As of writing, the Philadelphia 76ers still have a total of seven roster spots to fill, a considerable number for a team that has already made a barrage of signings in free agency. While most, if not all them have been favorable moves, the quantity falls short of what it needs to be, giving the front office a tall task for the coming weeks.
Luckily, the 76ers still have some cap space to work with, though splitting that up to seven players at the maximum would be a tedious trek financially. But no matter what happens, the team must avoid these five free agents who are still available for taking.
5. The 76ers must resist the Gordon Hayward temptation
Even after adding Paul George and re-upping Kelly Oubre Jr., Philly remains lacking depth-wise in the forward position. While their options in the market remain attractive, most players linked to the team are not expected to come cheap, which is a pretty sizeable risk to swallow.
One player who stands out in the books, at least when viewing it from last season’s vantage point, is Gordon Hayward. He’s definitely not going to command a handsome offer at this point, making the former All-Star an intriguing prospect for teams like the 76ers who need more juice at the tweener role.
Not so fast. As tempting as Hayward is, there’s little reason to believe that he can still be a productive player on a nightly basis. His Oklahoma City stint, one where he became virtually unplayable, is a testament to that. Couple that with his perennially nagging injuries, and you’ve got for yourself a name to avoid moving forward.
4. Former Sixer Seth Curry’s best days are behind him
Still in dire need of backcourt help despite the Eric Gordon signing, the 76ers are starting to lose optionality on that end. They can always bring back Kyle Lowry, but so far, that has puzzlingly remained a mum discussion even at this crucial juncture.
A familiar face whom the 76ers could pursue a reunion with is Seth Curry. He spent last season with the Mavericks and the Hornets, but both of those stints were a grim reminder that his best days are unfortunately behind him already. Heck, pegging him as a second-unit staple could be an overreach given how much he’s declined from his productive days as a Sixer.
Adding Curry also doesn’t make a lot of on-court sense. He’s an undersized shooting guard whose three-point shooting, his supposed bread-and-butter, has waned in recent years. He cannot function as a table-setter, which is what the 76ers need from a backcourt cog off the bench. His defense has also been ghastly for the most part.
3. There are better options for the 76ers than Tristan Thompson
Notwithstanding the timely addition of Andre Drummond via free agency and Adem Bona through the draft, it will never hurt for the 76ers to add more cushion behind Joel Embiid, especially with the rookie potentially spending much of the season with the G-League.
For a depth piece signing, though, the 76ers should eye big men who can provide a different offering, especially on offense. That means ruling out conventional big men whose skill sets already overlap with the ones on the roster, namely Tristan Thompson, a longtime NBA veteran with pretty outdated aptitudes.
While he’s long been one of the better board crashers in the league, Thompson is an undersized and aging big man who has zero offensive flair save for the occasional manna-from-heaven putaways. The 76ers could be intrigued by what he can bring to the locker room, but the team should at least sign someone who can also viably play.
2. Danilo Gallinari is way too spent at this point in his career
Shooting is at an all-time premium in the NBA, more so for a 76ers team than ranked in the botto-third in three-point conversions last season. Adding Paul George, a talented volume shooter, helps them a lot, but solely pinning the responsibility of supplying firepower from downtown on him is not an optimal use of his skill set.
Philly would most likely prefer to bring in a veteran shooter or two to help fill out the roster, but one player they should probably gloss over is Danilo Gallinari, who is simply too spent at this point in his career. While his three-point shooting prowess has endured the test of time, he offers zero resistance at the defensive end and is a walking injury risk.
The 76ers would be much better off bringing in players who can also be a factor on the defensive end, perimeter acumen be damned. There are a lot of workarounds to their meager three-point shooting outside of George and Tyrese Maxey, and the offense proved to be just fine last season before Joel Embiid got sidelined.
1. Miles Bridges should be red-flagged by the 76ers (or anyone)
For reasons that probably need no further expounding, the Philadelphia 76ers should — and probably would — not dip their toes in the abstruse Miles Bridges sweepstakes. Gauging from what the rumors point to, the Hornets appear ready, if not enthused, to let him push his luck and find a new taker for his services.
Fortunately, so far, the 76ers haven’t registered any modicum of interest in the controversial 26-year-old. Bridges admittedly posted a strong campaign last season as Charlotte’s main hitter sans LaMelo Ball, who sat out a huge chunk of the year due to injury. However, that no lucrative offers have been sent his way speaks volumes to his perception around league circles.
Chasing him also doesn’t make a lot of sense for Philly for basketball reasons. With their new imposing troika of Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and Paul George now set in stone, the last thing the 76ers need is another mouth to feed. The team needs a connector and someone willing to do the dirty work, and no offense, but Bridges is the exact opposite of that.
