Expect the Sixers roster to get a face lift in free agency
With the exception of Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, Jonah Bolden and Zhaire Smith, the entire Sixers roster could be in flux.
UPDATE: See the latest on the Sixers’ free-agency moves.
Sunday will be the start of a defining stretch for the 76ers.
Their focus all season was securing A-list free agents to pair alongside All-Stars Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons.
To get a Bird rights edge, the Sixers surrendered valued assets to acquire two of their targets, Jimmy Butler and Tobias Harris, in separate in-season trades. The two free agents can re-sign with the Sixers for a maximum of five years for $189 million. All other teams can only give them $141 over four seasons.
The Sixers have always stated publicly that they fully intend to bring both players back, but we’ll find out more when free agency opens at 6 p.m. Sunday.
Jimmy Butler is reportedly meeting with the Heat once the period begins.
Embiid, Simmons, Jonah Bolden, and Zhaire Smith are the only members of last season’s 51-31 team from the 15-man roster under contract.
As a result, the Sixers could undergo a major facelift over the next few days.
While the focus has been on Harris and Butler, the Sixers are in desperate need of a bench.
Their biggest non-starter needs are the point guard and center positions.
What does that mean for T.J. McConnell?
The reserve point guard has often expressed his love for the Sixers and Philadelphia as a whole. However, the Sixers free agent was relegated to mop-up duty in the Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Toronto Raptors.
He could be looking for a place where he’ll have more of a role. Maybe not as a starter, but the four-year veteran needs to be a permanent backup. ESPN reported that the Charlotte Hornets, with Kemba Walker bolting for Boston, are interested in McConnell.
If McConnell signs elsewhere, the Sixers won’t have a player who played a game prior to the 2016-17 season. Embiid was the third overall pick of the 2014 draft, but missed his first two seasons.
Yet McConnell and the other Sixers’ free-agent reserves are mere footnotes this weekend.
Folks want to know what Harris will decide to do. What’s in Butler’s future? Will Redick remain a Sixer? And can the Sixers lure Al Horford to Philadelphia?
The Brooklyn Nets, Sacramento Kings, Dallas Mavericks, New Orleans Pelicans, and Memphis Grizzlies are among the teams that will pursue Harris. The Los Angeles Clippers could also get in the mix if they don’t get their primary targets.
The Clippers’ top free-agent choices are Kawhi Leonard, Kevin Durant, and Klay Thompson. Thompson, however, is expected to re-sign with the Golden State Warriors.
Meanwhile, re-signing Butler does not seem as high of a priority as when the Sixers acquired him from the Minnesota Timberwolves back in November.
Back then, the team seemed willing to do whatever it took to keep Butler beyond this season. However, there have been some hints that that might no longer be the case.
Word on Saturday, confirmed by an NBA source, was that Butler, who could opt out of his contract on Sunday, is scheduled to meet on Sunday with the Miami Heat in Florida. He is then expected to meet with the Houston Rockets in Los Angeles sometime in the next few days. ESPN was first to report the news.
The Sixers are considering shipping the 29-year-old swingman, who could become an unrestricted free agent if he opts out of his contract, to the Rockets or Heat in a sign-and-trade.
Butler does have some baggage. He didn’t get along with younger players in his previous stops in Chicago and Minnesota. And, while the Sixers downplayed it, teams are concerned about his well-publicized verbal altercation with coach Brett Brown.
But he’s proven to be a valuable member for a team making a postseason push.
Redick, who turned 35 on Monday, is one of the league’s top sharpshooters. He’ll definitely have the interest of several teams looking for a floor spacer. He should demand around $12 million a year in free agency.
The Sixers also have some level of interest in Horford, the Celtics center; Milwaukee Bucks point guard Malcolm Brogdon (a restricted free agent); and Toronto Raptors shooting guard Danny Green.
Horford would be a great addition if Butler or Harris doesn’t come back. He would be the starting power forward and play center on the nights Embiid doesn’t play.
Meanwhile, Ed Davis and Marcus Morris will be among the pool of free-agent post players the Sixers could pursue. In regards to point guards, they could look at Cory Joseph, Ish Smith, and Patrick Beverley. And there will be available shooters in Terrence Ross and Seth Curry.