Stay or Go: Sixers Free Agent and Contract Option Breakdown

The Sixers’ offseason is officially underway and before the new head of basketball operations is even hired, decisions need to be made on free agents and contract options.

The deadline for player and team option decisions is June 29th. Free agency opens June 30th at 6 p.m. ET. The draft is June 23rd and 24th. Everything is happening fast and the roster outside of the top four guys needs a significant overhaul.

Kelly Oubre Jr: Unrestricted Free Agent. Bring Him Back.

Oubre can stay. He’s been one of the few reliable players on this roster for three years. He averaged 14.1 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 1.4 steals this season.

He dealt with elbow and knee injuries that cost him 32 games but started all 11 playoff contests. His three-point shooting hit a career-best 36 percent during the regular season although it cratered to 25.6 percent in the playoffs.

The defense on opposing wings is valuable. The cutting off of Embiid works. The effort and competitive fire are never in question with Oubre. The playoff shooting needs to be better but you know exactly what you’re getting with this guy every night.

Bring him back on a reasonable deal and slot him into the rotation as a veteran wing who knows his role. The Sixers need continuity somewhere on this roster and Oubre is one of the few guys who has earned another year.

Quentin Grimes: Unrestricted Free Agent. Let Him Walk.

Grimes can go. His sole job on this roster was to space the floor and hit threes. He shot 33.4 percent from deep in the regular season, which isn’t good enough for a guy whose entire value is built on shooting.

Then the playoffs came and his production fell off a cliff. He averaged 6.7 points in 22.1 minutes per game in the postseason. The Sixers’ bench was a disaster against the Knicks and Grimes was the face of that disaster.

I’ve been critical of Grimes all postseason because when the shooting disappeared, his value disappeared with it. The new front office needs to find a more reliable shooter who can actually produce when the games matter most.

The Jared McCain trade looks worse every day partly because Grimes was supposed to be the guard depth that made the trade palatable. He wasn’t. Thank him for his time and move on.

Andre Drummond: Unrestricted Free Agent. Time for Something New.

I like Drummond. The three-point shooting development was genuinely surprising at 35.6 percent from deep during the regular season. He hit two threes in the play-in win over the Magic and went 4-for-8 in the playoffs.

The energy was always there. He competed hard. He reached the second round for the first time in his career and was clearly healthier this season than last year.

But the reality is the Sixers cannot win without Embiid on the floor and Drummond as the backup center is a massive part of that problem. Every time Embiid sat down, the Sixers fell apart because the drop-off from Embiid to Drummond was a canyon.

The defense collapsed. The rebounding suffered. The half-court offense lost its anchor. The Sixers’ record without Embiid has been a joke for years and the backup center position is the single biggest reason why.

The new front office has to find a backup center who can actually keep this team competitive when Embiid rests or misses games. That’s been the most critical roster construction failure for years.

Drummond, as much as I appreciate what he gave this team, isn’t the answer to that problem. He’s a solid regular season backup who gets exposed in the playoffs when the matchups tighten up. The Sixers need more than that. Has to go.

Kyle Lowry: Unrestricted Free Agent. Retirement Party.

Lowry is 40 and barely played outside of garbage time in the 20th season of his career. Maxey called him “Coach Kyle” after a rare appearance in a November win over the Nets. That tells you everything about his role.

He was a locker room mentor, not a basketball player. His playing days are done. If he wants to transition into a coaching role with the Sixers, that makes sense. Otherwise, thank the man for his career and wish him well.

Dominick Barlow: $3.4 Million Club Option. Pick It Up.

Barlow can stay. This is a no-brainer. He went from a two-way contract player to a steady contributor who received minutes at both power forward and small-ball center. He posted 7.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 0.9 steals per game in the regular season. He showed up in the playoffs when Drummond and Bona were in foul trouble and competed without looking overwhelmed.

He blocked an Anunoby three in a critical moment against the Knicks. He’s 22 years old from New Jersey and costs $3.4 million. Pick up the option and keep developing him. Whatever the new front office’s vision is for this roster, Barlow should be part of it at that price.

Trendon Watford: $2.8 Million Club Option. Let Him Walk.

Watford can go. He missed the start of the season with a hamstring injury, had some nice regular season moments including a 20-point triple-double against the Raptors in November, and showed natural chemistry with his close friend Maxey when they shared the floor.

None of that mattered when the playoffs came. He didn’t crack the rotation. Nurse didn’t trust him in the postseason. When a guy can’t get on the floor in the playoffs, you have your answer about his value to a team trying to win a championship. Move on.

Dalen Terry: $2.6 Million Club Option. Let Him Walk.

Terry can go. Fourteen regular season appearances averaging 4.1 points and 12.4 minutes per game. A former 2022 first-round pick who hasn’t found a consistent role in four years across two organizations.

The Sixers converted his two-way deal to a standard contract last month but he never showed enough to justify being part of the long-term plan. The Sixers need every roster spot to count heading into next season. Terry’s spot should go to someone who can actually contribute. Move on.

Sixers Need to Focus on Depth

The core is set. Embiid, Maxey, Edgecombe, and George are under contract. Everything around them needs to be better. Bring back Oubre for continuity. Pick up Barlow’s option for cheap development value.

Let Grimes, Drummond, Watford, and Terry walk. Find a real backup center who doesn’t tank the team’s chances every time Embiid sits. Find a reliable shooter off the bench who can hit threes in the playoffs. Use the 22nd pick from the McCain trade on someone who can contribute immediately.

The new head of basketball operations is walking into a situation where the top of the roster is locked in and the bottom needs to be completely rebuilt. The supporting cast has killed this team in the playoffs for years. The depth problem is the same problem it’s always been. This is the summer it actually has to get fixed or we’re having the exact same conversation next May about the same structural failures producing the same results.

Bring back Oubre. Keep Barlow. Fix the bench. Find a real backup center. Spend the money. That’s the offseason plan. Anything less is a failure.

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