June 28, 2026
Gary A. Vasquez/IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Could John Collins bolster the Sixers' supporting cast?
The Sixers are among teams expected to show interest in soon-to-be free-agent forward John Collins, according to a Sunday report from Marc Stein and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line which mentioned that the Sixers are a team which continues "to get linked in free agency projections to the top forwards in the marketplace."
Collins, a versatile and athletic big with experience playing power forward and center, started in 56 of his 69 appearances for the Los Angeles Clippers last season, averaging 13.6 points and 5.3 rebounds while shooting 55.2 percent from the field and 40.6 percent from beyond the arc on 3.2 long-range attempts per game. He would be a strong offensive and positional fit, but defensive concerns would exist.
If the Sixers' rumored interest in players like Collins and Dean Wade – widely expected to command at least the majority of the non-taxpayer's mid-level exception – proves true, it would signal that the Sixers are willing to move on from at least one of their two primary free agents, Kelly Oubre Jr. and Quentin Grimes.
Grimes, whose market is expected to be a bit higher in terms of the average annual value of his eventual contract, could be particularly vulnerable to being let walk should the Sixers pursue a player in Collins' price range.
The dynamics pertaining to Grimes, Oubre and the Sixers' potential use of the mid-level exception are all intertwined. An exploration of those ramifications can be found here.
