Sixers roster building philosophy still an unknown

By George Kondoleon | Jun 10, 2017

Jun 24, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers number one overall draft pick Ben Simmons (25) and number twenty-fourth overall draft pick Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot (20) pose for a photo at a press conference at the Philadelphia College Of Osteopathic Medicine. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /

The Sixers have assets to use, but how will they use them?

Nabbing a star has seemed to be the most difficult part of the rebuild, unsurprisingly. The Sixers have two potential ones in Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid, but their careers are far too young to pin any sort of label on them just yet. So the question is, what will the Sixers do to find their star, if they believe they don’t already have one.

Philadelphia has been far from a hot destination spot for top free agents in recent years, but with hometown kid Kyle Lowry on the market, that may change. Bryan Colangelo’s prior history with Lowry makes the connection to a potential signing even stronger. Whether or not signing Lowry is the right move, that could be how the Sixers find their perceived star.

Lowry is their best shot at finding one in the near future, as it’s unlikely the team will be serious contenders for any star in next year’s loaded summer class. Even with a promising 2017-18 season, players around the league are starting to take notice at the possible extended rule of the Golden State Warriors on the NBA. Unless Simmons and Embiid become a sensational duo from the start, I’d expect Philadelphia to whiff on landing a huge signing any time soon.

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If the Sixers do sign Lowry, then the possibility of trading future draft assets for a proven star gets even more unlikely. Lowry is a max contract, and bringing in another max contract with a flattening cap while Embiid is due for an extension will only lead to a cash-strapped team who can only flirt with the league’s top tier.

The intricacies of the NBA make this an unknown. With the draft still preluding free agency, the Sixers could make a decision on trading picks for a star before even thinking about chasing Lowry. But with talks of trading down with the Sacramento Kings, who are infatuated with guard De’Aaron Fox, it seems the Sixers are keen on selecting at least one touted prospect from the 2017 class.

Assuming the Sixers don’t make a splash this offseason, the next thought might have to be how to successfully utilizing the stockpile of assets to move the team forward. Similar to the Danny Ainge-Celtics situation in some sorts, sitting on assets could come with negatives and positives. Ainge had the chance to go get a Jimmy Butler or a Paul George, but instead passed up on the move and watched his team get romped by the dominant Cleveland Cavaliers.

But sitting on those assets netted him the top pick in the draft. Now, debate if that was the right move or not, but the fact is the Celtics are sitting pretty. Now, with Bryan Colangelo owning his own picks and the Kings and Lakers’ picks, a decision being made soon could boost the value of a return. There’s no telling what will happen until that 2019 Kings pick conveys, and even with the Lakers not looking too promising next season, is the return enough on that to prohibit the trade?

If the Sixers want to move forward, they should be laser-focused on attacking the right trade opportunity. A young core takes seasons to grow, but adding a proven star can propel a team forward drastically. Of course there are risks in every move the Sixers make, but trading away unknown future assets for a known player that can put the team in a top playoff position is a no-brainer.

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The offseason could be telling of how the Sixers plan to build this roster. The small moves may not have a huge impact, but not making a big move could show Philadelphia is still trying to play the patient role in rebuilding.