Price Tag for Sixers Free Agent Target Revealed
By Cem Yolbulan
The NBA free agency is almost upon us and what the Philadelphia 76ers will do remains one of the most important questions in the entire league. The Sixers have significant cap space and basically no contracts on their books other than Joel Embiid. This opens up endless possibilities for General Manager Daryl Morey.
Naturally, the Sixers have been linked to most of the premier free agents of the summer. One of those names is Kentavious Caldwell-Pope of the Denver Nuggets. The 31-year-old shooting guard is declining his player option for next season, making him one of the most sought-after players of the offseason. With his ability to shoot the ball and defend on the wing while having a championship pedigree, KCP will attract interest from every playoff team in the league.
Therefore, the expected average annual value for his next salary has reached $25 million.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope’s value in free agency is expected to reach near $25 million annually.
— Evan Sidery (@esidery) June 27, 2024
The Sixers and Magic loom as serious contenders to offer Caldwell-Pope a short-term deal at a large salary.
KCP will soon decline his $15.4 million player option with the Nuggets. pic.twitter.com/htXvMGQzko
Caldwell-Pope is a quality, two-way starter. The going rate for such players is currently above $20 million, so this is not a surprise.
Whether this is a good deal for Philadelphia, however, will depend on the length of the contract and how they are able to fill out the rest of the team. If the Sixers can get KCP on a two or three-year deal, they should seriously consider giving him this offer. Anything longer has the potential to kneecap the Sixers' future financial flexibility.
Paying Caldwell-Pope around $25 million a year means that the Sixers can't bring in another player on a max contract. Paul George and Jimmy Butler would no longer be a possibility.
Caldwell-Pope is a valuable player but are you going anywhere if he gets paid like your third-best player? The Nuggets won that title with him because he was the fifth-best player on that team.
This is a difficult question that only Daryl Morey can answer. Whether the Sixers go all out for a third star or fill the roster with role players like Caldwell-Pope will be a massive and difficult decision the front office has to make.
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