9 free agent targets who could make things easier on Embiid and Harden
1. Malik Monk- While the Lakers had a disappointing season, Malik Monk had a very encouraging one. Monk received a career high in minutes per game (28) and hit 2.3 threes a game at a 39 percent rate. He even made the Lakers a better team when he was on the floor, with a positive 0.3 net rating when on and a minus 6.5 when off. After Seth Curry was shipped to the Brooklyn Nets in the James Harden trade, the Sixers lacked a guy who could run off screens and catch fire from deep as Furkan Korkmaz’s shot all but disappeared this season. Monk could instantly step in and take a sharpshooting role off the bench and even occasionally start with Maxey, Harden, Harris, and Embiid as the small forward against smaller teams that won’t punish them on the glass. The Sixers currently have the taxpayers Mid Level Exception, worth 6.4 million, but can open up the full Mid Level exception, 10.35 million, if they move Danny Green’s contract. Monk appears to be obtainable in this range.
2. Victor Oladipo- It's been a rough few years for the two-time all star and second overall pick. Injuries have forced Oladipo to miss a ton of time and he was forced to play on a minimum deal this season because of it. Nevertheless, he showed he clearly has a lot in the tank and can be an all NBA level defensive player. His defense against the Celtics and Sixers showed he can make things extremely difficult on ball handlers with his length and lateral quickness. He wasn’t great on offense but he also wasn’t close to bad, at this point in his career he’ll probably be just average. Which is fine, because he’s not a max guy at this point. He averaged a little over 12 points a game with 3 rebounds and 3.5 assists for the Heat this year. Oladipo could come in for the Sixers and instantly be the go to guy off the bench and could maybe even start over Matisse Thybulle if he's able to come close to replicating Matisse’s defensive performance. When Harden left the game, the Sixers lacked playmaking and Oladipo could really help lessen the load this leaves on Tyrese Maxey in the non-Harden minutes. Three point shooting is a bit of an issue as he’s been pretty inconsistent with it over his career but hey, no matter how bad it is, he's still a lot more helpful than Matisse on offense. It's unlikely he’ll be on a minimum deal again this season, but for the MLE you could do a lot worse than a guy who can be a lockdown defender and gap filler on offense.
3. Bruce Brown- See above for Oladipo. Just kidding, sorta. Brown does play a very similar game to Oladipo, but with less playmaking. Brown is also a better rebounder and better at guarding bigger players. He also played extremely well with James Harden in Brooklyn and that was mostly before he learned to shoot (40 percent from three this year). Brown could come in and help the Sixers switch more screens and be that PJ Tucker dog type player the Sixers need. He’s also just 25 and the Sixers should be comfortable offering him a multi-year deal in the $6-10 million range with their MLE.
4. PJ Tucker- The ideal dog attitude the Sixers need. And not just any dog, this dog is a Rottweiler, one of the biggest baddest dogs you can think of. Tucker is a massive defensive presence on the court and is probably the last dude in the NBA you’d wanna get in a fight with. At least 245 pounds and full of muscle Tucker would come in and turn this team's average defense around. He would join Matisse and Joel as shutdown defenders and be the Sixers' go to option on bigger forwards like Jayson Tatum, KD, and Giannis. Tucker two years ago played a huge role in the Bucks championship, one they likely would not have won without his tight defense on KD. This year he shot about 42 percent from three and started for the East’s number one seed that was a game seven loss away from making it to the finals. He also made things really difficult on Maxey, Embiid, and Harden in their playoff series, so he benefits you just by not being on rival teams. He is 37 however, and the Sixers should be hesitant to give him a long term deal. The full MLE over one year would be fine, or they could stretch it to two years and about $13 million. Anything longer or more than that would probably not age well.
5. Nic Batum- Solid at everything. At this point in his career he doesn’t excel anywhere, but he's above average on defense and as a shooter. Older guy whos made a lot of money so he could be available for the minimum, where if so the Sixers should bite.
6. Gary Harris- Another guy who is solid all around but not great at anything. Above average shooter and defender. Not a great ball handler or scorer. But for the minimum he’d be helpful off the bench.
7. Otto Porter- Three and D to the max! Porter won’t do much else, but he's very good defensively and he is six foot eight. Would significantly improve the Sixers bench defense and fills the Sixers need for big forwards after Tobias Harris. For less than the MLE he could be worth it.
8. Gary Payton- Elite defender but lacks skill on offense. Payton plays a similar game to Marcus Smart defensively. He’ll make things extremely difficult on ball handlers and has quick hands and long arms that he uses to play passing lanes. He had a decent year for the Warriors offensively but a lot of his scoring came off of Steph Curry double teams and it's unlikely he would be able to replicate his offensive success without Curry’s ability to space the floor. That said the Sixers put up with Deandre Jordan and Matisse Thybulle’s offense and Payton is better than them there. So as long as the Sixers play a bigger offensive threat than Deandre Jordan at center then Payton should be fine.
9. Andre Drummond- Since it went so well the first time, why not try it again? Drummond seemed to enjoy his time in Philadelphia and when he was traded the team sorely missed his presence on the boards. Drummond is not great on defense and bad on offense. But he is one of the best rebounders of all time and has even claimed that he is the best rebounder ever. So for another minimum deal, what do you have to lose?
