Sixers: Does Nik Stauskas have a roster spot next season?

Could Sixers guard Nik Stauskas, the 8th overall pick in 2013, have to find a new home after this season?

The trade that brought Nik Stauskas could be the heist of the century for the Sixers. However, there is soon to be an overcrowding at the shooting guard position. With the Sixers employing help from J.J. Redick, “Sauce Castillo” is looking at an even lesser role on the team.

Furkan Korkmaz coming to join the team this year isn’t exactly a threat just yet. Korkmaz will most likely play most of this season in the G-League, barring any injuries on the main roster.

The Sixers also seem to be all in on the development of Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot. The hope seems for him to play the back up 2 in the future, as long as they a Redick caliber player. TLC is able to play the wing if the minutes are available.

Justin Anderson is the other player available to play shooting guard. Anderson is a good role player and displayed flashes of talent in the latter part of last season. He’s a versatile player who can also play minutes at small forward (and power forward), if needed.

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This brings us to Sauce. While his play has been fun to watch at times, he doesn’t hold a place long term on this team. Although improved, Stauskas’ defense is still abysmal. He also has struggled to find his shot that he displayed at Michigan.

After the season concludes, Stauskas will be a restricted free agent. We should expect the Sixers to deal him by the trade deadline if they do not expect to extend an offer to him. I don’t believe there is a big market for a still developing shooter coming off of a rookie contract.

It isn’t too farfetched of an idea to see Nik Stauskas traded for an asset we can use in a few years. If the Sixers don’t have any plans to re-sign him after this year, they will likely test the trade waters.

With that being said, this coming season could be a make or break for Nik Stauskas. If he performs well, he could get a nice offer from a contending team to come off the bench or to start on a rebuilding team. Conversely, if he under performs, it will effect his contract offers moving forward.

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With the floor being spread this year more than previous, Stauskas could see more Redick-esque open looks. If Sauce transform his shot to the lights-out stroke I have been waiting for, we can expect him to have a similar career path as Redick in the NBA.

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