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NBA free agency news: How the cash-strapped Sixers can add players; top options for Philly; latest rumors and more

The Sixers have three stars eating up the majority of their cap space, but new president Mike Gansey still needs to fill out his roster.

Sixers wing Kelly Oubre Jr. is one of the team's five unrestricted free agents.
Sixers wing Kelly Oubre Jr. is one of the team's five unrestricted free agents.Read more
Elizabeth Robertson / Staff Photographer
What you should know

  1. NBA free agency has its soft launch Tuesday evening, but it's expected to be busy. Teams are allowed to begin negotiating with other team's players beginning at 6 p.m.

  2. The Sixers don't have much money to spend, as Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and Paul George account for nearly $155 million of the projected $165 million salary cap. Here's a breakdown of some options.

  3. The Sixers picked up the team options for Dominick Barlow and Dalen Terry on Monday, but not Trendon Watford.

  4. Elsewhere in the NBA, LeBron James informed the Lakers Tuesday that while he will return for a 24th NBA season, but he will play for a different team.

  5. Speaking of free agents, former Sixer Ben Simmons, who didn't play last season, recently spoke of about an NBA comeback — possibly in Philly.

Where will LeBron land in free agency?

LeBron James informed the Los Angeles Lakers that he will not re-sign with the team after 8 seasons and one title in Tinseltown.

So where could he land? A number of suitors have emerged through various reports, including the two franchises with which he spent the first 15 seasons of his career.

According to NBA Insiders Chris Haynes (NBA on Prime), Jake Fischer (SteinLine), and Brian Windhorst (ESPN), the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat and Golden State Warriors could all be in play.

Backup center market drying up early

We are still hours away from free agency officially opening, and the backup center market is already shrinking.

Robert Williams and Jock Landale earlier Tuesday reportedly agreed to terms to return to their respective teams, the Portland Trail Blazers and Atlanta Hawks. Landale's deal is for one year and $14 million and Williams' is for three years and $44 million, according to ESPN's Shams Charania.

So who else could still be in play for the Sixers?

  1. Mitchell Robinson, an elite rebounder and rim protector, is perhaps the sexiest name, given his role on the NBA champion New York Knicks.

  2. Sandro Mamukelashvili, coming off a strong season for the upstart Toronto Raptors, is a sneaky option.

  3. Veteran Nikola Vucevic was once an All-Star, but his decline was glaring during the Sixers’ upset of the Boston Celtics.

  4. Marvin Bagley, the former second overall draft pick who was productive for the Washington Wizards and Dallas Mavericks, is a solid rebounder (and his brother, Marcus, was a Delaware Blue Coat and on two 10-day contracts with the Sixers).

John Collins and more frontcourt options for the Sixers

As the Sixers search for ways to bolster their roster, keep an eye on these six players as options at forward and center ...

John Collins

Collins could slide into a starting forward spot if Oubre leaves. The sensational athlete has become an improved shooter since getting off the perpetual trade block with the Atlanta Hawks, connecting on 40.6% of his three-point attempts last season with the Los Angeles Clippers.

LeBron James is leaving the Lakers

What kind of contracts can the Sixers actually sign?

This is tricky to determine right now, because it could be dependent on if Kelly Oubre Jr., and/or Quentin Grimes returns.

If both players depart, the Sixers are likely to have the non-taxpayer midlevel exception (approximately $15 million) and the biannual exception ($5.5 million). If they re-sign one or both players, they likely will only have the $6.1 taxpayer midlevel exception.

For what it’s worth, earlier this month Bob Myers specifically referenced the non-taxpayer midlevel exception as a free-agency tool, suggesting the Sixers are using that as a starting point and will weigh the players they could sign on that deal vs. the return of Oubre or Grimes. And if the Sixers cross into the “apron” penalties, it will limit their ability to make in-season trades because of new collective bargaining agreement rules.

Cash-strapped Sixers taking it one move at a time

If the Sixers are going to improve, it's going to need to be on the margins.

That is the reality facing new 76ers president of basketball operations Mike Gansey, whom Myers led the search to hire, and the remaining front office as NBA free agency begins at 6 p.m. Tuesday. All-NBA third-team guard Tyrese Maxey ($41 million), along with former perennial All-Stars Joel Embiid ($59.5 million) and Paul George ($54.1 million), remain on max contracts accounting for nearly $155 million of the projected $165 million salary cap. And the latter two players are considered difficult to trade because of their age and recent injury history.

So the Sixers must again hope for better health with that top-heavy roster during the 2026-27 season, which could turn that flash from the playoff upset of the Boston Celtics into more consistency. Yet that postseason run, which ended in being swept by the eventual NBA champion New York Knicks, also exposed that the Sixers must bolster their depth, requiring shrewd around-the-edges moves with limited financial flexibility.

These five Sixers are headed for free agency (or retirement)

The Sixers don't have much money to spend in free agency this offseason, and what little they do have could be used to re-sign some of their own players who are about to hit the open market when the negotiating period begins at 6 p.m. Tuesday. Here's a look at the members of last year's Sixers squad who will be unrestricted free agents ...

  1. Kelly Oubre Jr. — Oubre, 30, averaged 14.1 points, 5 rebounds, and 1.4 steals in 50 games last season and shot a career-best 36% from three-point range. The 6-foot-8 starting forward spent the last three seasons with the Sixers, and made $8.3 million in 2025-26.

  2. Quentin Grimes — Grimes, the Sixers’ sixth man for most of last season, averaged 13.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 3.3 assists, all down from his breakout season in 2024-25 after the Sixers shifted into tank mode. The 26-year-old, who struggled to find a match last free agency period before returning to the Sixers, shot a career-low 33.4% from three-point range.

  3. Andre Drummond — The 32-year-old center made $5 million while taking on an odd role most of last season: starting in place of Joel Embiid when the former MVP was injured, but falling out of the rotation entirely when Embiid was healthy. Drummond, one of the games best rebounders, averaged 6.4 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in 63 regular-season games.

  4. Trendon Watford — Watford, who has been a close friend of Tyrese Maxey's since they were teenagers, averaged 6.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.5 assists in 53 games last season, but injuries played a role. The Sixers declined Watford’s $2.8 million team option for next season on Monday.

  5. Kyle Lowry — The former Cardinal Dougherty and Villanova star is expected to retire after 20 NBA seasons. Following the 2024-25 season, Lowry, a North Philly native, said he wanted to play one more year.

— Matt Mullin