clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Sixers Free Agency: What's Up?

nmu?

Robert Mayer-USA TODAY Sports

After the LeBron Incision, NBA Free Agency has picked up in earnest. Chris Bosh stayed in Miami. Carmelo Anthony looks like he'll stay in New York. Isaiah Thomas went to Phoenix. Gordon Hayward is staying with Utah. Chandler Parsons is between Dallas and Houston. Pau Gasol may be headed to Chicago. Miami's trying to keep Dwyane Wade and wrangle Luol Deng. That pretty much just leaves Lance Stephenson, Eric Bledsoe, and Greg Monroe as highish tier players remaining on the free agent market.

So what are the Sixers doing?

They got left out in the cold in the Jeremy Lin trade to the Lakers (which Houston was then boned by a South Beach return for Bosh), sat out the three-team Jarrett Jack trade that the Celtics jumped in on, and it doesn't look like the Bulls are going to give up the kind of assets it'll take to swallow the massive Carlos Boozer contract -- although that's not out of the question.

Who has salary left to shed to acquire free agents? The Knicks? Not too much they have to offer outside of Iman Shumpert, Tim Hardaway Jr., and first round picks by which time the Rapture will surely be upon us. Does Boston want to finally get rid of Sir Albatross himself, Gerald Wallace, who still magically has two years left on his deal? They haven't wanted to pay the price of dumping him in the past, and they still might be rebuilding even though they are wiping their ass with mid-first rounders over the next five years.

I think the Sixers are going to sign someone. I doubt they overpay him because, well, what's the point? But if Sam Hinkie sees a guy who he thinks the market is undervaluing, he will sign him. The idea of "well, they don't want to be too good this season!" is not a consideration. You collect the best assets you can, maybe you flip them later, you develop the guys who are building blocks, and you put the team in the best position to contend as soon as possible. Tanking is no longer the name of the game (and it kiiiinda wasn't to begin with -- semantics, whatever). Losses will come, they're just not seeking them out.

It doesn't make much sense for the Sixers to go into the season with this much cap space (~27M before signing any of the second rounders). Plenty of cap room is great, the salary floor doesn't matter, I'm fine with it across the board. But cap space does not mean as much as it used to during the season -- contracts are shorter and teams are less prone to gambling big money at the deadline -- just look at the 2014 Trade Deadline not only for the Sixers but across the league last year. Guys just weren't moved for much.

Something should happen. Whether it's Lance or Bledsoe or Ed Davis or whoever-- I really, really do not think the Sixers will go into the season with these holdovers, second rounders, and Summer League favorites.

Sign up for the newsletter Sign up for the Liberty Ballers Daily Roundup newsletter!

A daily roundup of Philadelphia 76ers news from Liberty Ballers