July 01, 2017
The NBA offseason is still undefeated. We didn’t even make it to midnight before another absolute bomb was dropped (but not from Woj, who couldn’t tweet until 12:00 AM): Paul George is now a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder!
Paul George has been traded to OKC, per sources
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) July 1, 2017
Hearing Oladipo and Sabonis going to Indy
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) July 1, 2017
I freaking love the NBA. Like always, there was a bunch of news and rumors on the first night of free agency and here is how the Sixers were affected by all of it.
Leading up to free agency, there were countless J.J. Redick rumors that linked the Sixers and the Clippers three-point marksman. And as it turned out, Redick did meet with the Sixers on the opening night of free agency:
Free agent JJ Redick is meeting with the 76ers, league sources tell ESPN. https://t.co/pRKukjMkON
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 1, 2017
Woj says on ESPN that the Sixers would like to do $20+ million on a 1-year deal for Redick. Lists MIN + BKN as other suitors.
— Rich Hofmann (@rich_hofmann) July 1, 2017
Woj reported that Brooklyn, where Redick already owns a pretty sweet penthouse, was more likely willing with offer a two-year deal while Minnesota could go even above that.
How it affects the Sixers: There is a reason that there were a million Sixers rumors involving Redick over the last month. He has the type of shooting and gravity that could juice a Sixers offense ranked dead last in efficiency for far too long. When Brett Brown talked about bringing in veteran shooting, Redick fits the bill perfectly.
That said, it sounds like the Sixers are pretty firm sticking to the one-year strategy that was reported earlier. Minnesota looks like they can offer somewhere in the $15 million range, and they have an incentive to sign someone this summer. Unlike the Sixers, that young core starts getting expensive next season when Andrew Wiggins is up for a new deal. His buddy Joel Embiid is due for a new contract too, but the Sixers have less money on the books.
In a move that wasn’t all that surprising, the Sixers decided not to pick up Gerald Henderson’s option
"We want to thank Gerald for being the consummate pro that he is and for adding so much to our growing basketball program and culture," Bryan Colangelo said in a statement.
How it affects the Sixers: With the arrival of Furkan Korkmaz, it looks like there are now 13 players likely to be on the Sixers roster next season barring a trade of some sort. The Henderson move sheds $8 million on the cap, and the Sixers now have about $49 million in cap space to play with. That could allow them to go big money with a player like Redick and still have enough money to offer Robert Covington a frontloaded renegotiation and extension.
According to the Inquirer’s Keith Pompey, the Sixers are interested in free agent forward Amir Johnson:
The 76ers will make a strong push for free agent Amir Johnson, according to an NBA source. The source said the power forward could very well be in a Sixers’ uniform next season.
How it affects the Sixers: Johnson wouldn’t be the floor-spacer that the Sixers are looking for, but he would bring veteran leadership and some backup insurance in the frontcourt for Joel Embiid, Richaun Holmes, and Jahlil Okafor.
How they affect the Sixers: Joel Embiid chimed in shortly after the George trade was announced:
Playoffs spots are opening up hehehehe #TheProcess
— Joel Embiid (@JoelEmbiid) July 1, 2017
Those trades will have little effect on the Sixers’ overall performance next season, but the end result might be a bit different. The two worst Eastern Conference playoff teams took a step out of the postseason and possibly into the tanking race.
And checking in on the Paul Millsap rumors, another East playoff team from last year could be throwing themselves into a full-on rebuild next season:
Source close to free agent Paul Millsap says Denver and Minnesota have emerged as frontrunners. Sacramento and Phoenix still in the mix.
— Frank Isola (@FisolaNYDN) July 1, 2017
The East is bad. And because of this, the Sixers have a better chance of making the playoffs and some of their players have a better chance of making the all-star team.
The other major effect here is that the Boston Celtics are pretty close to one of the most disappointing offseasons in a while. After all of the Celtics trade rumors linking Boston with George, Butler, etc., they have the same exact core plus Jayson Tatum:
Let's check in on the Boston Celtics: pic.twitter.com/yM74MDEoDY
— Master Tesfatsion (@MasterTes) July 1, 2017
Boston still has two very valuable ’18 picks, but this was the offseason for them to strike big in free agency. If not, the Celtics roster gets much pricier next summer as Isaiah Thomas, Avery Bradley, and Marcus Smart are all due pretty big pay raises.
Basically, the C’s better get Gordon Hayward.
Patty Mills quickly signed a four-year contract to stay in San Antonio, which wasn’t totally unexpected. But with the signing, a potential fit for the Sixers as a veteran guard who play off the ball and make shots is now off the board:
Free agent Patty Mills has agreed to a 4-year, $50M deal to stay with San Antonio, league sources tell ESPN. https://t.co/K9ZzMOnDzR
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 1, 2017
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