- Although teams like the Heat, Nets, and Clippers have been cited as Jimmy Butler‘s preferred destinations, the Timberwolves wing also “has eyes” for the Sixers, per Lowe. However, sources tell ESPN that Philadelphia has shown “almost no interest” in trading for Butler.
[SOURCE LINK]
When a July report indicated that the Sixers tried and failed to lure Daryl Morey away from Houston, it appeared that those discussions didn’t go far — Philadelphia reportedly received permission from the Rockets to talk to Morey, but the veteran executive decided to remain in his current job.
According to Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN.com, however, Morey didn’t turn down the Sixers’ advances out of hand. One source close to the process tells Arnovitz that discussions got “pretty far down the road” before Morey elected to stay in Houston.
As the 76ers’ search for a new head of basketball operations continued following their failed bid for Morey, a consensus begin to build that it was important to maintain continuity in the front office, per Arnovitz. That’s one reason why Elton Brand was the eventual choice for the general manager job.
“When you live with these guys over three months, from draft and free agency, you appreciate what we already had,” head coach Brett Brown said, per Arnovitz. “Elton was always going to be a general manager at some point, in some city. And it might as well be here, and it might as well be now.”
According to Arnovitz, multiple league insiders viewed the decision to promote Brand and give him the title of GM (rather than president of basketball operations) as a “statement of control” by Sixers ownership — if they get cold feet on Brand down the road, they could always bring in a veteran executive above him. For now though, he’s running the show in Philadelphia.
Here’s more on the Sixers:
- Arnovitz’s feature on the Sixers, which is worth checking out in full, also includes details on how Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons are shaping the franchise’s culture and identity, and the lessons Embiid was taught by Tim Duncan during his rookie year in 2014/15.
- Replacing Ersan Ilyasova and Marco Belinelli on the second unit will be one of Brown’s biggest challenges this season, David Murphy of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes. In 23 games after that duo was acquired in February, the second unit averaged 41.6 PPG and improved its three-point percentage from 32.2% to 35.2%. Mike Muscala and Wilson Chandler, acquired in trades this summer, are projected to replace them in the rotation but both are batting injuries, Murphy adds.
- Late first-rounder Landry Shamet had a productive preseason and that opens up more options for the second unit, Sarah Todd of the Philadelphia Inquirer notes. Shamet, a 6’5” point guard, had a pair of double-digit games while mostly working alongside J.J. Redick. “I think it went about as well as it could have,” Shamet told Todd. “I didn’t surprise myself, that’s kind of the way I look at it.”
- Markelle Fultz will start the season opener and Redick will come off the bench, Jon Johnson of KYW 1060 Philadelphia tweets. The 2017 top overall pick will be starting for the first time. Fultz only appeared in 14 regular season and three postseason games as a rookie. Redick, who averaged a career-best 17.1 PPG last season, hasn’t come off the bench in a regular season game since the 2013/14 season.
(Dana Gauruder contributed to this post.)
- The 76ers have lofty expectations for the upcoming season, a situation the team hasn’t been accustomed to facing until this point, Keith Pompey of Philly.com details. The emergence of Markelle Fultz, the return of J.J. Redick, and the experience Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid now have could propel the Sixers to a top seed in the East.
It appears Wilson Chandler‘s hamstring injury will linger at least a couple of weeks into the regular season, coach Brett Brown says in a video tweeted by Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Chandler, who was acquired in an offseason trade with the Nuggets, has been sidelined since straining his left hamstring September 28 in an exhibition game against Melbourne United.
“My experience with hamstrings is one that reminds you that it rarely is less than a month,” Brown said. “And it’s not like he’s 20 years old. … We don’t need to rush him back into doing anything, and when his body says he’s ready to play, that’s when he’ll play.”
Brown added that no timeline has been set for Chandler to return, but repeated that it should be about a month from the original injury. The Sixers open their season Tuesday against the Celtics.
There’s more news out of Philadelphia:
- The Sixers ran into another social media issue today that gave new GM Elton Brand his first public relations test since taking the job, writes Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today. The father of Mike Muscala allegedly posted inflammatory comments about Jimmy Butler on his Twitter account, which drew immediate condemnation from Brand. Muscala apologized for the incident and Brand absolved him of any blame. “Having known Mike since his rookie year in 2013-14 when we were teammates, I am also certain these posts are in no way reflective of his own personal beliefs,” Brand said. “Mike has always been a great teammate and ambassador for the game of basketball, and he has never shied away from using his platform to do good in the community. He has our organization’s full support.”
- Robert Covington endured extreme roster turnover and some of the worst losing in history during his first two seasons in Philadelphia, but he has become the team’s longest-tenured player and an example to his younger teammates. In an interview with Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype, Covington talks about how those early years molded him. “Coach Brown looks at me as one of the leaders, if not the leader, of this team because of everything I’ve faced and just how I’ve handled everything,” Covington said. “He looks at me as one of the strongest people on this team.”
- Brown plans to stick with his preseason strategy of starting Markelle Fultz at shooting guard in the first half and J.J. Redick in the second half, relays Tom Moore of The Bucks County Courier Times. Both players say they’re on board with the unconventional arrangement.
Veteran center Emeka Okafor wasn’t able to earn a roster spot with the Sixers, tweets Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Okafor was waived today, along with Cory Jefferson and Darin Johnson.
Okafor, 36, signed a non-guaranteed deal for the veteran’s minimum shortly before training camp opened last month. He had been hoping to win a spot as a backup to Joel Embiid and a veteran leader on one of the NBA’s top teams.
Okafor completed a remarkable comeback story when he earned a roster spot with the Pelicans in February after signing a pair of 10-day contracts. It marked his return to the league after missing four seasons because of injury. He appeared in 26 games, starting 19, and averaged 4.4 points and 4.6 rebounds per night. However, he barely played in the postseason.
New Orleans waived Okafor last month and he signed with the Sixers two days later.
Jefferson and Johnson signed with Philadelphia yesterday and both appear headed for the G League.
The Sixers have added forward Cory Jefferson and guard Darin Johnson to their training camp roster and waived guard Matt Farrell and forward DJ Hogg, according to a team press release.
The 6’9” Jefferson has spent the last two seasons playing professionally in Italy and the Philippines. He was on the Spurs’ summer league team and also played for the NBL’s Melbourne United when Philadelphia hosted the Australian team in a preseason game.
Jefferson, a second-round pick in 2014, has appeared in 58 career NBA games with Brooklyn and Phoenix and posted averages of 3.5 PPG and 2.8 RPG in 10.0 MPG.
Johnson, a 6-foot-7 guard, played 44 games last season with the Sixers’ G League affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats. In 17.2 MPG, he averaged 6.5 PPG.
Farrell and Hogg were signed earlier this week and could wind up with the Blue Coats once they clear waivers.
The moves keep Philadelphia’s camp roster at 20 players.
Hoops Rumors is breaking down the 2018 offseason for all 30 NBA teams, revisiting the summer’s free agent signings, trades, draft picks, departures, and more. We’ll evaluate each team’s moves from the last several months and look ahead to what the 2018/19 season holds for all 30 franchises. Today, we’re focusing on the Philadelphia 76ers.
Signings:
Standard contracts:
- J.J. Redick: One year, $12.25MM. Re-signed using cap room.
- Amir Johnson: One year, minimum salary. Re-signed using minimum salary exception.
- Two-way contracts:
- Non-guaranteed camp contracts:
- Matt Farrell: One year, minimum salary.
- D.J. Hogg: One year, minimum salary.
- Emeka Okafor: One year, minimum salary.
- Anthony Brown: One year, minimum salary (waived).
- Norvel Pelle: One year, minimum salary (waived).
Trades:
- Acquired the draft rights to Zhaire Smith (No. 16 pick) and the Heat’s 2021 first-round pick (unprotected) from the Suns in exchange for the draft rights to Mikal Bridges (No. 10 pick).
- Acquired the Pistons’ 2021 second-round pick and the Pistons’ 2023 second-round pick from the Pistons in exchange for the draft rights to Khyri Thomas (No. 38 pick).
- Acquired the draft rights to Shake Milton (No. 54 pick) from the Mavericks in exchange for the draft rights to Ray Spalding (No. 56 pick) and Kostas Antetokounmpo (No. 60 pick).
- Acquired the Bulls’ 2019 second-round pick and cash ($1.5MM) from the Lakers in exchange for the draft rights to Isaac Bonga (No. 39 pick).
- Acquired Wilson Chandler, the Nuggets’ 2021 second-round pick, and the right to swap 2022 second-round picks from the Nuggets in exchange for cash ($110K).
- Acquired cash ($1MM) from the Suns in exchange for Richaun Holmes.
- Acquired Mike Muscala in a three-way trade with the Hawks and Thunder in exchange for Justin Anderson (to Hawks) and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot (to Thunder).
Draft picks:
- 1-16: Zhaire Smith — Signed to rookie contract.
- 1-26: Landry Shamet — Signed to rookie contract.
- 2-54: Shake Milton — Signed to two-way contract.
Draft-and-stash signings:
- Jonah Bolden (2017 draft; No. 36): Signed to four-year, $7MM contract. First two years guaranteed. Signed using cap room.
Departing players:
- Justin Anderson
- Marco Belinelli
- Richaun Holmes
- Ersan Ilyasova
- Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot
Other offseason news:
- Agreed to part ways with president of basketball operations Bryan Colangelo after Twitter burner account scandal.
- Promoted VP of basketball operations Elton Brand to general manager position.
- Special advisor Jerry Colangelo will leave team at season’s end.
- Contract agreement with Nemanja Bjelica fell through.
- Zhaire Smith underwent foot surgery; expected to be sidelined until Christmas.
- Hired former WNBA star Lindsey Harding as full-time scout.
Salary cap situation:
- Used cap space; now over the cap.
- Carrying approximately $101.1MM in guaranteed salaries.
- Full room exception ($4.45MM) still available.
Check out the Philadelphia 76ers’ full roster and depth chart at RosterResource.com.
Story of the summer:
The story of the Sixers’ summer might have been the NBA’s story of the decade. A late-May report from Ben Detrick of The Ringer, which detailed the use of Twitter “burner” accounts connected to president of basketball operations Bryan Colangelo, set NBA Twitter afire, providing one jaw-dropping revelation after another.
The allegations within that report – that Colangelo appeared to be using anonymous Twitter accounts to criticize current and former Sixers players, share inside information about the franchise, and tip team strategy – ultimately cost the veteran executive his job, though an investigation revealed that his wife was likely the one behind the accounts.
The bizarre saga put the Sixers in a tenuous position entering the offseason. The organization was armed with the most 2018 draft picks of any NBA team – including multiple first-rounders – and had enough cap flexibility to pursue any free agent on the market. But Philadelphia headed into the draft and free agency without a permanent GM in place, employing head coach Brett Brown as the interim head of basketball operations.
While the last-minute change to the front office was unexpected, it didn’t necessarily hamstring the 76ers. Philadelphia wasn’t able to land a top free agent, but the team showed no aversion to making roster moves, completing a league-high seven trades during the offseason. Still, it remains to be seen whether all that roster activity will ultimately move the needle in 2018/19 for a team on the rise in the Eastern Conference.
- After promoting Elton Brand to general manager last month, the Sixers have named a new interim GM for their G League team, announcing today in a press release that Matt Lilly will serve as head of basketball operations for the Delaware Blue Coats. Brand previously held that position.
The Sixers have signed rookie point guard Matt Farrell, the team announced in an email.
Farrell spent the past four seasons at Notre Dame and was a Third Team All-ACC selection as a senior. He averaged 16.3 points, 2.4 rebounds and 5.5 assists while making 98 3-point shots last season.
The addition of Farrell plus today’s signing of D.J. Hogg, keeps Philadelphia at the training camp limit of 20 players. Swingman Anthony Brown and center Norvel Pelle were both waived to make room for the new signees and may wind up with the Sixers’ G League affiliate.
Brown, who signed an Exhibit 10 contract in late August, has spent time with the Lakers, Pelicans, Magic and Timberwolves. Pelle, who signed in early August, has been playing internationally since going undrafted in 2014.
OCTOBER 10: The signing is official, the Sixers announced today in an email.
OCTOBER 8: The Sixers will sign former Texas A&M forward D.J. Hogg to an Exhibit 10 contract, Michael Scotto of The Athletic tweets.
Hogg appeared in four games with the Pelicans’ summer league squad in Las Vegas, averaging 7.5 PPG in 13.5 MPG. The Sixers will make another roster move to open up a spot for Hogg.
The 6’9” Hogg went undrafted after foregoing his senior year of eligibility. He averaged 11.1 PPG and 5.3 RPG for the Aggies in 2017/18 while shooting 41.0% from the field, including 37.8% on his 3-point attempts.