:
How much worse might JG really be than PG? Could that gap narrow over the next four years?
How much better if at all is Brandon Ingram? How much cheaper would JG be to obtain?
How much better than JG is Mikal Bridges? Mikal posts some pretty comparable statistics, and yet the Nova stud fetched the Nets an even larger haul from the Knicks than they once got for Kevin Durant. Could Grant be an “arbitrage Mikal,” who allows you to save or even add picks, still leaving another ~$30M in salary?
Who else could you pair with JG with this summer that you couldn’t if you splurge on names like PG, OG or BI? Could a Grant-KCP duo, while retaining the picks, be better than BI acquired via some of those draft picks?
Would the Blazers offer flippable assets or even another helpful player in order to get that salary off their books?
How am I doing? Am I selling too hard? Whose idea was it that cap space and the thought of playing with Embiid and Maxey under Nick Nurse was going to lure stars to Philly anyway?
All food for thought, and again, this is just whispers. But I can tell you this…. if Grant returns to Philly, the Process coming full circle bits will be lit. And we’ll be forced to once again revisit how far the Colangelo takeover set this team back.
Heading into this year’s NBA draft, one of the bigger questions for the Philadelphia 76ers was whether they would even keep the 16th overall pick, or trade it away for a player perhaps better suited to help the team win immediately. However, with Jared McCain still on the board, Sixers President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey decided to stay put, holding the belief that the Duke guard would help infuse the franchise with youth while also being able to contribute during the 2024-25 season.
One of the biggest reasons is how McCain’s game will complement Sixers stars Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, helping make their lives easier. During his press availability, Morey discussed the fit between his newest draftee and those All-Stars, first addressing concerns about a Maxey-McCain backcourt being small:
“I think that’s a valid concern. Obviously your backcourt, in a perfect world, you’d have taller. But I think you have to compensate that with strength. He’s got a strong frame — very strong. Good rebounder. We think he’ll be a solid defender in the league over time. He started off at Duke … he was being targeted at Duke and as the season went on, he became someone that was actually one of their better defenders. He’s got the attitude that Coach Nurse likes to bring, which is just get a little bit better every day. He’s got a 95th percentile approach to the game — teammate, work ethic. We’ve had some good luck taking the kids with a real base of potential and a strong work ethic. We were really happy. I’m excited for Philadelphia to get to know him.”
Morey also mentioned how McCain’s shooting will benefit the team:
“We really value shooting given the rest of the roster — especially Joel. We just think Joel’s unguardable when he has shooting around him. It doesn’t mean we don’t put tough-nosed guys out there. … I mean, early on, obviously Jared’s not going to be playing with Maxey a whole lot. It’s just hard for a rookie, but that elite shooting from two guys out on the floor is pretty hard to guard, and both of them make it really tough on if you try to guard them tight. I don’t have to sell Tyrese Maxey, but Jared can attack a closeout and make a play.”
During his own press availability in Brooklyn after being selected by Philadelphia, McCain also responded to questions about playing alongside Embiid and Maxey (quotes courtesy of NBA Public Relations).
“During all your career, you have been an excellent scorer, catch-and-shoot off the screen, and now you have the opportunity to play alongside one of the best big men in the league right now. Talk about the chemistry with Joel Embiid.”
“Yeah, I’m just excited to learn from him, learn from both Maxey and him. Obviously they are elite scorers, so I think I can space the floor and create space for them. I’m excited to get to know them and learn as much as possible from them.”
“I wanted to ask you about Maxey. He’s an extremely hard worker and I know how hard you work, too. I know you two are probably going to be fighting to go to the gym together. Talk about that, playing with Maxey, being able to space the floor. And was it a surprise going to Philly? I feel like a lot of people had you going here and felt like this was a great fit. Was it a surprise to you as well, too?”
“Yeah, I’m excited. Obviously Maxey, I’ve heard great things (about) him. Watching him on the court, he’s an elite player. Being able to play alongside him and learn from him. On draft night, there’s surprises everywhere. So I didn’t know where I was going. I tried not to get attached to any teams. So yeah, I guess it is a surprise, but I’m happy to be here.”
McCain seems like an easy guy to root for, and if his 41.4 percent three-point shooting at Duke carries over to the NBA level, he’ll certainly help the Sixers this season. We’ll hopefully get a first look at him in a Sixers uniform within the next couple weeks during Summer League action.
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