The Philadelphia 76ers are at a very odd place as a franchise right now.
On one hand, they are coming off an impressive campaign in which they went 52-30, finished third in the Eastern Conference and proved that “trusting the process” might have been worth it in the end.
On the other hand, they recently dismissed general manager Bryan Colangelo for his role in a ludicrous Twitter scandal.
Right now, head coach Brett Brown is the acting general manager but the team is expected to announce Colangelo’s replacement soon.
With the NBA’s free agency period fast approaching, the Sixers have some pressure to improve their squad. Veterans JJ Redick, Amir Johnson, Trevor Booker, Marco Belinelli and Ersan Ilyasova are all unrestricted free agents from last year’s club.
With over $30 million in cap space to play with at the moment, the Sixers have room to add a high-profile free agent or to make a trade to acquire one.
The time is now
Since LeBron James might stay with the Cleveland Cavaliers and since the Boston Celtics are presumably going to be fully healthy by the fall, the Sixers have some pressure to surround Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid and Dario Saric with more talent in order to truly contend.
Redick is coming off of a career year and has repeatedly stated that he wants to stay in Philly, so he might also re-sign if presented with an offer.
Coach Brown recently made it clear that the team will do everything possible to add another All-Star this summer.
“The whole notion of star hunting, star chasing, star development is at the forefront of everything we do,” Brown told Tom Moore of the Bucks County Courier Times. “I would just like to go there to admit it to all of us. The timeline is now.”
James, Kevin Durant, Chris Paul, Paul George and DeMarcus Cousins are the only All-Stars that will be on the unrestricted market this summer, though.
James will likely not end up in Philadelphia, Durant is expected to re-sign with the Golden State Warriors, Paul is expected to re-sign with the Houston Rockets and George is expected to choose between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Los Angeles Lakers. Cousins simply would not be a fit alongside Embiid.
“I think it’s going to be difficult (to land an elite free agent),” Brown said. “I think it’s going to be a challenge. A tiny number of players (are stars).”
Therefore, perhaps the Sixers will look to the restricted free agent pool that includes Aaron Gordon, Julius Randle, Clint Capela, Marcus Smart, Zach LaVine and Jabari Parker, among others.
Other unrestricted free agents that most likely wouldn’t command a max deal include Redick, Trevor Ariza, Derrick Favors, Isaiah Thomas, Tyreke Evans, Will Barton, Rajon Rondo, Brook Lopez, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Rudy Gay. Therefore, adding two or perhaps three from that group might be an option.
In the end, the goal is simple: winning a championship. In order to do that, they’ll need to make a splash this summer.