In year one post-Sam Hinkie, the Sixers managed to increase the excitement surrounding the team without substantially improving the on-court product. The club never expected to push for the playoffs, but rather, it looked to give its young nucleus a chance to work together and grow for the future. Injuries to Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid robbed Philadelphia of that opportunity, though in a small sample size Embiid provided the franchise with hope for the future.
Here are five questions facing the Sixers as they enter the offseason…
1. Should the front office offer Embiid an extension this summer?
Embiid dominated in limited minutes this season, flashing potential as a franchise-saving big man. He scored 20.2 points per contest with a player efficiency rating of 24.1, figures that are only matched by six other rookies who played at least 25 minutes per game. Everyone else on that list is currently in the Hall of Fame, though on average, they each played around four times as many minutes in their rookie season than Embiid did.
Embiid’s talent is clear, but will he ever be able to play a full 82-game season? That’s something that will be baked into contract negotiations over the next year. He’s eligible for a rookie scale extension this summer and it’ll be interesting to see whether he opts for long-term security or bets on his health during the final year of his rookie contract.
2. What should the Sixers do with Jahlil Okafor?
Okafor seems to be perpetually on the trade block. The Sixers made a conscious effort to showcase him on multiple occasions this season with the hope of enticing a suitor, and he was nearly dealt to Portland after the team sat him for several games. The Pelicans were also linked to the Duke product, as were the Pacers. The Bulls appeared interested in bringing the Chicago native home, but no deal materialized.
Okafor’s place in the league seems to be in question. He hasn’t taken any drastic steps forward on defense and his offense appears to have plateaued. However, as we’ve seen throughout history, some players simply need a change of scenery and that’s likely the case with Okafor, as I suggested in his Trade Candidate piece earlier this season.
3. How will the Sixers use all their draft picks?
The Sixers appear set on allowing Simmons to run the offense next season and with that plan in mind, whichever player the team selects with the No. 3 overall selection will have to comfortable playing off the ball. Philly intends to speak with Lonzo Ball‘s camp about the UCLA product’s fit alongside Simmons and the team has talked to De’Aaron Fox about playing off the ball when the 2016 No. 1 overall pick is on the court.
Markelle Fultz and Ball are likely to be the top two selections on June 22 and Philadelphia’s choice at No. 3 will impact how many of the lottery teams will operate on draft night. It was previously reported that the team likes Fox as well as Dennis Smith Jr. for that spot. Malik Monk would seamlessly fit into the offense, though selecting him as high as third overall would be a reach. Josh Jackson, whom Jonathan Givony of Draft Express ranks as the third-best prospect in the draft, makes sense based on his upside and Jayson Tatum would be a good choice due to his pro-ready game.
While Philadelphia could always trade the No. 3 overall selection, it’s more likely that the front office deals away one or more of its second-rounders. Four of Philly’s league-high five selections fall in the second round. It’ll be hard for the franchise to use all of those picks even if it selects several draft-and-stash candidates.
4. What additions will the Sixers make on the trade and free agent markets?
All signs point to a more active Sixers’ offseason than we’ve seen over the past several years. The franchise has been linked to several veterans, including J.J. Redick and Kyle Lowry. Lowry would have the most impact and signing him would likely propel Philly into the Eastern Conference’s playoff race. However, Lowry has said he’s looking to compete for a title and unless his hometown Sixers make another significant move (acquiring Paul George might qualify), the team won’t be among the NBA’s top tier, making Philadelphia unlikely to land the three-time All-Star.
Redick, who’s in line for a massive payday, would be a great fit for the Sixers should they convince him to sign. Although Philadelphia attempted more shots from behind the arc than all but six teams last season, only five teams had a worse percentage.
Adding either Redick or Lowry would allow the team to transfer a high volume of shots from below average shooters to some of the league’s best three-point marksmen. Even if the team doesn’t land a major free agent, shooting should be a top priority for Colangelo and company.
5. Which players will return next season?
Next season, teams will be allowed to carry 17 players, a figure which includes a pair of players on two-way contracts who would be allowed to migrate between the NBA and the D-League. Those extra spots could help the Sixers retain their players, as they won’t have to waive or trade players to make room for their abundance of rookies. Still, even with the extra spots, it feels like turnover is coming.
Sergio Rodriguez will be a free agent and he’s drawing interest from clubs overseas. Even though he plans on remaining in the NBA, it would be surprising if Rodriguez is back in Philadelphia given the team’s interest in point guard draft prospects. Tiago Splitter doesn’t appear likely to return and Gerald Henderson, who has a non-guaranteed $9MM salary for next season, could be ousted should the team need the cap space for a bigger move. The team reportedly has no plans to trade Dario Saric, but he’s certainly not untouchable in a deal for an established star or the No. 1 pick, and Okafor will be linked to other teams until he is on another one.
Philadelphia is set on building a team around Simmons, Embiid and its first-round pick this offseason. It would be shocking if any of those three players aren’t on the roster come opening day. Would it be all that surprising if any other Sixers player isn’t?
Here’s where things currently stand for the Sixers financially:
Guaranteed Salary
- Jerryd Bayless ($9,000,000)
- Ben Simmons ($6,168,840)
- Joel Embiid ($6,100,266)
- Jahlil Okafor ($4,995,120)
- Nik Stauskas ($3,807,147)
- Dario Saric ($2,422,560)
- Justin Anderson ($1,579,440)
- Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot ($1,386,600)
- Gerald Henderson ($1,000,000) — Partial guarantee. Non-guaranteed portion noted below.1
- Tibor Pleiss ($500,000) — Waived
- Total: $36,959,973
Player Options
- None
Team Options
- Robert Covington ($1,577,230)2
- Total: $1,577,230
Non-Guaranteed Salary
- Gerald Henderson ($8,000,000) — Partial guarantee. Guaranteed portion noted above.1
- Richaun Holmes ($1,471,382)
- T.J. McConnell ($1,471,382)
- Shawn Long ($1,312,611)
- Total: $12,255,375
Restricted Free Agents
- Alex Poythress ($1,512,611 qualifying offer / $1,512,611 cap hold)
- Total: $1,512,611
Cap Holds
- Tiago Splitter ($12,825,000)
- Sergio Rodriguez ($9,600,000)
- No. 3 overall pick ($5,645,400)
- Furkan Korkmaz ($1,465,920)
- Total: $29,536,320
Projected Salary Cap: $101,000,000
Maximum Cap Room: $55,186,167
- The Sixers have eight players on guaranteed salaries, a cheap team option for Covington that will be exercised, and a cap hold for their No. 3 overall pick. Throw in a couple cap charges for empty roster spots and their team salary is a modest $45,813,833. Even if the Sixers retain a couple of their non-guaranteed players, as expected, they’ll have more than enough space for a maximum salary contract, with plenty of room to spare.
Footnotes:
- There are conflicting reports about whether or not Henderson’s contract has a partial guarantee or no guarantee. Either way, Henderson’s salary becomes fully guaranteed after June 30.
- Covington’s salary remains non-guaranteed if team option exercised; becomes partially guaranteed ($53,547) after August 9.
Salary information from Basketball Insiders and The Vertical was used in the creation of this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
A 6th question would be whether or not they sign Covington to a long term extension – do they view him as a long term piece? If they want to trade him, do they think other teams would prefer to obtain him on a contract with a few years of control?
He’s certainly earned a raise over his modest salary of the last couple seasons, and this would be a smart time to extend him if they want to keep him around as they move into the next era of Philadelphia basketball.
I’m no Colangelo, but I think an extension for Covington would be smart. 3 and D wings don’t grow on trees. I personally see him as a player who will only improve as the team does because he will get left open behind the arc more often when you have to help on Simmons, Embiid, and whoever else is on the court.
Need to get creative. Maybe take Melos contract to waive him plus Prozingis and a a future draft pick swap.
Or take Crabbe and Leonard plus a couple future 1st round picks. Like 2020, 2022, 2023. By the time they have to pay Embiid Simmons and Saric at the same time Crabbe is gone.
Take Deng and Russell. Take Mozgov too if they throw in future draft picks.
They can take on a bad contract or two upto about 30-35M worth that has 3 years left that will not effect their plans bc they have 4 first round picks in the next 2 years.
The lakers aren’t giving up Russell for cap relief. The Knicks aren’t giving up Porzingus either. What’s the point of cap space if you don’t have the talent that a quality FA wants to play with.
Well the Lakers did give up Russel for cap relief.
Melo would veto a trade to Philly.
I would not sign any FAs. I would take on a serviceable player from another team on a ‘bad contract’ and accumulate future draft picks in the process. Use the salary cap to your advantage while you can. Once you pay guys like Embiid and Simmons those draft picks become gold to supplement the roster. Why pay a 33 yr old JJ Reddick 20 M? When you can trade for an Allen Crabbe making 18 with the same skillset. Why pay an injury prone Jrue Holiday or a 31 yr old Kyle Lowry when you could trade for a PG and pick up a draft pick. Coleangelo is not a good GM. He is an idiot that has not used the salary cap to make this team better. Hinkie would not have wasted the cap space they had he would have taken any player on a 1 yr deal and gotten something for the future. I literally could do a better job than Coleangelo. It doesn’t take any GM experience to draft Ben Simmons.