76ers 2023-24 Season Thread Part 1

[Skates]

Most of the alleged rumors out there now are just people looking at the obvious candidates that have been in the news for one reason or another as possible trade candidates for any team due to pending FA, team sucking, guys not looking to extend when they can, etc. Not reporting, just speculating. About the only predicted future star or near-star trade candidates they don't mention for the Sixers are Joel and Towns.

Siakam really doesn't interest me that much for fit and likely salary and age.

The asking price for OG was insane last year and while it should be considerably lower now that any team getting him only gets one team friendly year on his current deal, it is Masai so he will still want the moon. At this point paying more than one good FRP and a player like Springer for OG would be a repeat of the Tobias trade. Overpay in assets and then in salary for a very good, but far from great player (who otherwise is a great fit).

Lavine is just a no, a thousand times no and it is hysterical how much Chicago overrates his market value given his injury history, contract and complete lack of team play or defensive presence.

Donovan Mitchell is a guy I prefer over Lavine, more of a true star and worth his current contract, but a really hard get and only a modestly good fit.

Derozan on the right deal (one lottery protected FRP) would be fine as one piece that you later add another piece to, but is he better at this point than Tobi?

Markanen is under Ainge's thumb, so not even going there though I would like him a lot on this team.

In the trade market I would look more to guys that are on good value contracts of two years or more for cost certainty. Identify the OG like guy now that OG has officially moved into overrated territory. Find the combo guard that combo guard that completes the Maxey led backcourt. Be ready to jump in as the third team needed in other deals and extract value that way. Try to preserve the ability to re-sign Maxey and one of Melton or Tobi over the summer and still have an exception to use.

Mitchell is the only true third star type even remotely on the market right now and a very unlikely get. The other names out there now are yuck to okay at best given fit and cost. The whole point of Morey was not just his ability to find stars, but to also find undervalued guys who can become stars or star in their roles. More teams will be looking to make moves in January and February and the real rumors and possibilities will arise then or in the draft/early summer before the second and even more onerous season of the new CBA kicks in. This is where Morey makes his bones in Philly or disappoints into a rebuild.

[Black Mage]

The one thing that sticks out to me is Oubre. I think it is fair to say most felt he is a meh player before season started.

Despite being a meh wing compared to rest of the league he has shown how badly the Sixers have missed having any kind of wing like him.

All that said, if you are going to go in for a 3rd star it HAS to be a wing.

Having 2 bigs is redundant and gets exposed by the athletic elite guards and wings we face in playoffs. Having 2 guards makes for a difficult balance bc unless you find a Klay type that works as well off ball as he does handling it, then you risk having not enough balls to go around. Plus those guards get picked apart on defense or by bigs on switches.

[M2J]

I am not in favor of it yet either, but both Reed and Springer's contracts could be moved for value and expirings if required, leaving only Embiid's contract as money beyond this year.

That gets you basically to Siakam's max. So this team minus Reed/Springer plus OG/Siakam if we can resign both Harris and Melton for something reasonable.

Wouldn't be able to keep Harris and Melton unless you trade for your max guys. You essentially can't keep their bird rights if you sign someone else with that money, but if you make the trade instead using these new expiring deals. You could keep everyone's rights and spend the owner's cash.

I'll once again state that Tyrese and Joel are not enough offense for the postseason
We've seen it. Mainly on Joel, it becomes too difficult to get to the line in the playoffs and too easy to crowd him. Joel is a beast and can dominate in different ways... And will always be your best player, but they need another guy that can take over at times. Maxey is growing, but more will be needed. Even if he's averaging 25 in the playoffs. Joel dominating on defense and rebounding and compromising the defense with touches and screens is important. Then having 2 guys that can take advantage is the key for this team. Going through this system just to see how far Maxey can grow and not pick up that other guys is not necessary. Maxey is a stud, and if he is a stud, as the primary ball handler now .. You'll see it when it counts

OG is not that guy, though he can be the other guy if you create a Big 4.

Siakam is a legit All-Star, but not an ideal fit. Though he can create his own offense in tight spaces with all star type coverage. Would be even better next to Joel and Tyrese. So maybe. Meh

To go with an OG, and even more important than him...a gunner that can shoot and play off the ball and has the potential to play good to average defense is what they have to get.

Lavine is a fine fit. I guess Mitchell too.

I mean even a CJ McCollum type could work (defense sucks though). But doesn't need to be an all star.

[M2J]

The one thing that sticks out to me is Oubre. I think it is fair to say most felt he is a meh player before season started.

Despite being a meh wing compared to rest of the league he has shown how badly the Sixers have missed having any kind of wing like him.

All that said, if you are going to go in for a 3rd star it HAS to be a wing.

Having 2 bigs is redundant and gets exposed by the athletic elite guards and wings we face in playoffs. Having 2 guards makes for a difficult balance bc unless you find a Klay type that works as well off ball as he does handling it, then you risk having not enough balls to go around. Plus those guards get picked apart on defense or by bigs on switches.

You can get a guard and keep Oubre. Highly unlikely he will ever cost more than an MLE

[76ciology]

Either way we need to make a trade before the deadline.

Whether its Markannen, Bogdanovic or Luka Doncic.

Because if we just stay put, we wont be maximizing our cap with the cap hold eating up our $65M cap.

Whereas the worst case is not making a trade then overpaying for the best available FA for $40+M per year like Siakam or Klay. Or maybe even split it to 2 MID players. But maybe we then can use those picks to upgrade the FAs we sign by then?

The best case is we trade for 2 best talent available before the deadline, where we hold unto them or re-sign them in the upcoming seasons. Then we re-sign Maxey, Oubre, Tobi and maybe Melton to a fair amount of contract for depth. Then we’d have a sustainable competitive team.

[Sixersftw]

The best case is we trade for 2 best talent available before the deadline, where we hold unto them or re-sign them in the upcoming seasons. Then we re-sign Maxey, Oubre, Tobi and maybe Melton to a fair amount of contract for depth. Then we’d have a sustainable competitive team.

This is Furkan erasure and I won't stand for it.

[phiphan]

We should start showcasing Springer. A "potential" guy always has overvalued juice in a trade.

[the_process]

Wait til the summer and go all in on LaMelo?

[Skates]

We need to add wing defense, ball handling and scoring in the pieces we add, plus a bit more rim protection would be nice.

I would definitely consider putting Melton and P Reed in any deals that make sense. Tobi of course too, but only in a major deal so that we aren't making this a no compete year.

[Black Mage]

The one thing that sticks out to me is Oubre. I think it is fair to say most felt he is a meh player before season started.

Despite being a meh wing compared to rest of the league he has shown how badly the Sixers have missed having any kind of wing like him.

All that said, if you are going to go in for a 3rd star it HAS to be a wing.

Having 2 bigs is redundant and gets exposed by the athletic elite guards and wings we face in playoffs. Having 2 guards makes for a difficult balance bc unless you find a Klay type that works as well off ball as he does handling it, then you risk having not enough balls to go around. Plus those guards get picked apart on defense or by bigs on switches.

You can get a guard and keep Oubre. Highly unlikely he will ever cost more than an MLE

That is the wrong thought process. Oubre is not a regular season starter, let alone a playoff caliber wing. He is a solid off the bench 6th man. That is his role. The need is at the 3 spot. The Sixers should be looking first to find a playoff caliber starter, if not a star, at the wing.

[Covi_Marsh]

Wait til the summer and go all in on LaMelo?

Melo doesn’t play a drop of defense. But he had already signed his 5 yr max extension with Charlotte.

[Stanford]

Really? I thought Melo was an awesome defender. He has been when I've watched him.

[Covi_Marsh]

I am not in favor of it yet either, but both Reed and Springer's contracts could be moved for value and expirings if required, leaving only Embiid's contract as money beyond this year.

That gets you basically to Siakam's max. So this team minus Reed/Springer plus OG/Siakam if we can resign both Harris and Melton for something reasonable.

Wouldn't be able to keep Harris and Melton unless you trade for your max guys. You essentially can't keep their bird rights if you sign someone else with that money, but if you make the trade instead using these new expiring deals. You could keep everyone's rights and spend the owner's cash.

I'll once again state that Tyrese and Joel are not enough offense for the postseason
We've seen it. Mainly on Joel, it becomes too difficult to get to the line in the playoffs and too easy to crowd him. Joel is a beast and can dominate in different ways... And will always be your best player, but they need another guy that can take over at times. Maxey is growing, but more will be needed. Even if he's averaging 25 in the playoffs. Joel dominating on defense and rebounding and compromising the defense with touches and screens is important. Then having 2 guys that can take advantage is the key for this team. Going through this system just to see how far Maxey can grow and not pick up that other guys is not necessary. Maxey is a stud, and if he is a stud, as the primary ball handler now .. You'll see it when it counts

OG is not that guy, though he can be the other guy if you create a Big 4.

Siakam is a legit All-Star, but not an ideal fit. Though he can create his own offense in tight spaces with all star type coverage. Would be even better next to Joel and Tyrese. So maybe. Meh

To go with an OG, and even more important than him...a gunner that can shoot and play off the ball and has the potential to play good to average defense is what they have to get.

Lavine is a fine fit. I guess Mitchell too.

I mean even a CJ McCollum type could work (defense sucks though). But doesn't need to be an all star.

I’ll wait until we play Boston before I believe more offense is needed. The struggles that plagued Embiid was getting double team soon as he dribbles and over using him in every possession. I feel the movement scheme we have now helps him find open man to pass to since players arent standing side by side behind the 3 point being guarded by 1 person. The cutter and spacing seems far better and 7 assists a game shows it.

Imagine PJ Tucker but able to dunk and willing to shoot 3s. That’s a perfect fit. Now I wouldn’t go over 30 mil it but 25-30 is the going rate. Aaron Gordon making 22-23 mil, Jerami Grant 30 mil. MPjr who doesn’t play defense is making 35 and Cam Johnson 25 mil

[Covi_Marsh]

Lavine doesn’t play a lick of defense and doesn’t pass. He almost 30. Can’t teach an old dog new tricks. Ball sticks to him.

[Covi_Marsh]

The perfect player would of course would be a young Kawhi Leonard or Paul Geroge lol. OR a shot blocking PF that can crash for blocks and rebounds when embiid is taken away from the rim on pick n rolls and rebound as well as makes 3s. Unfortunately I don’t see us finding either one in the 3 months before the deadline.

[zaz102]

I agree with a wing, but who is THE wing. I guess it's between OG and Siakim, but neither really blow you away.

I'd reluctantly probably go OG as seems like the best fit. He's not old. Doesn't need the ball. None of the mentioned guys are above Maxey or Embiid with whom you want the ball in their hands at the end of the game, but at least OG is the guy you might want at the end of games to lock down the other teams star player.

Ideally you could get a guard this season to pair with Maxey, but not optimistic.

In the offseason, re-sign Harris at a reduced rate ot replace him (could we turn him into DeRozan and Caruso?), find that guard, and hold on to or replace the lower tiered rotation guys.

[the_process]

Wait til the summer and go all in on LaMelo?

Melo doesn’t play a drop of defense. But he had already signed his 5 yr max extension with Charlotte.

LaMelo does defend, does shoot, does playmake. He has signed his extension, which just means it's too hard to make the money work during the season. Off season, however, he goes right into cap space.

Other stars will come available. But do they want to come here? Can the Sixers outbid the competition? And do we really want another soon to be washed guy who used to be good? Let's gamble the other way, on a kid who has all the potential and shown some of it but hasn't fully realized it yet.

[Covi_Marsh]

Wait til the summer and go all in on LaMelo?

Melo doesn’t play a drop of defense. But he had already signed his 5 yr max extension with Charlotte.

LaMelo does defend, does shoot, does playmake. He has signed his extension, which just means it's too hard to make the money work during the season. Off season, however, he goes right into cap space.

Other stars will come available. But do they want to come here? Can the Sixers outbid the competition? And do we really want another soon to be washed guy who used to be good? Let's gamble the other way, on a kid who has all the potential and shown some of it but hasn't fully realized it yet.

Yea if we can get Melo, we might as well go for Anthony Edwards.

[LeonJordanJr24]

This team is fine as is... Brogdan is only real piece that would make us even better. It would cost us Melton but I think that's a serious upgrade.


Springer will replace Melton off bench anyway so all good.

Melton , Korkmaz and ... For brogdan and bring back green would be nice.

Oubre and Tobias as the forwards is fine in the lineup long term as well as the addition depth we added.

[PhillyNj]

This team is fine as is... Brogdan is only real piece that would make us even better. It would cost us Melton but I think that's a serious upgrade.


Springer will replace Melton off bench anyway so all good.

Melton , Korkmaz and ... For brogdan and bring back green would be nice.

Oubre and Tobias as the forwards is fine in the lineup long term as well as the addition depth we added.

No chance the Sixers will go after Brogdon that extra year on his contract basically means they’re not interested.
I do agree Brogdon is better than Melton but that 22.5 mil he’s due is a non-starter.