Philadelphia 76ers: How Will Cap Space be Utilized?

With the NBA’s recent announcement that the 2017-18 salary cap is jumping $7 million from this year, the Philadelphia 76ers now have even more money to play with.

On Thursday, the NBA announced the salary cap for the 2017-18 season would be moving from $94 million to $101 million. This is a clear after-effect of the $24 billion dollar media rights deal the league signed with ESPN in 2014, with teams still reaping the benefits. When taking a look at the Philadelphia 76ers, only about half of that $101 million is accounted for going into next season with the current roster. What are the options for spending some of that $50 or so million?

First, we must look at what unnecessary contracts can be shed on the current roster. Co-Editor Chuck Booth did so, naming three players who should be moved on from going into next season. It appears the biggest headache among retaining current players will come in the form of Gerald Henderson. Henderson has been slightly better than expected this year and has shown to be invaluable in the form of a veteran mentor for the young players on the team. However, his $9 million team option for next season will require a long decision in terms of moving forward into next year. While accepting the team option wouldn’t kill the team, there are longer-term plans that have to be considered.

The first “trade-off” that money could be re-invested in could be extending Robert Covington‘s contract. Covington has started every game he’s played for the Philadelphia 76ers this year and is averaging career highs in FG%, Rebounds, Steals, and Blocks. When the fact is added that he’s shown more than capable of shutting down other team’s best wing players, Covington needs to be extended. Covington has a team option for a shade over $1 million for next

Covington has a team option for a shade over $1 million for next season but has shown he’s more than deserving of a long-term extension. Assuming he’s in the conversation with players like Wilson Chandler, Tobias Harris, and Jae Crowder, he’s going to command around $13-14 million per year. Extending him to a contract of that sort sooner than later seems to make the most sense for the Sixers, as you don’t want him sweating his contract out all of next season.

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Unfortunately, no, we can not spend all of our cap space this offseason. Those two guys we plan on being our franchise players need to be paid down the road as well. Embiid will be a restricted free-agent after next season, and all it will take is another team signing him to an expected max offer sheet for the Sixers to have to match that.

Then there’s Ben Simmons who will command the same deal, and that’s most of that $50 million or so that’s available. With the cap likely leveling out in two years, the pending contracts for these two need to be taken into consideration moving forward.

With that being said, additions are still needed outside of the draft coming into this season. So the question is, who are good fits for this team that won’t hinder our chances of having serious cap issues in the coming years? Let’s take a look:

1) George Hill

Probably the biggest long shot of the names I’m about to list, Hill would be a fantastic fit for the Philadelphia 76ers. Averaging a career high 18 PPG, Hill has been instrumental in Utah’s improvement this season. With questions about Jerryd Bayless‘ durability, Hill would be a clear upgrade. The only question is if he would leave Utah and if he could be lured for a reasonable price. Stay tuned.

2) PJ Tucker

If the Philadelphia 76ers wind up drafting guard-heavy in the draft, Tucker would be a perfect Free Agent addition. Tucker isn’t a great scorer, but just about everything else about his game is something any team could use. He’s a very good wing defender and someone who’s not going to get outworked by anyone. In a defensive-minded lineup, you wouldn’t see many better wing pairs defensively than he and Robert Covington.

3) Jrue Holiday

The former Sixer! Holiday has shown what he’s all about in his first stint in Philadelphia, and he’s left many wanting a return. Holiday has had some continuing durability issues, only playing 65 games this season. However, he’s averaging 15 and 7 while shooting 45% from the floor in a season where’s he played a lot of minutes at the 2 in New Orleans. The Pelicans have made it clear they want to keep him, but is a return to Philly enticing enough to pry him away? For the right price, Bryan Colangelo will certainly poke around.

4) Darren Collison

Collison won’t excite many, but he’s a hard working, serviceable veteran that could help the Philadelphia 76ers. He’s a good perimeter defender, is shooting about 42% from three this year, and shown more than capable of getting good NBA minutes throughout his career. I’m not advocating for him to come in and start and play 36 minutes per night, but he would be a good 3rd guard in the rotation to get 25 minutes or so a night. With the question marks around Bayless, Collison would be able to fill those shoes if need be.

Next: Three players to move on from in the offseason

Free agency isn’t going to solve all of the problems the 76ers have. There’s plenty of cap space to work with, but much foresight has to be used when utilizing it. Shedding some dead skin, renewing certain contracts, and adding a veteran or two in addition to the team’s youth having a healthy summer could lead to big things for the Philadelphia 76ers next year.