Sixers Notes: Batum, Oubre, Lowry, Draft, Free Agency, Embiid

Nicolas Batum, Kelly Oubre and Kyle Lowry are the free agents most likely to return to the Sixers next season, a source tells Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. The three players have proven to be a good fit alongside Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, and they’re likely to be affordable, which will be an important consideration when president of basketball operations Daryl Morey tries to round out the roster after hopefully landing at least one big name on the free agent market.

Batum is at the top of Philadelphia’s list of players to re-sign, according to Pompey. The versatile swingman appeared in 57 games and made 38 starts after being acquired as part of the James Harden trade last November. The Sixers hold Bird rights on the 35-year-old, who made $11.7MM last season and has a $17.5MM cap hold. He wound up loving Philadelphia after being traded there and is a candidate for a modest raise on a short-term deal, Pompey adds.

Decisions on Oubre and Lowry will be affected by what they’re willing to sign for. A league source tells Pompey that Oubre is likely to get an $8MM room exception offer from another team, while the Sixers will probably need him to sign in the $6-8MM range if they add another max player in free agency.

The team has a $3.3MM cap hold and Non-Bird rights on Lowry, who accepted $2.9MM for the rest of the season when he signed on February 13. Lowry said after the playoffs ended that he intends to keep playing, but he didn’t specify whether he plans to stay in his hometown of Philadelphia.

There’s more on the Sixers:

• In a separate story, Pompey advocates trading this year’s first-round pick, which is slotted at No. 16. Pompey notes that Morey has a history of moving draft picks and hasn’t made a first-round selection since taking Jaden Springer at No. 28 in 2021. If the Sixers keep their pick, Pompey points to USC point guard Isaiah Collier, Providence guard Devin Carter and Indiana forward Kel’el Ware as potential selections if they’re still on the board, along with Trentyn Flowers, who played in Australia this season and has a June 20 workout scheduled in Philadelphia.
• In an offseason assessment of the Sixers, Keith Smith of Spotrac questions whether Paul George and Jimmy Butler are the team’s best targets. While they would be the type of splashy acquisition that Morey is known for, Smith points out that both players are older and have extensive injury histories, which doesn’t make them an ideal fit with Embiid. Smith suggests building the team’s depth as a better option, particularly at backup center, and names Andre Drummond, Goga Bitadze, Moritz Wagner, Jalen Smith and Jonas Valanciunas as possibilities.
• Embiid is feeling better after experiencing Bell’s palsy during the playoffs, Marc Stein tweets.