3 Free Agents the 76ers Will Regret Not Signing This Offseason
By Tyler Maher
2. Dillon Brooks
Brooks ended up signing with the Houston Rockets for four years and $80 million, which is a lot for a guy who doesn’t shoot very well. Still, he would have been a nice addition to our roster thanks to his shutdown defense.
Brooks, who was Second Team All-Defense last year, is one of the best wing defenders in the NBA right now. That makes him invaluable come playoff time against the likes of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Giannis and others.
Harden often gets exposed by wing players in those situations, so having someone to help him out would have given the defense a big boost.
And while Brooks isn’t great on offense, he’s not terrible, either. He’s a career 34.2% shooter from downtown and has averaged 14.5 points per game, so he can stretch the floor and occasionally create his own shot as needed.
The Sixers already have enough offensive firepower with Harden and Embiid, so adding a more defensive-minded player who can still contribute on offense and hit open looks would have been a good fit. Our defense already ranked third in fewest points allowed last year, but Brooks would have helped maintain or improve on that mark.