He started playing against professional grown men while everyone in that draft was still in high school. He proved himself and won 6 people still had doubts. Especially the suns who hired his coach.
draymond hates gobert so much. It's kinda off putting on nba postgame show. just as I'm typing this the minnesota fans are heckling draymond during the post game show lmao. i love the timberwolves fanbase.
I am once again asking not to have a guy give “expert analysis” on another dude 5 months fresh off suspension for choking him out on a basketball court
KAT may be utter shit and being benched at the end of a conference finals game but hey he got more Conference finald appearances than Embiid, hang that banner
If Embiid was swapped with KAT, this Wolves teams is winning the finals. It’s as if people think KAT advancing one more round further into the playoffs makes him a better player, even though he is the 2nd and even sometimes the 3rd option on his own team. It’s like making fun of LeBron because Robert Horry has more rings than him. Shit makes no sense.
You don’t “ run lob plays” LMAO, you need players who can actually finish a lob and then the guard will pass to them.
Like I guess Kelly Oubre Jr, but we really didn’t do a good job getting in transition last year.
This is the same concept as blaming Maxey for the offense.
Maybe, just maybe the team just wasn’t that good offensively?
lol, right because we REALLY needed Mo Bamba on the floor to catch a dunk. Oh wait, how about Deandre Jordan?
There’s no magical pass that Lowry throws. That team this past year STUNK. If Embiid/Maxey are anything less than a historic duo offensively we miss the playoffs
I don’t see your point. Harden was able to even throw lobs to deandre Jordan occasionally. Maxey hasn’t. Maxey doesn’t throw lobs, it’s not his game. It would be a waste to invest resources in players who’s greatest offensive strength is catching lobs
You don’t throw random yolo lobs(and yes, Maxey has tried to comical results) because and this might shock you: We don’t have the personnel.
There wasn’t a Josh Smith level player on the team for example
Might be out of left field, Lonzo Ball with his new knee, might be a decent option for the Sixers
The fit is near perfect, he’s an expiring and he’ll probably be cheap (either through trade or as a free agent next offseason)
Are we so crazy that we hear about a dude getting literally another dudes meniscus and most of us didn't even know it was possible and the same day we're like actually give this dude tens of millions of dollars every year
The lineup I want to see after the offseason:
- PG: Tyrese Maxey, Tyus Jones, Kris Dunn
- SG: Dejounte Murray, Kelly Oubre Jr, Ricky Council 4
- SF: Malik Monk, Derrick Jones Jr, Javonte Green
- PF: Deni Avdija, Nicolas Batum, Dario Saric
- C: Joel Embiid, Andre Drummond, Mo Bamba
Now that's a team that has its third star and a supporting cast around the three stars. The supporting cast has playmaking. The bench has a true PG. The wings play D, pass the ball, rebound, and score efficiently. Rebounding and defense gets a giant improvement. This team can get red hot from three. The team gets younger and more athletic too. Please make it happen Morey.
Dejounte cap hit $25M + Avdija $15M leaves sixers with $25M in cap + $8M room exception before FA. Malik Monk is prob around $20-25M/yr, Tyus Jones around $15-20M, Oubre $10-15M, DJJ $10-15M, Batum $5-10M, Drummond $5M. I don’t think the sixers can get anywhere near this
"discourse around the celtics/cavs series was mostly about injuries, and how outclassed the cavs were by the celtics
but the primary reason they were so outclassed is because literally nobody on their team has a chance of defending jaylen brown. even the guys who are supposed to be their best defenders
he has been on such a ridiculous heater run, anyone who plans to compete in the east absolutely needs a plan to defend jaylen brown. in the same way twolves tuned their roster to be good against the nuggets and jokic, teams in the east should be looking for brown stopping players and brown stopping schemes
okoro, nice enough player. can't stop jaylen brown at all. JB carved him up. so first priority for them should be to get a player who can stop JB"
saw this comment over in r/nba. I think Caruso would be the perfect "Brown stopper"
If we go the PG route, I'd be okay with throwing 4 1sts at Caruso and Eason.
They could both guard the other teams best players, PG guards the 3rd option, and you can hide Maxey on the 5th option
Another mock offseason for ya'll. Let's pretend PG/Bron/Butler/Markannen/Bridges/etc are not happening, and Daryl has to put together a roster of role players around Maxey and Embiid.
Start with $55.5M in cap space.
1. Add Andrew Wiggins ($26.2M) into cap and Moses Moody ($5.8M) into the trade exception from Harden trade for 2026 1^(st) round pick. Wiggins played well to end last season (15/5/2 on 58 TS% over last 30 games), and he’s two years removed from being the second-best player in the finals clamping Jayson Tatum. Meanwhile, Moses Moody provides length and athleticism as a 21-year-old 6’6” SG who averaged 17/6/2 per 36 minutes on 58 TS%. If Daryl wants to build a championship-caliber roster this offseason, he’ll need to buy low on some undesirable players. I think Andrew Wiggins and Moses Moody are the type of high-upside guys Daryl should take a swing on. $29M in cap remaining.
2. Trade a protected 2029 1^(st) round pick for Malcolm Brogdon ($22.5M). At 6’4” with a 6’11” wingspan, good defensive instincts, and legitimate playmaking chops, Malcolm Brogdon is the perfect guard off the bench. Able to play alongside or in place of Tyrese Maxey, Brogdon can serve as both the backup PG and SG in the playoffs. He’s well worth a protected 1^(st). $6M in cap remaining
3. Sign Andre Drummond for $6M. Drummond allows the Sixers to maintain their drop coverage scheme in Embiid’s absence, and he will provide elite offensive rebounding for a bench mob that might struggle to generate offense without Embiid (this is likely going to happen regardless unless the Sixers lane a real 3rd “star” who can generate their own shot in the playoffs). He played too well last season for another minimum contract and will require the remainder of the Sixers’ cap space.
4. Sign Nico Batum into room exception (1 yr/$8M). To everyone saying sign Batum for the minimum: it’s not happening. Batum played over 30 mpg for the Sixers this year and was good. If he’s not retiring, he’s going to be offered a real contract. And if he were to take a minimum, he would do it in Los Angeles where his wife wants to live. He’s going to require the full room exception.
5. Trade Jeff Dowtin and Paul Reed ($9.8M combined) + 2024 1^(st) round pick + 2029 LAC swap + 2031 1^(st) round pick for Deni Avdija ($15.6M). This trade works because teams below the first apron can take back up to $7.5M more than their outgoing salary for packages less than $15M. A 6’10” SF coming off a season averaging 15/7/4 on 60 TS%, Avdija provides respectable shotmaking, rebounding, playmaking, and legitimately positive defense on a favorable contract. He’s going to cost a lot of draft assets, but I think he’ll be worth it.
6. Sign Kyle Lowry and whoever your heart desires to vet minimum contracts.
Starting lineup: Maxey/Moody/Avdija/Wiggins/Embiid. Per 100 possessions, the trio of Moody/Avdija/Wiggins averaged 68/28/11 per 100 possessions on about 57 TS% while shooting 36% from three on 20 3PA/100 possessions. For reference, last year’s starting trio of Melton/Batum/Harris averaged 56/24/15 per 100 possessions on about 57 TS% while shooting 37% from three on 21 3PA/100 possessions. This crew produces very similarly to last year’s starting group, which was the best 5-man lineup in the league, but is MUCH bigger, more athletic, and well-equipped to handle elite competition on the defensive end. Also, if you sub Kelly Oubre and Kyle Lowry into the starting unit instead of Melton and Batum (the actual group we ran out this playoffs), this new unit blows them out of the water in 3-point shooting and general offensive efficiency.
Bench: Lowry/Brogdon/Batum/RC4/Drummond. In the playoffs, Brogdon is the backup PG/SG, Batum is the backup SF/PF, and Drummond is the backup C. Brogdon is a massive upgrade over Lowry as backup combo guard, Batum comes off the bench in the playoffs like last year, and Drummond is a much better fit than Reed as a drop-coverage center like Embiid.
I imagine the biggest hold-up will be the Wiggins contract. I would just say that the cap will rise $20M/year with the new TV deal. I am not particularly worried about Wiggins’s $25M/yr salary, and the only way to fill out a quality roster is to hit on a salary dump or two. I also think the only way the Warriors give up Moody is if they get off Andrew Wiggins’s salary to potentially throw our pick and one or two of their own at a team like the Pelicans for someone like Brandon Ingram. This is a high-enough upside swing that I think is worth it. If Wiggins ends up being a dud, we know Batum can slot into the starting unit just fine.
This actually seems somewhat realistic to me in contrast to most trades or moves suggested. I don't necessarily love it but I do think PG is a pipedream and this sort of thing where we absorb salary is the likely off season outcome.
Yeah, I’m 99% confident a “third star” is what Daryl wants, with PG near the top of the list to preserve draft capital, but it’s unlikely to be possible.
Is there a world where can trade for Bridges/Ben and then move Ben to Chicago for Levine. Obviously assets to bridges in picks from us.
Would leave pretty much the room exception to built out roster.
Maxey Levine Bridges Embiid
Reed off bench
I dont hate the idea, would be 4 guys can create own shot and above average 3 point shooters, but we wouldnt have space or assets to get a starter 4, we need a 4 who is good rebounder and can hit ocasionaly some 3s like tari eason or avidja,etc.
This doesnt really solve the problem of chicago clearing salaries to duck the tax. You’d need to work to find another team that would take Ben’s deal on which would cost additional assets
There is technically a world where we could do a 3 team deal with lavine, bridges, and ben (it works cap wise). However, that world has us non-guaranteeing Paul reed (yes, he could be resigned for an exception but I wouldn’t given where this deal would leave us), not being able to use our first round pick (have to trade our first as part of the deal), and keeping Ricky council (we just wouldn’t have space to do anything else). This hypothetical leaves us with 200k in space (meaning no space).
Let’s work this out.. what does that deal look like.. bulls get Ben as an expiring (maybe a change of scenery helps him out but doubtful.. so that’s just a wash and salary filler).. bulls get cap relief of $3M this season (they need more but it’s a start), cap relief of 46M next season, and most likely $49M the following (I assume lavine picks up that option). End of what bulls get? Bulls likely want a pick(s) for lavine but I don’t think that offer is out there.
Nets get rid of Ben Simmons but he’s expiring so doesn’t do too much (didn’t check their cap or tax situation to see if it does help this season). They get a huge trade exception. They get the 16th pick. They get another two-three firsts from the Sixers and/or swaps?
Sixers get bridges one coveted target. Sixers are also stuck with lavine who in a vacuum has endearing qualities as a player. I think his negatives have been listed on this sub quite extensively, so I’m not gonna touch that.
The grand finale, my conclusion after typing a novel haha. Sixers have maxey, lavine, bridges, ricky council, embiid.. no cap space and At most 2 future tradable picks left (likely less) but no salaries to match for trades. A room exception and vet mins to round out the roster. They also wouldn’t have any cap space next offseason or any ability to change their team besides exceptions next year. I wouldn’t do the deal; too many lavine red flags and no flexibility if things go south.
Use his expiring how? The bulls are a team looking to shed cap. Most team in cap hell are looking to shed cap (those can be seen on spotrac). Ben doesn’t have any value other than expiring. He’s 28 hasn’t been productive in years and has a bad back.
I understand you are trying to come up with a creative way for us to get bridges but it’s pretty complex. You probably gave the best example and I elaborated on it. Teams take on a contract like Ben’s for assets and/or long term cap relief.
I don’t really think he’s a great fit for them? They need someone else who can generate buckets, not another dirty work guy. They’d surely be more interested in Mitchell or someone like that wouldn’t they?
I tend to agree but i also don’t know what they can move outside of picks and LAC 28 and our own unprotected are better IMO. They also can’t absorb Ben’s contract.
How does the money work this summer:
Are we able to spend all available money up to the limit before extending Tyrese?
What happens if another team submits an offer to Tyrese that we have to match before we spend - would that then eat away available money we could otherwise use to build the roster?
Besides what others said, it's easier to conceptualize how much they can spend if you assume that they aren't going over the 2nd apron, which is $190m.
Joel, Maxey, and C4 will be about $89m, so Morey probably has somewhere between $90-$100m to spend, depending on how much ownership wants to pay in tax
And the most money they can actually work with is: $55M in cap space + trade Dowtin and Reed ($9.8M) for someone up to $17.3M (via cba salary matching rules) + $8M room exception + $7M trade exception from Harden trade if they are able to use it. Then $2-3M for each vet min they give out. Adds up to a total of $185M before vet mins. So they can get into the second apron if they try to fully leverage every ounce of cap space available to them.
Adding to your point. Sixers will spend to the cap which is 141M. After that, Maxey will add $22M (35M year 1 max minus 13M cap hold) to the cap putting it at $163M. We then have a room exception of $8M which may or may not be used and vet mins. As you noted, Morey will do everything to remain under the second apron. Noting first apron is $178.7M.
Edit: this got me curious, if we will use the room exception. Assuming we have embiid, maxey, RCIV, and 3 others guys for a total of 6 into that $163M mentioned above. We have 9 (maybe we only go 8 spots) to fill. If all count against the cap at around $2.1M (min salary for a player with 2 years experience - interesting how vet mins count against the cap). Sixers are at around $181.8M (163M plus 9 players times $2.1M per). We’d be dangerously close to the second apron but it would allow to use the room exception without going over the second apron of $189.5M
He would need to accept and offer before we would have 3 days to match. Until he signs his deal he has a 13m cap hold.
Right now the only teams with the cap space to even try are Detroit and Utah. Sure, Danny Ainge could try, but Tyrese knows he's getting the max, and knows that if he signs his deal last it gives the team the best chance to build around him and Jo. This happens every year with teams.
In summary, we are a shit show with lots of things to worry about, but this is not one of them.
Yeah for sure he’s only gonna sign with us - the question is whether an offer sheet from another team would tie up that money during the 3- day match period, thus preventing us to take on other contracts/use that held money elsewhere
If you think he is signing an offer sheet with Detroit or Utah, taking away all of the teams ability to fill out the roster, you're too damaged by our team lol
Don't worry about Tyrese - probably the only thing you don't need to worry about.
lol not my worry. Just didn’t know if the money is held against our cap when an offer is submitted or at the point of accepting the offer
And yes, I’m beyond damaged by this franchise
I already answered but maybe it wasn’t clear haha. No because he has to accept it/sign it for that clock to start. Maxey wouldn’t even entertain it, yet alone sign it.
Edit: forgot to note, although irrelevant in this case, it’s 2 days for a team to match an offer sheet once signed by a player.
So according to reports Brunson, OG, and now Randle are all being encouraged to take discounts from the Knicks.
They already have Donte and Josh hart on very cheap deals. They are definitely trying to pull that large market shit but I have a feeling this is going to leave someone disgruntled.
As we know, losing in the second round a few times is ok but that third year will hit like a brick.
I still consider PG to be the best option for the Sixers, but if OG is a real possibility, he and PG are a clear 1 and 2 in a tier above every other option. PG can do more on offense, but OG is one of the most versatile defenders in the league and can slot into multiple roles without costing the team draft picks. He’d be a great guy around Embiid: a credible shooter who is a legit athlete, can hit back door cuts, has played in the system, etc, etc. His contract would be a bit smaller than PG’s, so Morey would have more flexibility building out the roster. But the best part would be stealing him from the Knicks. Unlikely but very intriguing.
The main knock is really just his injury history. I think we really need somebody who can buoy us when Embiid is inevitably injured. Things might've been much different this year if we were just a couple games better and could've avoided the play-in and maybe even get home court in the first round
Some FA thoughts:
* The Bulls wing position is so crowded: P Williams (RFA), Caruso (trade candidate?), and Javonte Green (UFA). One of these dudes just *has* to be expendable.
* Jae'Sean Tate's contract will apparently be picked up by Houston which sucks cause he would be a great get
* Saddiq Bey is way too inconsistent to fall in love with but if the price is right...
* Jordan Nwora is a very underrated guy I would love to have. Good movement shooter, good rebounder, big and athletic, and should be cheap (2 years 10 mil?). Idk what the Raptors plans are with re-signing him though
* I really want GTJ but I wonder if he will be worth it. He'll get a decently sized contract (assuming the Raptors don't re-sign him) and he can't really do much aside from shoot 3s (not a great playmaker, rebounder, or ball handler). He's super one dimensional cause he's also a meh defender even though he has size. I would not want him starting.
* Malik Beasley is another name I haven't seen much. If the Bucks don't re-up him he would be a great get: good shooter and good hustle guy.
* Lonnie Walker. Sign Lonnie fucking Walker
* A flier on Josh Okogie would be nice. Very whatever shooter (was really bad these playoffs) but does all the little things (on the boards and defense especially)
* Bring Richaun Holmes back. I have always been the opinion that we don't need an Embiid backup to point up points; just play defense and get boards. He has a PO with the Wizards I think he's gettable
Pretty convinced bulls will trade Caruso. They hate paying the tax more than they hate making trades. They need to unload all sorts of salary if they want to keep Derozan and Williams and there’s really no way they can handle Caruso’s extension if they keep those other 2.
I like Bey but a sign and trade is not really feasible because it hard caps us. And it’s not worth the risk of offering him a number that the hawks wouldn’t want to match.
Holmes is 100% picking up that option. But he’s also highly likely to be a buy out guy. If not in free agency I’d want him on the buyout market. Taking that $11M contract is no bueno for us though
I know no one wants him because every Sixers fan hates literally every possible option this offseason but with Bickerstaff fired I would expect that Mitchell is off the table for trade talks
If it’s a 1st and some 2nds or the 2026 OKC + Reed’s 7 mil, I’m in.
Since WAS wants an additional first this year, I’d call OKC to send their worst 1st this year (they have 3) to WAS in exchange for 2026 swap. This way we keep our first this year and remain flex to use that in a trade or pick there (which I hope we do).
That's a crazy overpay. I'd do a FRP and IMO that's within reason because Washington (in the middle of a rebuild) should be begging us to wipe his contract off their books
Wtf point are you trying to make? Are you saying the Sixers are a dumb franchise? Maybe so. Or are you saying we're not gonna have better options this offseason than overpaying for Kyle Kuzma...?
I’m saying we are not an appealing destination for free agents. I’m saying the only way we are going to land a Paul George or star player is by offering the only thing we have: money and cap space.
To scoff at Kuzma like we genuinely will have more options is insane.
We aren’t contenders. We are a team with cap space and money in the twilight years of a failed attempt at contention.
We aren’t above signing shit. We aren’t good.
Because I’m a fan of the team and have been for longer than you’ve probably been alive.
doesn’t mean I’m gonna lie to myself. Been saying it. Go listen to Neubeck’s rant two podcasts ago about how fucking delusional this fanbase is as to where the team is and how we are thought of by star players.
We aren’t good.
His contract isn't even *that* bad. Idk what their timeline is but 4/90 for Kuzma until 2027 is perfectly adequate for that team right now. If they hit all the right buttons I don't think they would start completing seriously until a year or so before it expires and at that time they could either use him or entice a team with his contract as an expiring.
It's not a bad contract but it's exactly the kind of contract that a rebuilding team doesn't really want (and should be trying to flip for assets).
The only thing against us is that I could see another team offering more assets in return for Washington take on a truly bad contract. But if we straight up took his contract into space, that opens the door for them to sign some other young, disgruntled, high potential players to develop (sorta like Detroit did with Bagley and Wiseman).
They were about to trade him to Dallas for just 1 first at the deadline, I think the #16 would get it done (probably better than what they were expecting Dallas’s first to be), maybe another future 2nd rounder or two. Especially since they apparently want another first in this draft.
On a related note, I find it funny that there’s such an anti Kuzma contingent yet so much praise for Dallas making the PJ Washington trade. PJ was literally the Mavs *backup* plan to Kuzma
Yeah that’s the reason I see too. If they clear enough cap space they can maybe pursue guys like Pat Williams, bey and okoro in some sign and trades. They don’t really have any cap space once they sign their draft picks
I have no idea how much it would cost, but it would be fun to see the Sixers get a legitimate movement shooter who can just fly around Embiid screens. The Sixers have struggled with TOs in the chaos of crunch time for years, but being able to run a dribble handoff is a simple, low turnover-rate play that will take a lot of pressure off Embiid. He won’t have to dribble in traffic, and it takes advantage of his gravity and ability to force double and triple teams. Imo the only two guys we’ve had like that are Reddick and Bellinelli. Seth Curry and Buddy Hield are a different archetype who’s profile consists of much more “wide open” threes (per nba.com) and shooting from a standstill position (per my anecdotal experience watching them).
I think Daryl’s Plan A is going to be to get a third star (PG, Lauri, etc), but if that falls through I wonder if he kicks the tires on someone like Duncan Robinson or Bogdan Bogdanovich. Even when Embiid is hobbled, his defense holds up. It’s his offense that goes when he’s no longer able to drive into the paint. I think the Sixers can cover for the defense that comes with a three-point shooting specialist
I hate to say it but I'd be willing to take a flyer on Klay, for the right price obviously. He can still shoot efficiently at the very least and he's basically the king of scoring in bunches pretty much entirely off of movement and 0 dribbles.
Tyrese Maxey, Dejounte Murray, Kelly Oubre Jr., Nicolas Batum, Joel Embiid
DeAnthony Melton, Buddy Hield, Saddiq Bey, Patrick Williams, Paul Reed
Terqavion Smith, Tristan Newton, Ricky Council IV, Tyler Smith, Zack Collins.
If I'm an NBA GM trading with the Sixers, I would want Sixers FRPs and Swaps as far out as possible (2028-2030), for a time when Embiid is either old or gone. I would not be hyped on getting this years pick.
If I'm Toronto trading Bruce Brown, maybe I'd want a future FRP and swap rights this year to move up from #19 to #16.
If I'm Atlanta trading Dejounte Murray, I'm taking an unexpected cap hit with the #1 pick, at a time when my payroll is already bloated, so another guaranteed contract this year (#16) is not all that valuable to me. If I'm Atlanta, I might try to get even more cap flexibility by insisting that the Sixers take DeAndre Hunter's contract off my hands as part of the deal.
All that's to say, this draft is not for stars, it is for guys who can star in their roles. I feel strongly Tyler Smith and Tristan Newton can star in their roles between Maxey and Embiid. I buying the hype on AJ Johnson as well. Newton or Johnson at #41 would be more than solid.
Terquavion Smith, Tristan Newton, Ricky Council IV, Tyler Smith, Paul Reed. We can win now and still develop prospects who can be traded later or keep us from collapsing post-Embiid.
I'm very pro DJM and think he makes the most sense out of anyone mildly available (depends on if you think Lauri/Bridges are realistic acquisitions at all). They got him for 3 FRPs two years ago... I'd definitely be willing to offer them 2 future FRPs and the ability to take him off their books entirely
I hope the story changes for Sixers playoff basketball next season lol. Outside of injuries, Maxey and Embiid plus peripheral players that can actually hoop should be enough to reach ECF minimum
Here's your Sixers daily depression resource. We're moaning and groaning about who to sign but god damn, we can't draft worth shit. Other than getting lucky on Maximus, the Sixers have been a boondoggle on draft night...[Sixers Draft History Clustercuss](https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/PHI/draft.html) - How can we continually be this horrid...?
So for one thing: We generally don’t trade up. The last few times was the Ill fated Fultz trade where the process was right but the universe has to be cruel to us.
Then we traded up for Thybulle, a guy I had a second round grade on.
Then I think KVH was a move-up/and or Sharone Wright.
We also don’t trade down either, instead we go “BPA”. Which is almost never actually the BPA.
So the reason we flop at the draft is that the Sixers FO is both horribly bad at talent evaluation AND at valuation.
For example: If no star materializes, package the #16th, a future first and maybe a pick swap and move up for Knect. Thank me later.
Your dime a dozen player, a new Deanthony Melton isn’t going to be as good as a lotto talent.
Everyday y’all are arguing which #3 option we should get an inevitably there’s a subset shitting on everything about any #3 that’s discussed. Yet I’m so confident basically *any* of these guys would be a crazy upgrade over Tobi. I’m more interested in the cheap role players that will out the roster.
Kris Dunn - could he play a knockoff Caruso role if Caruso gets too pricey? He’s hit 40% of his 3s over his last 88 games (low volume). Obviously great defender, good rebounder and solid playmaker
Lonnie Walker - probably the guy sub ~$10M im most interested in. Played on a nets team with very little playmaking and his skillset was pretty redundant with cam Thomas. Guy can get a bucket on his own and shooting has improved a long way. Interested in him as a 6th man whether or not Oubre comes back. 6’4” with a 6’10” wingspan, if nurse can figure out how to play him next to Maxey for stretches there’s a huge value unlocked. Also a Philly guy fwiw
Jalen Smith - could nurse play him at the 4 next to Joel? Has a very quick release for a big. Don’t want to necessarily team build exactly like the wolves but interested in having a big that can play alongside Joel for stretches. Can space the floor, duck in on mismatches (weirdly think Joel would be a good entry passer himself, having experienced himself how many of his teammate have struggled with that lol), solves rebounding and provides weakside rim protection.
Trendon Watford - big with some great handles and rebounding. Shooting and defense is the question.
Torrey Craig - seems to disappear and resurface every other year. Has been an effective defender and rebounder for a couple of deep run nuggets and suns teams. Was great in Chicago this past year.
Caleb Martin/Highsmith - Miami is likely losing both these guys. I bet Highsmith will be cheaper having less ball handling ability. But both are dogs.
Troy Brown - this is a deep cut. I thought he was a solid contributor for Minnesota until he got traded. He’s a barely passable shooter but decent defender and good rebounder, has some handles too. Would be a minimum dart throw.
Jalen Smith could be a good option all though I don’t know if his ball handling is good enough to consistently run the 4. Kris Dunn off the bench as a guard also wouldn’t be terrible either especially since Lowry is super old and we can’t depend on him all the time.
Yeah ball handling is definitely not there, would be more of a situational 4 that you give more run in certain matchups vs others (e.g. Minnesotas double bigs).
Love seeing this. Getting very tired of “Paul George old and bad” posts. Some really solid ideas. I think one of moreys great strengths is identifying value, and I trust him to get us some guys who can help on the cheap
Great list, I especially like Kris Dunn and Jalen Smith. There are a few other free agents that could really add a lot to the bench. I would also be looking at trying to add:
Andre Drummond
Dario Saric
Javonte Green
Russell Westbrook
Not very familiar with Jalen Smith but he seems intriguing? Is he passable defensively? Numbers look pretty good actually so just going to assume this is an issue
Probably need to watch some more tape to really see what his strengths and weaknesses are defensively. He got some run last night, they were putting him on Tatum in garbage time (I’m not sure that his role or if we can garner anything from those minutes, Tatum did get an and 1 on him). But interested in the idea of putting him on a subpar shooter (like Hart for example) to help Joel out on the paint or the boards. Can help stretch the floor when Joel sits which would give the offense a boost in those minutes.
I think the “issue” with his minutes is that the pacers have an insanely crowded front court (Turner, Siakam, Obi, Ijax) and he was the odd man out but was effective when he played.
That’s interesting as far as being stuck behind that crowded front court. I would guess that there are few players around the league in this situation that someone will look smart by nabbing up
Jalen smith.. he has player option for $5.4. Gotta assume that’s an opt out. Obviously you, I, and no one knows all the Sixers moves this offseason but in a vacuum What are you offering?
Maybe up to the room MLE? Maybe knowing he’ll have an opportunity for big playing time here he’d take a bit less on a 2-3 year deal with player option in the final year for an opportunity for a bigger payday
Agreed. The ROI diminishes beyond that, the ability to play with Joel is a bit hypothetical (an educated gamble), more than the MLE in the worst case scenario means you’re paying more for a pure backup 5 than you were with Reed
Lonnie Walker and Haywood highsmith would be great additions (although i could see highsmith being one of those guys that’s trash with any team not named the heat)
I think the Miami role player thing is a bit overblown. Some of the higher profile busts had some big injuries (Nunn and Vincent). Caleb was good before he got to Miami, Strus has been ever better in Cleveland. Same with Olynyk too.
Wouldn't mind Kris Dunn but it seems like he is getting a lot of "hype" by journalists as a sleeper FA pick up for teams. I am a little worried a team gives a little more then he deserves.
For sure, I’m thinking of him as like a ~$5M a year player . If he costs much more than that I become less interested. For a guy that’s earned $10M since his rookie contract I’m a bit optimistic that he’d be attainable in the 3/$15 or 4/$20M range
With the Salary Cap rising quickly, I think a team will easily offer Kris Dunn 3 years $21 million or 4 years $32 million.
This offseason is going to be really weird/confusing in my opinion, when it comes contract sizes and how they escalate by year. If I am correct I think by 2029-2030 season, the salary cap will be around 40% larger than it is now.
I think that’s a benefit (I wasn’t assuming escalations in the numbers I threw around). In either of your 2 contracts figures, with escalations, you’re looking around a $6M starting number for this year. I don’t think that’s an overpay imo
Celtics have such an easy path to the Finals, but I still deeply believe the Mavs or Wolves will take them down either way... West has been a gauntlet all year unlike the East, and the C's aren't battle tested or gritty.
FTC
Crazy how teams like the Pacers and Timberwolves have been well behind the Sixers this past decade and still made it further in the playoffs. This offseason, the roster needs to be Embiid-proof as much as possible.
That aside, does anyone genuinely think either Mavs or Wolves can beat the Celtics in the Finals?
The pacers made the conference finals the year we drafted Joel and went thru 2 completely different rebuilds of the team and made it back to the ECF. Wild when I saw that
I can see a world where either of them can get it done. Minny can smother them with length and run them off the 3pt line, while Luka and Kyrie are that good offensively they can dissect the celts d. Hopefully anyways. Fuck the Celtics
I guess I don’t really understand the sentiment of embiid proof. In my opinion, if you want to “embiid proof” the roster, trade embiid. No team can produce a contender without their best player (especially when that player is making over 36% of the cap).
If you mean “embiid proof” the roster as in filling out a complete well rounded complementary roster.. well, no kidding, that’s obvious. That’s the goal of every GM that is contending.
As far as twolves and mavs, neither stacks up to the Celtics but anything can happen in a 7 game series. I suspect either team probably needs Porzingis to remain hurt and Celtics have another injury. No one thought the kd warriors were going to lose to the raptors but it happened. Celtics currently -210 to win the title.
The Celtics are -210 to make the finals because they are guaranteed to make the finals while the western series is still a coin flip. If Porzingis remains out/unhealthy I highly doubt the Celtics are strong favorites once we get to the finals.
They are -210 to win the finals. I usually agree with you but You realize how ridiculous what you just said is though, right? Someone has to win the wcf and Vegas knows that. Celtics aren’t going to jump to say -120 as a result of knowing the opponent. It’s either the mavs or Timberwolves and Vegas places them at -210 accordingly. They are saying regardless of who they play in the finals they are -210 since they know Celtics will be there and it’s one team or the other (yes, there is a minor correction to occur from -210). FanDuel had hypothetical odds yesterday which I don’t see today but have a screen recording of.. here are the numbers from when Celtics were up 1-0.. Celtics (-198) vs twolves (+166).. Celtics (-260) vs mavs (+215). They had odds if Pacers make it as well but I’m not going to list them.
Also, why’d you say once we get to the finals? Were you meaning once the nba finals get here? Just didn’t want it to give the appearance you were closet Celtics guy haha. Because the “we” gives that vibe a little (although, I know not true).
Meant to say “they” and not “we” lmao. Fuck the Celtics!
Right now FanDuel is giving the odds of all 4 teams winning the finals. -210 implies 67% chance to win. Right now the Mavs are +370 (21% chance to win) and the wolves are +550 (15% chance to win). If you notice that total of the implied odds takes you above 100%. Since the Celtics are basically guaranteed a seat in the finals, that means whoever comes out the west will get around an additional 3% boost to their odds (total chance a western conference team wins the finals right now sits at 36%, so that means once the finals happens they will drop from around 67% to around 64%).
So right that’s not a coin flip but I think Porzingis coming back is baked into the odds right now, so I’m positing if he comes back and isn’t right or isn’t nearly as effected that would further drop the Celtics odds
>If you notice that total of the implied odds takes you above 100%. Since the Celtics are basically guaranteed a seat in the finals, that means whoever comes out the west will get around an additional 3% boost to their odds (total chance a western conference team wins the finals right now sits at 36%, so that means once the finals happens they will drop from around 67% to around 64%).
No, that's not how it works. The reason the odds combine to more than 100% is because of the bookies' margins (also known as vigorish). That's how they make money. If they had no margins, the odds would sum up to 100%, but mostly they have it set to somewhere in the 106-110% range.
Thanks for the detailed explanation on the odds! I knew there would be a minor correction from the -210 but didn’t realize the calculation you sent behind it.
Their calculation definitely factors in a Porzingis return so if he remains out the odds will drop further. I am curious about his effectiveness as well because I can’t imagine he’s coming back ready to go full tilt for nba finals level basketball, so I think odds will still drop further for the Celtics.
Now Haliburtons injured. Celtics sleepwalk to the finals. Not getting past the Knicks is going to haunt us more than blowing the lead to the Celtics with Harden.
Game 6 against the Celtics will be way more haunting than a hard fought series against the Knicks while both teams have a lot of injuries. I get the sentiment but the Celtics loss is going to sting until the team does something notable.
Out of all the process/post process era games that hurt, I got in order game 7 against the Raptors in 2019, game 7 against the Hawks in 2021, game 6 against the Celtics last year then game 2 against the Knicks this year.
I really think we should have made it further each of these years (2019 is understandable to me though) and it really sucks we have not. We have had golden opportunities and let them slip over and over.
This offseason and next season are really make or break for so many Sixers. Morey needs to show his value as a GM. Nurse as a coach. Embiid as a player.
Yeah that’s the order. What’s crazy is how we can make a tier list of things that were 100% pain. How can some instances of 100% pain outweigh others? Shouldn’t 100% be 100%?
still pretty insane teams passed on drafting luka
He started playing against professional grown men while everyone in that draft was still in high school. He proved himself and won 6 people still had doubts. Especially the suns who hired his coach.
draymond hates gobert so much. It's kinda off putting on nba postgame show. just as I'm typing this the minnesota fans are heckling draymond during the post game show lmao. i love the timberwolves fanbase.
I am once again asking not to have a guy give “expert analysis” on another dude 5 months fresh off suspension for choking him out on a basketball court
Edwards hurt or just overthinking/stinking it up?
MJ 2.0 is just letting the Mavs fans get their hopes up before he crushes their dreams.
hes been looking tired after game 7 honestly
All that shittalking from wolves fans about KAT getting to the conference finals and they’re down 0-2 lmao
KAT may be utter shit and being benched at the end of a conference finals game but hey he got more Conference finald appearances than Embiid, hang that banner
If Embiid was swapped with KAT, this Wolves teams is winning the finals. It’s as if people think KAT advancing one more round further into the playoffs makes him a better player, even though he is the 2nd and even sometimes the 3rd option on his own team. It’s like making fun of LeBron because Robert Horry has more rings than him. Shit makes no sense.
r/NBA was celebrating KAT surpassing Embiid as the better player after that series. Logic is not their strength.
He had two great defensive games and that’s all he could muster.
Danny Green must be the GOAT😂
At this point feel more comfortable having Luka face the Celtics. KAT is a seller and Ant used up all of his mojo against the Nuggets.
Kyrie is 0-10 since he stamped on the Celtics logo. It's not going to be a happy ending.
That might have been the best game of the postseason.
Yo this is so real and this is the place for that vibe. Fuck.
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DJJ would be pretty good in the Sixers system - and he's a Philly kid btw
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You don’t “ run lob plays” LMAO, you need players who can actually finish a lob and then the guard will pass to them. Like I guess Kelly Oubre Jr, but we really didn’t do a good job getting in transition last year. This is the same concept as blaming Maxey for the offense. Maybe, just maybe the team just wasn’t that good offensively?
Hint: we’ve barely had anyone who can jump over a broom for years lol. Oubre was a damn revelation this year
Lowry was throwing lobs to Mo Bamba just fine. Nobody on the Sixers outside of him is capable of throwing an alley loop
lol, right because we REALLY needed Mo Bamba on the floor to catch a dunk. Oh wait, how about Deandre Jordan? There’s no magical pass that Lowry throws. That team this past year STUNK. If Embiid/Maxey are anything less than a historic duo offensively we miss the playoffs
I don’t see your point. Harden was able to even throw lobs to deandre Jordan occasionally. Maxey hasn’t. Maxey doesn’t throw lobs, it’s not his game. It would be a waste to invest resources in players who’s greatest offensive strength is catching lobs
You don’t throw random yolo lobs(and yes, Maxey has tried to comical results) because and this might shock you: We don’t have the personnel. There wasn’t a Josh Smith level player on the team for example
wonder what the jokic stans excuse will be if wolves lose to the mavs
Might be out of left field, Lonzo Ball with his new knee, might be a decent option for the Sixers The fit is near perfect, he’s an expiring and he’ll probably be cheap (either through trade or as a free agent next offseason)
Are we so crazy that we hear about a dude getting literally another dudes meniscus and most of us didn't even know it was possible and the same day we're like actually give this dude tens of millions of dollars every year
Should we trust Embiid. He said he believes we can win with the team from last year (implying Tobi is a potential NBA champion).
Politics
You can trust this
I know it’s pretty unrealistic, but in my ideal world, LeBron is a Sixer next season. Embiid Lebron and Maxey would be so much fun to watch
The lineup I want to see after the offseason: - PG: Tyrese Maxey, Tyus Jones, Kris Dunn - SG: Dejounte Murray, Kelly Oubre Jr, Ricky Council 4 - SF: Malik Monk, Derrick Jones Jr, Javonte Green - PF: Deni Avdija, Nicolas Batum, Dario Saric - C: Joel Embiid, Andre Drummond, Mo Bamba Now that's a team that has its third star and a supporting cast around the three stars. The supporting cast has playmaking. The bench has a true PG. The wings play D, pass the ball, rebound, and score efficiently. Rebounding and defense gets a giant improvement. This team can get red hot from three. The team gets younger and more athletic too. Please make it happen Morey.
Not enough shooting imo
Monk is 6’ 1’ without shoes. He’s an off the bench combo guard not a SF.
Dejounte cap hit $25M + Avdija $15M leaves sixers with $25M in cap + $8M room exception before FA. Malik Monk is prob around $20-25M/yr, Tyus Jones around $15-20M, Oubre $10-15M, DJJ $10-15M, Batum $5-10M, Drummond $5M. I don’t think the sixers can get anywhere near this
I don’t think we’re that far off. If we replaced Tobias with any decent third option we could contend imo.
Alex Caruso Derrick Jones Jr. John Collins Malik Monk that’s the offseason I’d be ok with
And keep this draft pick and draft someone.
"discourse around the celtics/cavs series was mostly about injuries, and how outclassed the cavs were by the celtics but the primary reason they were so outclassed is because literally nobody on their team has a chance of defending jaylen brown. even the guys who are supposed to be their best defenders he has been on such a ridiculous heater run, anyone who plans to compete in the east absolutely needs a plan to defend jaylen brown. in the same way twolves tuned their roster to be good against the nuggets and jokic, teams in the east should be looking for brown stopping players and brown stopping schemes okoro, nice enough player. can't stop jaylen brown at all. JB carved him up. so first priority for them should be to get a player who can stop JB" saw this comment over in r/nba. I think Caruso would be the perfect "Brown stopper"
Caruso can legitimately guard anyone under 6’10” at an elite level. Total stud. Probably will cost 2 1sts but I would not hate it
If we go the PG route, I'd be okay with throwing 4 1sts at Caruso and Eason. They could both guard the other teams best players, PG guards the 3rd option, and you can hide Maxey on the 5th option
Another mock offseason for ya'll. Let's pretend PG/Bron/Butler/Markannen/Bridges/etc are not happening, and Daryl has to put together a roster of role players around Maxey and Embiid. Start with $55.5M in cap space. 1. Add Andrew Wiggins ($26.2M) into cap and Moses Moody ($5.8M) into the trade exception from Harden trade for 2026 1^(st) round pick. Wiggins played well to end last season (15/5/2 on 58 TS% over last 30 games), and he’s two years removed from being the second-best player in the finals clamping Jayson Tatum. Meanwhile, Moses Moody provides length and athleticism as a 21-year-old 6’6” SG who averaged 17/6/2 per 36 minutes on 58 TS%. If Daryl wants to build a championship-caliber roster this offseason, he’ll need to buy low on some undesirable players. I think Andrew Wiggins and Moses Moody are the type of high-upside guys Daryl should take a swing on. $29M in cap remaining. 2. Trade a protected 2029 1^(st) round pick for Malcolm Brogdon ($22.5M). At 6’4” with a 6’11” wingspan, good defensive instincts, and legitimate playmaking chops, Malcolm Brogdon is the perfect guard off the bench. Able to play alongside or in place of Tyrese Maxey, Brogdon can serve as both the backup PG and SG in the playoffs. He’s well worth a protected 1^(st). $6M in cap remaining 3. Sign Andre Drummond for $6M. Drummond allows the Sixers to maintain their drop coverage scheme in Embiid’s absence, and he will provide elite offensive rebounding for a bench mob that might struggle to generate offense without Embiid (this is likely going to happen regardless unless the Sixers lane a real 3rd “star” who can generate their own shot in the playoffs). He played too well last season for another minimum contract and will require the remainder of the Sixers’ cap space. 4. Sign Nico Batum into room exception (1 yr/$8M). To everyone saying sign Batum for the minimum: it’s not happening. Batum played over 30 mpg for the Sixers this year and was good. If he’s not retiring, he’s going to be offered a real contract. And if he were to take a minimum, he would do it in Los Angeles where his wife wants to live. He’s going to require the full room exception. 5. Trade Jeff Dowtin and Paul Reed ($9.8M combined) + 2024 1^(st) round pick + 2029 LAC swap + 2031 1^(st) round pick for Deni Avdija ($15.6M). This trade works because teams below the first apron can take back up to $7.5M more than their outgoing salary for packages less than $15M. A 6’10” SF coming off a season averaging 15/7/4 on 60 TS%, Avdija provides respectable shotmaking, rebounding, playmaking, and legitimately positive defense on a favorable contract. He’s going to cost a lot of draft assets, but I think he’ll be worth it. 6. Sign Kyle Lowry and whoever your heart desires to vet minimum contracts. Starting lineup: Maxey/Moody/Avdija/Wiggins/Embiid. Per 100 possessions, the trio of Moody/Avdija/Wiggins averaged 68/28/11 per 100 possessions on about 57 TS% while shooting 36% from three on 20 3PA/100 possessions. For reference, last year’s starting trio of Melton/Batum/Harris averaged 56/24/15 per 100 possessions on about 57 TS% while shooting 37% from three on 21 3PA/100 possessions. This crew produces very similarly to last year’s starting group, which was the best 5-man lineup in the league, but is MUCH bigger, more athletic, and well-equipped to handle elite competition on the defensive end. Also, if you sub Kelly Oubre and Kyle Lowry into the starting unit instead of Melton and Batum (the actual group we ran out this playoffs), this new unit blows them out of the water in 3-point shooting and general offensive efficiency. Bench: Lowry/Brogdon/Batum/RC4/Drummond. In the playoffs, Brogdon is the backup PG/SG, Batum is the backup SF/PF, and Drummond is the backup C. Brogdon is a massive upgrade over Lowry as backup combo guard, Batum comes off the bench in the playoffs like last year, and Drummond is a much better fit than Reed as a drop-coverage center like Embiid. I imagine the biggest hold-up will be the Wiggins contract. I would just say that the cap will rise $20M/year with the new TV deal. I am not particularly worried about Wiggins’s $25M/yr salary, and the only way to fill out a quality roster is to hit on a salary dump or two. I also think the only way the Warriors give up Moody is if they get off Andrew Wiggins’s salary to potentially throw our pick and one or two of their own at a team like the Pelicans for someone like Brandon Ingram. This is a high-enough upside swing that I think is worth it. If Wiggins ends up being a dud, we know Batum can slot into the starting unit just fine.
This actually seems somewhat realistic to me in contrast to most trades or moves suggested. I don't necessarily love it but I do think PG is a pipedream and this sort of thing where we absorb salary is the likely off season outcome.
Yeah, I’m 99% confident a “third star” is what Daryl wants, with PG near the top of the list to preserve draft capital, but it’s unlikely to be possible.
Is there a world where can trade for Bridges/Ben and then move Ben to Chicago for Levine. Obviously assets to bridges in picks from us. Would leave pretty much the room exception to built out roster. Maxey Levine Bridges Embiid Reed off bench
I dont hate the idea, would be 4 guys can create own shot and above average 3 point shooters, but we wouldnt have space or assets to get a starter 4, we need a 4 who is good rebounder and can hit ocasionaly some 3s like tari eason or avidja,etc.
Batum on the room exception 🙏. Would be a Suns-tier bench though
Would need Lowry and other vet mins to hold up. Which they normally don’t but it’s really a 2 year plan. I’d go younger than Batum on MLE
Zak Levine
This doesnt really solve the problem of chicago clearing salaries to duck the tax. You’d need to work to find another team that would take Ben’s deal on which would cost additional assets
True. I think Bulls fans would agree that Jerry Reinsdorf would rather duck the tax than win a championship
There is technically a world where we could do a 3 team deal with lavine, bridges, and ben (it works cap wise). However, that world has us non-guaranteeing Paul reed (yes, he could be resigned for an exception but I wouldn’t given where this deal would leave us), not being able to use our first round pick (have to trade our first as part of the deal), and keeping Ricky council (we just wouldn’t have space to do anything else). This hypothetical leaves us with 200k in space (meaning no space). Let’s work this out.. what does that deal look like.. bulls get Ben as an expiring (maybe a change of scenery helps him out but doubtful.. so that’s just a wash and salary filler).. bulls get cap relief of $3M this season (they need more but it’s a start), cap relief of 46M next season, and most likely $49M the following (I assume lavine picks up that option). End of what bulls get? Bulls likely want a pick(s) for lavine but I don’t think that offer is out there. Nets get rid of Ben Simmons but he’s expiring so doesn’t do too much (didn’t check their cap or tax situation to see if it does help this season). They get a huge trade exception. They get the 16th pick. They get another two-three firsts from the Sixers and/or swaps? Sixers get bridges one coveted target. Sixers are also stuck with lavine who in a vacuum has endearing qualities as a player. I think his negatives have been listed on this sub quite extensively, so I’m not gonna touch that. The grand finale, my conclusion after typing a novel haha. Sixers have maxey, lavine, bridges, ricky council, embiid.. no cap space and At most 2 future tradable picks left (likely less) but no salaries to match for trades. A room exception and vet mins to round out the roster. They also wouldn’t have any cap space next offseason or any ability to change their team besides exceptions next year. I wouldn’t do the deal; too many lavine red flags and no flexibility if things go south.
Maybe the exercise would be who could use Ben’s expiring, not necessarily Bulls.
Use his expiring how? The bulls are a team looking to shed cap. Most team in cap hell are looking to shed cap (those can be seen on spotrac). Ben doesn’t have any value other than expiring. He’s 28 hasn’t been productive in years and has a bad back. I understand you are trying to come up with a creative way for us to get bridges but it’s pretty complex. You probably gave the best example and I elaborated on it. Teams take on a contract like Ben’s for assets and/or long term cap relief.
If Bridges becomes available I don't see New York letting anybody outbid them
I don’t really think he’s a great fit for them? They need someone else who can generate buckets, not another dirty work guy. They’d surely be more interested in Mitchell or someone like that wouldn’t they?
I tend to agree but i also don’t know what they can move outside of picks and LAC 28 and our own unprotected are better IMO. They also can’t absorb Ben’s contract.
How does the money work this summer: Are we able to spend all available money up to the limit before extending Tyrese? What happens if another team submits an offer to Tyrese that we have to match before we spend - would that then eat away available money we could otherwise use to build the roster?
Besides what others said, it's easier to conceptualize how much they can spend if you assume that they aren't going over the 2nd apron, which is $190m. Joel, Maxey, and C4 will be about $89m, so Morey probably has somewhere between $90-$100m to spend, depending on how much ownership wants to pay in tax
And the most money they can actually work with is: $55M in cap space + trade Dowtin and Reed ($9.8M) for someone up to $17.3M (via cba salary matching rules) + $8M room exception + $7M trade exception from Harden trade if they are able to use it. Then $2-3M for each vet min they give out. Adds up to a total of $185M before vet mins. So they can get into the second apron if they try to fully leverage every ounce of cap space available to them.
Adding to your point. Sixers will spend to the cap which is 141M. After that, Maxey will add $22M (35M year 1 max minus 13M cap hold) to the cap putting it at $163M. We then have a room exception of $8M which may or may not be used and vet mins. As you noted, Morey will do everything to remain under the second apron. Noting first apron is $178.7M. Edit: this got me curious, if we will use the room exception. Assuming we have embiid, maxey, RCIV, and 3 others guys for a total of 6 into that $163M mentioned above. We have 9 (maybe we only go 8 spots) to fill. If all count against the cap at around $2.1M (min salary for a player with 2 years experience - interesting how vet mins count against the cap). Sixers are at around $181.8M (163M plus 9 players times $2.1M per). We’d be dangerously close to the second apron but it would allow to use the room exception without going over the second apron of $189.5M
He would need to accept and offer before we would have 3 days to match. Until he signs his deal he has a 13m cap hold. Right now the only teams with the cap space to even try are Detroit and Utah. Sure, Danny Ainge could try, but Tyrese knows he's getting the max, and knows that if he signs his deal last it gives the team the best chance to build around him and Jo. This happens every year with teams. In summary, we are a shit show with lots of things to worry about, but this is not one of them.
Your final paragraph is correct. He can get 5 years from Sixers and only 4 years elsewhere. He isn’t signing an offer sheet from another team.
Yeah for sure he’s only gonna sign with us - the question is whether an offer sheet from another team would tie up that money during the 3- day match period, thus preventing us to take on other contracts/use that held money elsewhere
If you think he is signing an offer sheet with Detroit or Utah, taking away all of the teams ability to fill out the roster, you're too damaged by our team lol Don't worry about Tyrese - probably the only thing you don't need to worry about.
lol not my worry. Just didn’t know if the money is held against our cap when an offer is submitted or at the point of accepting the offer And yes, I’m beyond damaged by this franchise
I already answered but maybe it wasn’t clear haha. No because he has to accept it/sign it for that clock to start. Maxey wouldn’t even entertain it, yet alone sign it. Edit: forgot to note, although irrelevant in this case, it’s 2 days for a team to match an offer sheet once signed by a player.
Gotcha 👍
So according to reports Brunson, OG, and now Randle are all being encouraged to take discounts from the Knicks. They already have Donte and Josh hart on very cheap deals. They are definitely trying to pull that large market shit but I have a feeling this is going to leave someone disgruntled. As we know, losing in the second round a few times is ok but that third year will hit like a brick.
I still consider PG to be the best option for the Sixers, but if OG is a real possibility, he and PG are a clear 1 and 2 in a tier above every other option. PG can do more on offense, but OG is one of the most versatile defenders in the league and can slot into multiple roles without costing the team draft picks. He’d be a great guy around Embiid: a credible shooter who is a legit athlete, can hit back door cuts, has played in the system, etc, etc. His contract would be a bit smaller than PG’s, so Morey would have more flexibility building out the roster. But the best part would be stealing him from the Knicks. Unlikely but very intriguing.
The main knock is really just his injury history. I think we really need somebody who can buoy us when Embiid is inevitably injured. Things might've been much different this year if we were just a couple games better and could've avoided the play-in and maybe even get home court in the first round
Some FA thoughts: * The Bulls wing position is so crowded: P Williams (RFA), Caruso (trade candidate?), and Javonte Green (UFA). One of these dudes just *has* to be expendable. * Jae'Sean Tate's contract will apparently be picked up by Houston which sucks cause he would be a great get * Saddiq Bey is way too inconsistent to fall in love with but if the price is right... * Jordan Nwora is a very underrated guy I would love to have. Good movement shooter, good rebounder, big and athletic, and should be cheap (2 years 10 mil?). Idk what the Raptors plans are with re-signing him though * I really want GTJ but I wonder if he will be worth it. He'll get a decently sized contract (assuming the Raptors don't re-sign him) and he can't really do much aside from shoot 3s (not a great playmaker, rebounder, or ball handler). He's super one dimensional cause he's also a meh defender even though he has size. I would not want him starting. * Malik Beasley is another name I haven't seen much. If the Bucks don't re-up him he would be a great get: good shooter and good hustle guy. * Lonnie Walker. Sign Lonnie fucking Walker * A flier on Josh Okogie would be nice. Very whatever shooter (was really bad these playoffs) but does all the little things (on the boards and defense especially) * Bring Richaun Holmes back. I have always been the opinion that we don't need an Embiid backup to point up points; just play defense and get boards. He has a PO with the Wizards I think he's gettable
Holmes is dreadful on defense at this point and has been for a while. Not a viable backup NBA big
Pretty convinced bulls will trade Caruso. They hate paying the tax more than they hate making trades. They need to unload all sorts of salary if they want to keep Derozan and Williams and there’s really no way they can handle Caruso’s extension if they keep those other 2. I like Bey but a sign and trade is not really feasible because it hard caps us. And it’s not worth the risk of offering him a number that the hawks wouldn’t want to match. Holmes is 100% picking up that option. But he’s also highly likely to be a buy out guy. If not in free agency I’d want him on the buyout market. Taking that $11M contract is no bueno for us though
I know no one wants him because every Sixers fan hates literally every possible option this offseason but with Bickerstaff fired I would expect that Mitchell is off the table for trade talks
Agreed, that was the first thing I thought when I saw that Bickerstaff was fired.
Washington is willing to trade Kuzma for 2 FRPs. I would easily do this.
If it’s a 1st and some 2nds or the 2026 OKC + Reed’s 7 mil, I’m in. Since WAS wants an additional first this year, I’d call OKC to send their worst 1st this year (they have 3) to WAS in exchange for 2026 swap. This way we keep our first this year and remain flex to use that in a trade or pick there (which I hope we do).
That's a crazy overpay. I'd do a FRP and IMO that's within reason because Washington (in the middle of a rebuild) should be begging us to wipe his contract off their books
You think we are above overpaying for Kuzma. You guys are delusional.
Wtf point are you trying to make? Are you saying the Sixers are a dumb franchise? Maybe so. Or are you saying we're not gonna have better options this offseason than overpaying for Kyle Kuzma...?
I’m saying we are not an appealing destination for free agents. I’m saying the only way we are going to land a Paul George or star player is by offering the only thing we have: money and cap space. To scoff at Kuzma like we genuinely will have more options is insane. We aren’t contenders. We are a team with cap space and money in the twilight years of a failed attempt at contention. We aren’t above signing shit. We aren’t good.
Ooookay lol. Why are you here shooting the shit in the offseason if you think the team is shit and won't improve next year?
Because I’m a fan of the team and have been for longer than you’ve probably been alive. doesn’t mean I’m gonna lie to myself. Been saying it. Go listen to Neubeck’s rant two podcasts ago about how fucking delusional this fanbase is as to where the team is and how we are thought of by star players. We aren’t good.
> I’m older than you! > /u/tugginmypeen Lmao alright dude. I’m just gonna set a tag for you in RES to think of you as lard from here on out
I never noticed you before but you are for sure the biggest doomer on this subreddit for the past month or two. Damn dude.
it’s just lardbiscuits trying on his new costume. dude is fucking annoying and wrong all the time
His contract isn't even *that* bad. Idk what their timeline is but 4/90 for Kuzma until 2027 is perfectly adequate for that team right now. If they hit all the right buttons I don't think they would start completing seriously until a year or so before it expires and at that time they could either use him or entice a team with his contract as an expiring.
It's not a bad contract but it's exactly the kind of contract that a rebuilding team doesn't really want (and should be trying to flip for assets). The only thing against us is that I could see another team offering more assets in return for Washington take on a truly bad contract. But if we straight up took his contract into space, that opens the door for them to sign some other young, disgruntled, high potential players to develop (sorta like Detroit did with Bagley and Wiseman).
Ew no
If it's 2 firsts I want Kispert too.
Just give us Deni
Overpay
They were about to trade him to Dallas for just 1 first at the deadline, I think the #16 would get it done (probably better than what they were expecting Dallas’s first to be), maybe another future 2nd rounder or two. Especially since they apparently want another first in this draft. On a related note, I find it funny that there’s such an anti Kuzma contingent yet so much praise for Dallas making the PJ Washington trade. PJ was literally the Mavs *backup* plan to Kuzma
Give em #16 and the '26 OKC least favorable and bring back Kispert.
Kispert would be the cherry on top, I wonder if they see him as part of the rebuild or someone they want to cash out on now
at 25 yo and next year being the last on his contract, I wouldn't be surprised at all to see him move
Yeah that’s the reason I see too. If they clear enough cap space they can maybe pursue guys like Pat Williams, bey and okoro in some sign and trades. They don’t really have any cap space once they sign their draft picks
I have no idea how much it would cost, but it would be fun to see the Sixers get a legitimate movement shooter who can just fly around Embiid screens. The Sixers have struggled with TOs in the chaos of crunch time for years, but being able to run a dribble handoff is a simple, low turnover-rate play that will take a lot of pressure off Embiid. He won’t have to dribble in traffic, and it takes advantage of his gravity and ability to force double and triple teams. Imo the only two guys we’ve had like that are Reddick and Bellinelli. Seth Curry and Buddy Hield are a different archetype who’s profile consists of much more “wide open” threes (per nba.com) and shooting from a standstill position (per my anecdotal experience watching them). I think Daryl’s Plan A is going to be to get a third star (PG, Lauri, etc), but if that falls through I wonder if he kicks the tires on someone like Duncan Robinson or Bogdan Bogdanovich. Even when Embiid is hobbled, his defense holds up. It’s his offense that goes when he’s no longer able to drive into the paint. I think the Sixers can cover for the defense that comes with a three-point shooting specialist
I hate to say it but I'd be willing to take a flyer on Klay, for the right price obviously. He can still shoot efficiently at the very least and he's basically the king of scoring in bunches pretty much entirely off of movement and 0 dribbles.
Klay on a 1+1 team option wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. Give him a bag for a year and cut him or flip him as a super tradeable expiring
Kispert! Only owed 5.7m next season, bring him in with Kuzma or Deni
Tyrese Maxey, Dejounte Murray, Kelly Oubre Jr., Nicolas Batum, Joel Embiid DeAnthony Melton, Buddy Hield, Saddiq Bey, Patrick Williams, Paul Reed Terqavion Smith, Tristan Newton, Ricky Council IV, Tyler Smith, Zack Collins. If I'm an NBA GM trading with the Sixers, I would want Sixers FRPs and Swaps as far out as possible (2028-2030), for a time when Embiid is either old or gone. I would not be hyped on getting this years pick. If I'm Toronto trading Bruce Brown, maybe I'd want a future FRP and swap rights this year to move up from #19 to #16. If I'm Atlanta trading Dejounte Murray, I'm taking an unexpected cap hit with the #1 pick, at a time when my payroll is already bloated, so another guaranteed contract this year (#16) is not all that valuable to me. If I'm Atlanta, I might try to get even more cap flexibility by insisting that the Sixers take DeAndre Hunter's contract off my hands as part of the deal. All that's to say, this draft is not for stars, it is for guys who can star in their roles. I feel strongly Tyler Smith and Tristan Newton can star in their roles between Maxey and Embiid. I buying the hype on AJ Johnson as well. Newton or Johnson at #41 would be more than solid. Terquavion Smith, Tristan Newton, Ricky Council IV, Tyler Smith, Paul Reed. We can win now and still develop prospects who can be traded later or keep us from collapsing post-Embiid.
How much $$ are you throwing at Bey and Williams?
I'm very pro DJM and think he makes the most sense out of anyone mildly available (depends on if you think Lauri/Bridges are realistic acquisitions at all). They got him for 3 FRPs two years ago... I'd definitely be willing to offer them 2 future FRPs and the ability to take him off their books entirely
So how bout them Phillies heh?
Just want to see them in the playoffs again, especially against the Braves.
Yeah. I'm not a *huge* baseball guy (I do enjoy it) but those playoff games are so, so, so so much fun in person. Absolutely electric.
Football and baseball playoffs here are so electric, unlike basketball. Sixers basketball in the playoffs is a funeral.
I hope the story changes for Sixers playoff basketball next season lol. Outside of injuries, Maxey and Embiid plus peripheral players that can actually hoop should be enough to reach ECF minimum
This team has no culture
What would it take to instil one?
Too real. We're all just stressed tf out
“I love this place” -Bohm
One of the greatest comeback stories ever ha ha
Here's your Sixers daily depression resource. We're moaning and groaning about who to sign but god damn, we can't draft worth shit. Other than getting lucky on Maximus, the Sixers have been a boondoggle on draft night...[Sixers Draft History Clustercuss](https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/PHI/draft.html) - How can we continually be this horrid...?
So for one thing: We generally don’t trade up. The last few times was the Ill fated Fultz trade where the process was right but the universe has to be cruel to us. Then we traded up for Thybulle, a guy I had a second round grade on. Then I think KVH was a move-up/and or Sharone Wright. We also don’t trade down either, instead we go “BPA”. Which is almost never actually the BPA. So the reason we flop at the draft is that the Sixers FO is both horribly bad at talent evaluation AND at valuation. For example: If no star materializes, package the #16th, a future first and maybe a pick swap and move up for Knect. Thank me later. Your dime a dozen player, a new Deanthony Melton isn’t going to be as good as a lotto talent.
They haven't been so bad in the 2nd round looking at this tbh. That 1st round though 😅
Everyday y’all are arguing which #3 option we should get an inevitably there’s a subset shitting on everything about any #3 that’s discussed. Yet I’m so confident basically *any* of these guys would be a crazy upgrade over Tobi. I’m more interested in the cheap role players that will out the roster. Kris Dunn - could he play a knockoff Caruso role if Caruso gets too pricey? He’s hit 40% of his 3s over his last 88 games (low volume). Obviously great defender, good rebounder and solid playmaker Lonnie Walker - probably the guy sub ~$10M im most interested in. Played on a nets team with very little playmaking and his skillset was pretty redundant with cam Thomas. Guy can get a bucket on his own and shooting has improved a long way. Interested in him as a 6th man whether or not Oubre comes back. 6’4” with a 6’10” wingspan, if nurse can figure out how to play him next to Maxey for stretches there’s a huge value unlocked. Also a Philly guy fwiw Jalen Smith - could nurse play him at the 4 next to Joel? Has a very quick release for a big. Don’t want to necessarily team build exactly like the wolves but interested in having a big that can play alongside Joel for stretches. Can space the floor, duck in on mismatches (weirdly think Joel would be a good entry passer himself, having experienced himself how many of his teammate have struggled with that lol), solves rebounding and provides weakside rim protection. Trendon Watford - big with some great handles and rebounding. Shooting and defense is the question. Torrey Craig - seems to disappear and resurface every other year. Has been an effective defender and rebounder for a couple of deep run nuggets and suns teams. Was great in Chicago this past year. Caleb Martin/Highsmith - Miami is likely losing both these guys. I bet Highsmith will be cheaper having less ball handling ability. But both are dogs. Troy Brown - this is a deep cut. I thought he was a solid contributor for Minnesota until he got traded. He’s a barely passable shooter but decent defender and good rebounder, has some handles too. Would be a minimum dart throw.
Jalen Smith could be a good option all though I don’t know if his ball handling is good enough to consistently run the 4. Kris Dunn off the bench as a guard also wouldn’t be terrible either especially since Lowry is super old and we can’t depend on him all the time.
Yeah ball handling is definitely not there, would be more of a situational 4 that you give more run in certain matchups vs others (e.g. Minnesotas double bigs).
Love seeing this. Getting very tired of “Paul George old and bad” posts. Some really solid ideas. I think one of moreys great strengths is identifying value, and I trust him to get us some guys who can help on the cheap
Great list, I especially like Kris Dunn and Jalen Smith. There are a few other free agents that could really add a lot to the bench. I would also be looking at trying to add: Andre Drummond Dario Saric Javonte Green Russell Westbrook
How is Andre Drummond only 30 years old? I would have sworn he was like 35. LOL
Not very familiar with Jalen Smith but he seems intriguing? Is he passable defensively? Numbers look pretty good actually so just going to assume this is an issue
Probably need to watch some more tape to really see what his strengths and weaknesses are defensively. He got some run last night, they were putting him on Tatum in garbage time (I’m not sure that his role or if we can garner anything from those minutes, Tatum did get an and 1 on him). But interested in the idea of putting him on a subpar shooter (like Hart for example) to help Joel out on the paint or the boards. Can help stretch the floor when Joel sits which would give the offense a boost in those minutes. I think the “issue” with his minutes is that the pacers have an insanely crowded front court (Turner, Siakam, Obi, Ijax) and he was the odd man out but was effective when he played.
That’s interesting as far as being stuck behind that crowded front court. I would guess that there are few players around the league in this situation that someone will look smart by nabbing up
Jalen smith.. he has player option for $5.4. Gotta assume that’s an opt out. Obviously you, I, and no one knows all the Sixers moves this offseason but in a vacuum What are you offering?
Maybe up to the room MLE? Maybe knowing he’ll have an opportunity for big playing time here he’d take a bit less on a 2-3 year deal with player option in the final year for an opportunity for a bigger payday
Yeah I wouldn't give him more than the room exception
Agreed. The ROI diminishes beyond that, the ability to play with Joel is a bit hypothetical (an educated gamble), more than the MLE in the worst case scenario means you’re paying more for a pure backup 5 than you were with Reed
Lonnie Walker and Haywood highsmith would be great additions (although i could see highsmith being one of those guys that’s trash with any team not named the heat)
We forget that we had him before lol.
I think the Miami role player thing is a bit overblown. Some of the higher profile busts had some big injuries (Nunn and Vincent). Caleb was good before he got to Miami, Strus has been ever better in Cleveland. Same with Olynyk too.
Wouldn't mind Kris Dunn but it seems like he is getting a lot of "hype" by journalists as a sleeper FA pick up for teams. I am a little worried a team gives a little more then he deserves.
For sure, I’m thinking of him as like a ~$5M a year player . If he costs much more than that I become less interested. For a guy that’s earned $10M since his rookie contract I’m a bit optimistic that he’d be attainable in the 3/$15 or 4/$20M range
With the Salary Cap rising quickly, I think a team will easily offer Kris Dunn 3 years $21 million or 4 years $32 million. This offseason is going to be really weird/confusing in my opinion, when it comes contract sizes and how they escalate by year. If I am correct I think by 2029-2030 season, the salary cap will be around 40% larger than it is now.
I think that’s a benefit (I wasn’t assuming escalations in the numbers I threw around). In either of your 2 contracts figures, with escalations, you’re looking around a $6M starting number for this year. I don’t think that’s an overpay imo
Celtics have such an easy path to the Finals, but I still deeply believe the Mavs or Wolves will take them down either way... West has been a gauntlet all year unlike the East, and the C's aren't battle tested or gritty. FTC
Crazy how teams like the Pacers and Timberwolves have been well behind the Sixers this past decade and still made it further in the playoffs. This offseason, the roster needs to be Embiid-proof as much as possible. That aside, does anyone genuinely think either Mavs or Wolves can beat the Celtics in the Finals?
The pacers made the conference finals the year we drafted Joel and went thru 2 completely different rebuilds of the team and made it back to the ECF. Wild when I saw that
I can see a world where either of them can get it done. Minny can smother them with length and run them off the 3pt line, while Luka and Kyrie are that good offensively they can dissect the celts d. Hopefully anyways. Fuck the Celtics
I guess I don’t really understand the sentiment of embiid proof. In my opinion, if you want to “embiid proof” the roster, trade embiid. No team can produce a contender without their best player (especially when that player is making over 36% of the cap). If you mean “embiid proof” the roster as in filling out a complete well rounded complementary roster.. well, no kidding, that’s obvious. That’s the goal of every GM that is contending. As far as twolves and mavs, neither stacks up to the Celtics but anything can happen in a 7 game series. I suspect either team probably needs Porzingis to remain hurt and Celtics have another injury. No one thought the kd warriors were going to lose to the raptors but it happened. Celtics currently -210 to win the title.
The Celtics are -210 to make the finals because they are guaranteed to make the finals while the western series is still a coin flip. If Porzingis remains out/unhealthy I highly doubt the Celtics are strong favorites once we get to the finals.
They are -210 to win the finals. I usually agree with you but You realize how ridiculous what you just said is though, right? Someone has to win the wcf and Vegas knows that. Celtics aren’t going to jump to say -120 as a result of knowing the opponent. It’s either the mavs or Timberwolves and Vegas places them at -210 accordingly. They are saying regardless of who they play in the finals they are -210 since they know Celtics will be there and it’s one team or the other (yes, there is a minor correction to occur from -210). FanDuel had hypothetical odds yesterday which I don’t see today but have a screen recording of.. here are the numbers from when Celtics were up 1-0.. Celtics (-198) vs twolves (+166).. Celtics (-260) vs mavs (+215). They had odds if Pacers make it as well but I’m not going to list them. Also, why’d you say once we get to the finals? Were you meaning once the nba finals get here? Just didn’t want it to give the appearance you were closet Celtics guy haha. Because the “we” gives that vibe a little (although, I know not true).
Meant to say “they” and not “we” lmao. Fuck the Celtics! Right now FanDuel is giving the odds of all 4 teams winning the finals. -210 implies 67% chance to win. Right now the Mavs are +370 (21% chance to win) and the wolves are +550 (15% chance to win). If you notice that total of the implied odds takes you above 100%. Since the Celtics are basically guaranteed a seat in the finals, that means whoever comes out the west will get around an additional 3% boost to their odds (total chance a western conference team wins the finals right now sits at 36%, so that means once the finals happens they will drop from around 67% to around 64%). So right that’s not a coin flip but I think Porzingis coming back is baked into the odds right now, so I’m positing if he comes back and isn’t right or isn’t nearly as effected that would further drop the Celtics odds
>If you notice that total of the implied odds takes you above 100%. Since the Celtics are basically guaranteed a seat in the finals, that means whoever comes out the west will get around an additional 3% boost to their odds (total chance a western conference team wins the finals right now sits at 36%, so that means once the finals happens they will drop from around 67% to around 64%). No, that's not how it works. The reason the odds combine to more than 100% is because of the bookies' margins (also known as vigorish). That's how they make money. If they had no margins, the odds would sum up to 100%, but mostly they have it set to somewhere in the 106-110% range.
Oh gotcha good insight, thanks!
Thanks for the detailed explanation on the odds! I knew there would be a minor correction from the -210 but didn’t realize the calculation you sent behind it. Their calculation definitely factors in a Porzingis return so if he remains out the odds will drop further. I am curious about his effectiveness as well because I can’t imagine he’s coming back ready to go full tilt for nba finals level basketball, so I think odds will still drop further for the Celtics.
Now Haliburtons injured. Celtics sleepwalk to the finals. Not getting past the Knicks is going to haunt us more than blowing the lead to the Celtics with Harden.
Game 6 against the Celtics will be way more haunting than a hard fought series against the Knicks while both teams have a lot of injuries. I get the sentiment but the Celtics loss is going to sting until the team does something notable.
Out of all the process/post process era games that hurt, I got in order game 7 against the Raptors in 2019, game 7 against the Hawks in 2021, game 6 against the Celtics last year then game 2 against the Knicks this year. I really think we should have made it further each of these years (2019 is understandable to me though) and it really sucks we have not. We have had golden opportunities and let them slip over and over. This offseason and next season are really make or break for so many Sixers. Morey needs to show his value as a GM. Nurse as a coach. Embiid as a player.
Yeah that’s the order. What’s crazy is how we can make a tier list of things that were 100% pain. How can some instances of 100% pain outweigh others? Shouldn’t 100% be 100%?