Summer Watch: ‘Flexibility’ is the keyword for the Philadelphia 76ers offseason plans

Welcome to the Philadelphia 76ers offseason. Last night, the New York Knicks managed win a gutsy Game 6 on the road and send the Sixers on summer vacation.

Now, the 76ers will look ahead to an offseason in which they finally have some flexibility to properly build a roster around their two franchise cornerstones in Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey.

Philadelphia 76ers Projected Cap Space: $55 million

The Philadelphia 76ers are set to have roughly $55 million in cap space this offseason – a number that could (and should) increase to nearly $65 million if they choose to waive all non-guaranteed contracts. 

NBA Rumors: Sixers linked to several star players, including a potential homecoming >>

The ‘Paul Reed Plan’ was a failure

Before the start of last season, Paul Reed had his offer sheet from the Utah Jazz matched by the 76ers to remain in Philadelphia for 2023. Because the Philadelphia 76ers did not advance to the second-round of the NBA Playoffs this season, Paul Reed’s $7.7 million contract from the 76ers is no longer guaranteed. 

I have always questioned the decision to keep Paul Reed to begin with. He’s an undersized center and hasn’t progressed into the “Pascal Siakam / Kevin Durant” style of big-man that the 76ers promised he would be last offseason.

The Sixers need an actual backup center behind Joel Embiid and to say the least, Paul Reed failed at securing that role with the Philadelphia 76ers last season.

The 76ers were just 16-27 without Embiid playing during the regular season.

Trust me, I understood that making up for the reigning NBA MVP and back-to-back Scoring Champion was no easy task to begin with, but the first0round of the playoffs against the Knicks proved Paul Reed’s failure.

The non-Embiid minutes crushed them and entering last night, the Sixers were a miserable -46 when Embiid wasn’t on the court. With Embiid playing, the Sixers posted an impressive +48.

Side Note: Speaking of Embiid, he managed to change the narrative surrounding him and the way he performs in the playoffs by averaging 33 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists, and 1.5 blocks per game while posting a true shooting percentage of 60 and a +/- of 46. 

Tyrese Maxey: Restricted Free Agent 

Tyrese Maxey, who’s eligible to become a restricted free agent, for now only has a $13 million cap hit on the 76ers’ books for 2024-25.

Make no mistake, Tyrese Maxey will be paid handsomely with a max contract. He has proven to be the perfect compliment to Joel Embiid and after years of failed attempts to correctly build a roster around him, the Sixers can confidently say they have two franchise cornerstones heading into the offseason.

Joel Embiid Extension? 

Embiid still has three years left on his current contract with the Philadelphia 76ers with a player option in 2026-27 before becoming an unrestricted free agent in 2027-28.

I don’t believe this is a top priority for the 76ers but locking up Embiid for the remainder of his NBA career could be something that the front office plans to do this season given the flexibility and the future of the organization as it is now. 

NBA Draft: No. 16 Overall and No. 41 Overall 

In a four-way tiebreaker, the 76ers were given the No. 16 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. Four teams all finished with identical 47-25 records during the regular season. 

NBA Draft tiebreaker results:

No. 16 pick: Philadelphia 76ers

No. 17 pick: Los Angeles Lakers (may be conveyed to New Orleans at New Orleans' discretion [by June 1])

No. 18 pick: Orlando Magic

No. 19 pick: Indiana Pacers (pick will be conveyed to Toronto)

— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) April 22, 2024

The Philadelphia 76ers now have a solid mid-first round pick at their disposal to either select what they would hope to be an impactful rookie or more likely, increase the value of their rebuilt “asset war chest” as Daryl Morey and the front office look to rebuild the roster around Embiid and Maxey this summer. 

Philadelphia 76ers Upcoming Free Agents 

• Tyrese Maxey (Restricted) 
• Kyle Lowry 
• Nicolas Batum 
• Kelly Oubre Jr
• De’Anthony Melton 
• Tobias Harris 
• Cameron Payne 
• Buddy Hield 

The Tobias Harris Max Contract Mistake is Over

For the first time since the 2015 season, Tobias Harris failed to score a point in an NBA game.

Harris turned into a ghost in Game 6 after finally showing up against the Knicks in Game 5 and throughout the playoffs this season, paired with the past five years in Philadelphia has proven to be nothing short of failed expectations and a glaring lack of consistency for a player that was given a max contract.  

It’s no secret that Harris getting a 5-year $180 million max contract from the Philadelphia 76ers ahead of the 2019 season crushed the team’s ability to properly construct a roster around Joel Embiid (and now Maxey) over the past five seasons. That glaring mistake has finally come to an end, with Harris set to become a free agent this summer. 

Cam Payne Vibes Should Return to Philly Next Season

Cam Payne joined the Philadelphia 76ers at the NBA Trade Deadline on a one-year contract worth $2.8 million that he signed last offseason with the Milwaukee Bucks. 

Payne’s hit to the 76ers’ cap space is marginal at only $2.01 million, which is the third lowest hit, in front of Mo Bamba and Kenyon Martin Jr. Because of that, the Philadelphia 76ers should definitely consider bringing Payne back on a new contract next year. 

Buddy Hield if the price is right?

Buddy Hield signed a 4-year, $94 million contract with he Sacramento Kings with $85 million guaranteed in 2020. After a year with the Kings and 2.5 years with the Indiana Pacers, Hield was traded to the 76ers at the NBA Trade Deadline.

Hield will now become a free agent this summer and while I wouldn’t hate bringing him back, I’m not sure if the money will align for the 76ers to give him a new contract. 

Personally, I would like to see Hield back and playing a full season with Embiid healthy. The two only played five regular season games together while posting a 5-0 record. We were robbed of an elite perimeter shooter paired with Embiid due to injury. 

Kelly Oubre Jr Earned a New Contract in Philly

The only other player I would consider bringing back is Kelly Oubre Jr – who signed a one year minimum contract for $2.8 million at the start of the 2023 season.

Oubre was thrusted into a starting role due to the injuries the Sixers faced throughout the season and overall, excelled in the role – averaging 15 points and five rebounds per game. While I’m sure Oubre will get a bigger contract than the minimum he signed last offseason, if the price is right then I would like to see him return to the Philadelphia 76ers next year. 

Kyle Lowry’s Final Season and a Goodbye to Melton and Batum

Kyle Lowry is old, obviously but if he wants to return on a veteran minimum contract next year, that’s fine with me too. As for De’Anthony Melton and Nico Batum, thank you for your service but your watch has come to an end. Best of luck in the future. 

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