- Amidst all of the potential trade rumors surrounding Jimmy Butler, the Sixers have been mentioned as a possible suitor as they look to add a third star alongside Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid. However, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer questions the cost of adding a player of Butler’s caliber and skill set to their current roster.
The Sixers declined to exercise Furkan Korkmaz‘s third-year option, meaning he will become a free agent at the end of the season. It was previously reported that Korkmaz wouldn’t mind being traded, as he isn’t receiving an opportunity to consistently play. He confirmed that desire to be traded should he continue to sit on the bench.
“I’m still the same way,” Korkmaz said. “That’s why I will try to see what my opportunities are right now. Just like I told you before, I just want to play,” the 21-year-old said (via Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer).
“If I’m not getting minutes here, I just want to look for other options. I don’t know what’s the options right now, just try to be on the court,” Korkmaz continued.
The Sixers drafted Korkmaz with the No. 26 overall pick in the 2016 draft. He’s only played in 19 career NBA games with five of those coming this season.
“I feel like I didn’t really have that opportunity,” Korkmaz said of receiving playing time. “Last year, I was injured for a long time and this year just a couple of games in the garbage time. It wasn’t like good rotation minutes for me. That’s why I feel like I didn’t get that opportunity to show on the court what I got.”
- Sixers coach Brett Brown is allowing forward Dario Saric to work through his shooting slump, Sarah Todd of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. Saric has scored in single digits in each of the last three games while shooting 2-for-13 from long range. Brown has no plans to reduce Saric’s workload. “If he came to me and said, ‘I need some time,’ I would listen,” Brown said. “But I don’t feel like I’m force-feeding anything, I do not feel like I’m hurting him. In fact, I feel like I’m helping him.”
Every week, Hoops Rumors takes a closer look at players who will be free agents or could become free agents next offseason. We examine if those players’ stock is rising or falling due to performance and other factors. This week, we turn our attention to the Atlantic Division:
Spencer Dinwiddie, Nets, 25, PG (Up) – Signed to a three-year, $3.9MM deal in 2016
Dinwiddie has been one of the biggest bargains in the league over the past couple of years but he figures to get a hefty pay raise next summer. Dinwiddie may not be the prototypical point guard but he can carry an offense at times. He’s averaging 14.9 PPG while shooting 48.9% overall and 43.5% from long range. He’s a career 32.5% 3-point shooter, so if he can establish himself as a solid long-range threat, he’ll be even more valuable. He had a 25-point outburst, all after halftime, and made the game-winning shot against his former team, the Pistons, on Wednesday.
Damyean Dotson, Knicks, 24, SG (Up) – Signed to a three-year, $4MM deal in 2017
Dotson has a non-guaranteed salary next season. It’s hard to see the Knicks cutting a productive player on a dirt-cheap deal loose unless they hit the jackpot on a couple of top level free agents and need to open up more cap space. Dotson, a second-round pick last summer, has taken advantage of an injury to rookie Kevin Knox, scoring in double digits in each of the last six games. He’s also been a factor on the boards, averaging nearly six per game. Dotson has earned coach David Fizdale’s trust, though it will be interesting to see how much his minutes drop when Knox returns.
Wilson Chandler, Sixers, 31, SF (Down) – Signed to a four-year, $46.5MM deal in 2015
The Sixers were hoping that Chandler would be a key component of their second unit. They’re still waiting to see if that’s the case, as Chandler has yet to make his Philadelphia debut due to a hamstring injury. Chandler has been durable in recent seasons, appearing in at least 71 games for the Nuggets the past three seasons, but he’s at the point of his career where injuries could be a growing concern.
Marcus Morris, Celtics, 29, PF (Up) – Signed to a four-year, $20MM deal in 2015
Brad Stevens has a lot of quality pieces to fit but Morris doesn’t need to worry about his rotation spot. He’s posting averages of 14.4 PPG and 7.4 RPG in 25.6 MPG off the bench while guarding three different positions. Those stats are even more impressive on a loaded team with a lot of mouths to feed. Morris is due for a huge pay increase after signing a team-friendly deal with the Suns three years ago.
Greg Monroe, Raptors, 28, C (Down) – Signed to a one-year, $2.17MM deal in 2018
Monroe is the type of player who’s getting phased out of the league. He’s a low-post scorer with slow feet who has difficulty making defensive switches. He’s made only two brief appearances with the Raptors thus far and will likely remain at the end of the bench unless injuries pile up. Monroe will likely have to settle for a similar contract in free agency next summer.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Here are Friday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
- The Pistons assigned third-year forward Henry Ellenson and rookie guard Khyri Thomas to the Grand Rapids Drive, the team announced in a press release. Ellenson, a first-rounder in 2016, has been buried at the end of Detroit’s bench or inactive this season. The front office decided against picking up his option for next season. Thomas, a second-round pick out of Creighton acquired from the Sixers in a draft-night deal, has not made his NBA debut.
- The Nets recalled rookie forwards Rodions Kurucs and Dzanan Musa from the Long Island Nets, Brian Lewis of the New York Post tweets. Kurucs, a second-round pick, has averaged 8.7 PPG and 4.0 RPG in 14.3 MPG through three NBA games. Musa, a late first-round selection, has made three short appearances this season. Kurucs was assigned to the Long Island team earlier in the day.
- Rookie Celtics center Robert Williams has been assigned to the Maine Red Claws, the NBA team’s PR department tweets. The first-round pick has made four cameo appearances with the Celtics and knocked down his only field-goal attempt.
- The Sixers assigned power forward Jonah Bolden to the Delaware Blue Coats, according to a team press release. Bolden, a second-round pick in 2017 who signed a four-year, partially-guaranteed contract in July, has seen action in four games this season but none of those stints were longer than seven minutes.
Meanwhile, Lawrence is also the latest reporter to identify the Sixers as a potential dark horse in the Butler sweepstakes. Lawrence suggests Philadelphia had hoped to trade the Heat’s unprotected 2021 first-rounder in a deal for Kawhi Leonard and could offer that pick to the Timberwolves in a Butler package.
- Derek Bodner of The Athletic examines the Sixers‘ decision to decline the third-year option in Furkan Korkmaz‘s contract. Philadelphia will have an extra $2MM in cap space next summer as a result, and Korkmaz will reach free agency on July 1.
Here are Thursday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
- The Rockets have assigned center Zhou Qi to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, tweets Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. Qi, 22, saw one minute of action in the team’s game against Portland on Tuesday. He appeared in 18 contests with the Rockets last season.
- The 76ers recalled rookie center Jonah Bolden from the Delaware Blue Coats, the club announced (Twitter link). Bolden is in uniform for the Sixers’ game against the Clippers Thursday night. He was drafted by Philadelphia with the No. 36 pick in 2017, then signed a four-year deal with the club this summer after playing with Maccabi Tel Aviv.
Here are Tuesday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
- The Wizards have assigned Chasson Randle to their Capital City affiliate, the team announced on Twitter. Washington waived Randle in training camp, but he signed with the team yesterday because the 14th roster spot needed to be filled.
- The Hawks assigned swingman Daniel Hamilton to their affiliate in Erie, according to the team’s website. He returned to practice last week after recovering from a tear in his right rotator cuff and has yet to play this season.
- The Sixers announced that Jonah Bolden has been sent to their Delaware affiliate. A draft-and-stash player who played in Israel last season, Bolden has appeared in four games for Philadelphia.
The Sixers won’t pick up the third-year option on Furkan Korkmaz, tweets Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. The 21-year-old shooting guard was set to earn $2,033,160 next season, but he hasn’t been able to crack the rotation and is no longer in Philadelphia’s long-term plans.
The decision doesn’t come as a surprise because Korkmaz wasn’t included in the Sixers’ announcement Monday when they exercised their options on Ben Simmons, Markelle Fultz and Dario Saric. Teams tend to release all their option decisions at once, although Simmons, Fultz and Saric were easy choices.
Korkmaz hasn’t seen much playing time since leaving Turkey to join the Sixers before the start of last sesason. He has appeared in five games this this year, averaging 5.2 minutes per night. He got into just 14 games last year and spent much of the season in the G League.
Today’s decision means Korkmaz will be an unrestricted free agent next summer. He will receive his full $1,740,000 salary for this season, but he could become much more expendable if the Sixers need to open a roster spot.
The decision may also make it more difficult for Philadelphia to trade him. Unless he gets waived, Korkmaz can’t be offered a starting salary higher than the value of his option by whichever team has him when the season ends. That may lead an interested team to wait for free agency, rather than giving up something in trade and risking not being able to re-sign him.