“The Process” has netted the Philadelphia 76ers one of the youngest and most promising cores the NBA has to offer. With the likes of Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, and Dario Šaric as current members of the processing Sixers, Philly will be able to add another top young prospect to their roster in this year’s draft, in which they hold the third overall pick in.
The future is looking bright for the young Sixers, but this off-season will be crucial. How the Sixers build their roster in free agency will show just how much President and General Manager Bryan Colangelo really does “Trust The Process.” Philadelphia can go two different ways in free agency. They could continue to sign veterans to short-term deals and try to add younger free agents that could be a gamble. Or, the other path they could take is trying to add winning pieces to their roster for the now like Kyle Lowry and JJ Redick, two free agents they’ve already been linked to.
The answer on what to do here is clear. It would be unwise of Colangelo and the rest of the front office to chase players like Lowry or Redick right now. The Sixers roster is not nearly complete and throwing a max contract at Lowry or $18-$20 million at JJ Redick is only going to take playing time from players they still need to evaluate. With the third pick, the Philadelphia 76ers will have the opportunity to draft either a top-tier point guard such as De’Aaron Fox, or a lights out scorer in Malik Monk. They’ll also likely have the option to draft the best small forward in the draft class in Kansas’ Josh Jackson. Whoever they draft, the Sixers will be adding another elite prospect to their roster, and he should get all the playing time possible.
Besides the players previously mentioned, the Sixers have a bevy of young players on their roster. Robert Covington, TJ McConnell, Shawn Long, Justin Anderson, Richaun Holmes, Nik Stauskas, Timothe Luwawu-Caborrot, and Jahlil Okafor are all 26 years old or younger. Philly has eleven players under contract next season that are 26 years old or younger. Bottom line, adding the likes of a Lowry or Reddick does not fit the Philadelphia 76ers timeline to compete.
Admittedly, there would be some benefits to adding guys such as Lowry or Reddick to their roster. The Sixers lack scoring from their backcourt. TJ McConnell, while an all-around point guard, is not a big scoring threat. Guys like Nik Stauskas and Gerald Henderson are solid shooters, but neither possess the scoring ability that Kyle Lowry and JJ Redick do.
The Sixers were a bad shooting team last season. They were the 24th worst three-point shooting team this season, as they shot just 34 percent from deep. Redick shot 42.9 percent from three this season, and Lowry averaged a career-high percentage from deep, at 41.2 percent.
Lowry and Redick answer two glaring questions for the Sixers, but those questions don’t necessarily need to be answered right now, especially from guys heading into the latter stages of their careers.
If the Philadelphia 76ers want to answer these questions, or even limit the issue, they could target younger players who could come at a cheaper price.
At the point guard spot, the Sixers could target their former starting point guard, Jrue Holiday. Holiday would be a cheaper addition then Lowry, who is sure to demand at least a near max contract. He averaged 15.4 points and 7.3 assists on 35.6 percent shooting from three per game. He would fit right into their timeline, as he is just 26 years old. Holiday would be a fantastic fit on the Sixers.
The Sixers need better shooters? Look no further than the hometown boy Dion Waiters himself. Waiters has a player option to decide on, an option he will likely decline. For the Heat in the 2016-2017 season, Waiters averaged 15.8 points on 39.5 percent shooting from the three-point line.
These are just a few different options for the Philadelphia 76ers. They could target others such as Patty Mills or Kyle Korver, even though both players are likely to stick with their elite teams. Another option the Sixers could explore is the restricted free agent market, where sharpshooters like Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Tim Hardaway Jr are looking for hefty paydays.
Whatever the Philadelphia 76ers do, they should steer clear of overpaying veterans that do not fit with their young and incomplete core.
