Ten Potential Free Agents for the Sixers

(Hayden Hoskins)

As it sits today, the Philadelphia 76ers have approximately $57 million in cap space according to spotrac.com, good enough for second most in the NBA.

Regardless of which site you pull your cap numbers from, you’ll find the same thing. The sixers have a lot of cap space. Obviously Kevin Durant and LeBron James are free agents come July 1st this year, but I hate to be the one to tell you, they’re not coming to Philly. Nor should Philly want them right now, honestly.

Yes, they’re the two of the best players in the league, but even if one of them were to come her, we don’t have enough veterans with experience here in order surround them with players who could win it all. The Eastern Conference is weak at this point in time. It could take a few above average players and some depth to dethrone the Cavaliers.

In the first two games of the finals it’s shown that the Cavs have their weaknesses. Number one being, when they face a team that has multiple players that can score and play shutdown defense the Cavs big three isn’t enough to pull them to victory. Whether or not the Sixers decide to splurge this offseason and sign a max contract player or not remains to be seen, but if they do, here’s some players they should strongly consider.

 DeMar DeRozan, SG, Toronto Raptors

DeRozan absolutely showed up this year looking to wreak havoc and had the best one of his career. He averaged 23.5 points a game this past year. The 26 year old is able to do what nobody on the Sixers currently can, create his own shot.

His three point shooting was only just under 34 percent last year, but his total field goal percentage was at about 45 percent and he is young enough to sign with the team and be productive as well as fit in with the young team. His playoff experience alone would help the young core of the Sixers where the culture has been of the losing variety in recent memory. The Raptors have made the playoffs in each of the last three seasons with DeRozan being a key part of the team in each campaign.

In this most recent postseason, granted there were games where he underperformed, he showed that he can compete with the best players in the league, putting 30 or more points in five games out of the 20 Toronto played in. Obviously consistancy would be nice, but the potential is there. If Demar does decide to opt out of his contract in Toronto, the Sixers should consider him.

 Bradley Beal, SG, Washington Wizards

Beal is a restricted free agent which would make it difficult for the Sixers if they got in a bidding war with the Wizards. However, Beal has been injury prone throughout his career and they could possibly get him cheaper than expected. Whenever Beal was on the floor for the Wizards however, he was a solid player.

Last season the Wizards guard averaged 17.4 points per game. Like DeRozan, he is a guard who can score which would be greatly appreciated in Philly these days. Beal is not the “go to” guy that everyone once thought he could be, however, he can be huge contributor on any NBA team. The presumption is that the Sixers will be taking Ben Simmons with the first pick in the draft. Having Beal on the wing for Simmons to give the ball to would greatly relieve pressure off of the rookie to make plays.

The current roster’s wing players consists of a bunch of guys who aren’t in the same universe as Beal. The current, and hopefully former, Wizards shooting guard could potentially take the team from the worst team in the Eastern Conference to a perennial playoff contender for this upcoming season and beyond.

 Harrison Barnes, SF, Golden State Warriors

The chances Golden State doesn’t retain their up and coming star is slim. Barnes is a restricted free agent but if the Sixers open their wallets and are willing to spend the cash, they could potentially lure him away. The Warriors have on of the largest payrolls in the NBA this year and if they take back to back championships this season, chances are they will have no problem spending money for the realistic chance at a third in a row.

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His numbers aren’t overwhelming but there’s only so much to go around when you play for the Warriors. He’s been a fourth or sometimes even a fifth option for the defending champs, which is not knock on the small forward. Watching his games throughout the year, you can see that he plays both ends of the court with dominance.

There are very few players in the league that have any sort of mismatch against Barnes. If it wasn’t for Andre Iguodala playing for them, he might be the best wing defender on the team. Barnes may end up being just a player who can’t be “the guy”, but if everything goes according to plan, he won’t need to be for the Sixers. His versatility and youth would be an outstanding addition in Philadelphia.

 Rajon Rondo, PG, Sacramento Kings

The numbers for Rondo speak for themselves. Last season he averaged nearly 12 points and 12 assists per game, not to mention six boards. Rondo is going to demand a big payday this offseason, hence why he only signed a one year deal last season. The former Celtic star has a knack for finding his teammates for open shots but can also get to the rim when needed.

In Boston he was at his best because of the fact the team had a plethora of players around him that were well above average. His ability to find them for open shots and positions to succeed was uncanny. He’s a player who needs the ball in his hands as is projected number one pick, Ben Simmons.

But having two guys that can handle the ball and can be floor generals seems to be a common occurrence in the NBA these days, so that fact alone shouldn’t deter the Sixers. The signing of Rondo would drastically improve their stagnant offense of last season and would greatly speed up the development of the number one pick this year as well as the rest of the young bigs the Sixers possess. The biggest question is if his ego would allow him to do so.

 Eric Gordon, SG, New Orleans Pelicans

Gordon is somewhat of a wildcard in free agency this year. He signed an enormous contract with the Pelicans and showed he wasn’t worth it. However that doesn’t mean he can’t be a nice role player or even the starter for the Sixers, given Nik Stauskas isn’t anything to write home about. Averaging over 15 points last year but like Beal, injuries have gotten the best of his career. He only played in 45 games last season and averages 52 games a year. This could be blessing to get a solid player at a discount.

And if the Sixers are capable of getting him at a steal of a price, you could put yourself in a position to make a run at any number of other free agents this offseason if you wanted to. At the very least Gordon is an offensive spark off the bench on a good team. Having a guy like him who, on any given night, could drop 25 in the sixth man role is huge. Depth is a substantial part of today’s NBA and even having a formidable starting lineup isn’t enough sometimes. Gordon could be the spark plug to give the Sixers what they need when their starters can’t.

Next: Sixers Short Term Moves Won't Affect Future

The Sixers this offseason have a lot of questions marks and nobody knows what their plan is. If the new regime decides to spend some of their money this year, a long look should be taken at these players. If they decide to hold off until they’re ready to win a championship, strategy that has shown to work in the past, then they’ll have more for next year. Either way the Sixers are in a position to, now or in the future, make quite the splash.