Sixers early aggressiveness puts them out of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope race

The Sixers added a key piece early on in free agency, which puts them out of the league’s top current free agent.

Bryan Colangelo had himself a decent free agent period. The team landed a veteran perimeter threat in J.J. Redick, who can ease the rookie bumps of Ben Simmons and Markelle Fultz. Redick’s elite catch-and-shoot ability will create a dynamic attack in the pick and roll game, and for that reason, the Sixers were lauded for the landing.

The deal was a massive one-year, $23 million deal that will give the Sixers flexibility down the line. It was peculiar deal for many reasons, mainly on Redick’s end. Redick probably could have secured a long-term contract somewhere upwards of $18 million, but instead the 33-year old sided with a more lucrative short term deal. Many believe Redick’s family’s recent move to Brooklyn made an impact on the signing.

At the end of the day, the Sixers were happy to add what may be their most high-profiled signee since the Elton Brand acquisition in 2008. Redick does have the chance to rapidly develop the Sixers offensive flow, pushing the young core to an elevated level. The Sixers absolutely nailed this low-risk signing.

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The next deal they made was less exciting, to say the least. The signing of Amir Johnson isn’t awful. He, like Redick, was signed to an overpay one-year deal. The deal was for a rough looking $11 million. I say rough looking only because now this puts the team’s cap space at just over $13 million the rest of the summer. With a full roster it may not seem like a problem, but it does play a role for many reason.

The first reason being the Robert Covington contract extension. With less money to negotiate with, the Sixers could be waiting until next summer to rework a deal. This deteriorates the trade value of Covington if a trade opportunity ever pops up, and also puts Philadelphia at risk of losing him for nothing next summer. This is why the Amir Johnson signing seemed confusing on paper.

Philadelphia dished out money on a front court player, which considering the clutter of the roster and the rise of Jonah Bolden this summer, puts further questioning on the decision. This signing took the Sixers out of the race Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who just became an unrestricted free agent because of a trade for Avery Bradley.

Caldwell-Pope was always a target linked the Sixers, but that was before the Markelle Fultz occurrence. He could have still been an option for Philadelphia as a versatile backcourt player that could ease some defensive pressure off of Fultz or Redick. He’s also a good outside option, and in today’s NBA that seems to be a player’s best asset.

Caldwell-Pope reportedly denied a 5-year, $80 million dollar contract from the Pistons. He was looking for more than a $16 million salary, which puts the Sixers out of the race. The Lakers reportedly have interest in a one-year deal, but could only pay just around $17 million to him this season.

You have to wonder if the Sixers never signed Johnson, and Caldwell-Pope was willing to do a short-term deal, would an agreement have come to terms? Maybe a $22 million dollar offer? Or a maybe a longer-term deal, that would have been more around $20 million, and gives the team a Covington replacement if they didn’t view him as a key piece moving forward.

It’s not like the Sixers are at fault here. It seemed more than likely that the Detroit Pistons would match almost any offer to Caldwell-Pope for much of the offseason. This Avery Bradley move was one that came as a domino effect of the Gordan Hayward to Boston move. Now, although the Sixers missed out on a young, promising wing player, they can move forward with flexibility towards next summer.

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The Amir Johnson signing remains a bit confusing, but he can prove to be a veteran locker room leader and even an effective small-ball center. The Sixers may have missed out on one player, but landed their guy in J.J. Redick. Colangelo continues to be risk averse, in hopes of eventually landing a top free agent target. Let’s see if he’s setting up his team for success in years to come.