** Official 2024 Make or Break Offseason Thread **

[ExplosionsInDaSky]

Dumfounded isn't a strong enough adjective to express the feeling that will radiate through me if Bronny James ends up even being drafted. My "Pro Sports is rigged" theory that has consistently grown over the last ten years will be at an all time high. ANYONE with even a modicum of knowledge about the game of basketball who watched Bronny James play during his time at USC should know that he is in no way an NBA player at this time.

Its also amazing to me how few sports media are calling it out as a disgrace. Just so afraid of losing connections or info by pissing off LeBron.

His son was supposedly going to be this prodigy player just like his dad. I mean, he was doing commercials before he ever stepped onto the USC campus. I remember the ever so annoying and idiotic Fast and The Furious franchise marketing him. I personally do not have an agenda against the kid at all. I couldn't wait to see what he had to offer in college. He had a big time set back with the heart issue and that truly did suck to hear about. Like I said, I've been rooting for the kid. It's always something I've done when you see a current or former NBA players son in college. I've rooted for all of them, the Jordans, Pippens kids, Darius Garland, Patrick Ewing JR. Bronny James isn't even the best prospect in college right now who's father played in the league. Jamal Mashburn Jr is getting no love and he's a much better prospect. Jabri Abdur-Rahim should get a look before Bronny. Even Bronny's own teammate DJ Rodman looks like a better pro prospect than he does. It's just obvious nepotism and it's completely unfair and counterfeit. Unless I'm missing something about Bronny, I just don't see it. I thought at first, at best...He could be Jaden Springer which isn't much.

[Mik317]

TBF

Bronny is also coming off a heart issue.

But regardless I don't have any issue with nepotism in this regard....you are supposed to help your kids out and using your influence/rep/money/ whatever to do it then idc lol. If I was near the top of whatever field and I could get my kid in the door, i'd do it too. Once he gets there its going to be up to him to sink or swim, Bron won't be able to help him much if he is ass.

I think he will be "fine"... obviously probably not first round fine but fine.

[ExplosionsInDaSky]

TBF

Bronny is also coming off a heart issue.

But regardless I don't have any issue with nepotism in this regard....you are supposed to help your kids out and using your influence/rep/money/ whatever to do it then idc lol. If I was near the top of whatever field and I could get my kid in the door, i'd do it too. Once he gets there its going to be up to him to sink or swim, Bron won't be able to help him much if he is ass.

I think he will be "fine"... obviously probably not first round fine but fine.

That's a fair point, but was Jordans kid just that bad? Or did MJs ego not allow it? All I'm saying is you have a number of NBA legends who've had sons play college ball that were better than Bronny and still didn't make the league.

[M2J]

I don't really get the Murray thing. Atlanta brought him in thinking he'd fill a similar to role to how we'd want to use him, and it hasn't really worked there. Not sure why it would here. To me's one of those Jack of all trades, master on none guys, that isn't good enough at the thing you'd want him to be as a support piece. He also seems like he wants to be the guy, and he's just not on a good team.

Murray is a better fit here than Atlanta since Maxey, unlike Trae, can play off the ball. Murray needs the ball in his hands to maximize his impact, and so does Trae, which is why that’s a bad fit.

The issue with a player like that is he’s a worse on ball option than Maxey and Trae. So while Maxey can play off ball, he shouldn’t if it’s in service of getting value out of Murray.

I'll say this... And since I know Morey now sucks based off his interests, I've tried to stay quiet. But before Trae missed this end of this season, Atlanta had an elite offense and DJM played a lot off the ball, and did well He's adjusted well, Trae did not. On top of that, I actually think Maxey is more elite off ball. Joel needs to get off ball more, and focus on defense and rebounding and being an outlet

The one thing that makes an ounce of sense is that PG-13 wouldn't cost any assets, but Clippers are keeping him. Never going to happen. Plus, I still don't love him.

What's asinine is that Jimmy Butler is option 2. Would cost assets and is old. I would rather send some second round picks for Lavine.

[76ciology]

LeBron really would be the ideal PF we need lol. Great finisher, great rebounder, great weak side shot blocking ability, elite pass is a bonus.

He seems to want to remain on the west coast tho. Bronny only working out for Lakers and Suns. Bron accepting vet min to play in PHX would be wild.

LeBron would be ideal in Luka's role with the Mavs. He would have three guys who can work on defense and punish the opposing team if they help, while he can pass the ball to Kyrie if he needs a breather.

With our team, he would be asked to be active in grabbing rebounds, defending top players, and providing secondary rim protection.

However, he brings too much baggage to the locker room, and I don't think he would be a good fit for our team.

[76ciology]

I wonder how we can profit from absorbing Lavine’s contract then eventually helping us to round up our team.

Some of my ideas so far. Just to get the ball rolling

Spoiler:

Trade 1

Bulls:
$51M in cap space
2024 Sixers #16 pick

Wizards:
$6M in cap space
Alex Caruso
2026 OKC 1st
2026 Sixers pick swap

Sixers:
Zach Lavine
Deni Avdija
Cody Williams (11th pick)

Tyrese Maxey
Zach Lavine
Cody Williams
Deni Avdija
Joel Embiid

Trade 2

Bulls:
$51M in cap space
2024 Sixers #16 pick

Jazz:
$9M in cap space
Alex Caruso
2024 11th pick via Bulls
2026 OKC 1st
2026 Sixers pick swap

Sixers:
Zach Lavine
Lauri Markkanen

Tyrese Maxey
Zach Lavine
Kelly Oubre
Lauri Markkanen
Joel Embiid

Trade 3

Bulls:
$51M in cap space
2024 Sixers #16 pick

Sixers drafts Cody Williams with 11th pick

Sixers signs Jalen Smith on a 1+1 $17M contract

Sixers:
Zach Lavine
Jalen Smith
Cody Williams (11th pick)

Tyrese Maxey
Zach Lavine
Cody Williams
Jalen Smith
Joel Embiid

Caruso or trading up from 16th to 11th or both.

[Sixerboy3]

The Sixers feel like they will be able to work something out with him in free agency. The 6-foot-8, 230-pound forward didn’t expect to like Philadelphia, but ended up loving it here. And Embiid made it known to Batum what he expects him to do.

As a result, he’s at the top of Sixers’ priority list for retaining free agents. However, he a candidate for a little more money than originally expected on a shorter deal.

While Lowry and Oubre also are major priorities, the Sixers ability to retain them could come down to what they’re willing to take in free agency.

Read on Twitter

?s=46

[youngcrev]

The Sixers feel like they will be able to work something out with him in free agency. The 6-foot-8, 230-pound forward didn’t expect to like Philadelphia, but ended up loving it here. And Embiid made it known to Batum what he expects him to do.

As a result, he’s at the top of Sixers’ priority list for retaining free agents. However, he a candidate for a little more money than originally expected on a shorter deal.

While Lowry and Oubre also are major priorities, the Sixers ability to retain them could come down to what they’re willing to take in free agency.

Read on Twitter

?s=46

I don't really know what that means beyond he won't be on a minimum (I doubt Keith does either )

Batum was awesome here aside from the amount of time he missed. Him vs Oubre is an interesting toss-up in terms of preference. Age, athleticism and counting stats obviously favor Kelly, but Batum has clear advantages in terms of passing, shooting, and just general basketball IQ. I view Oubre as a guy you can start, but prefer not to close games, while Batum is a guy that you want to close games, but not to start (at least in terms of minute management).

[youngcrev]

Assuming they all end somewhere between the ROOM (8M) and non-tax payer MLE (~13M starting), which forward do you take between:

Kelly Oubre, Derrick Jones Jr, Kyle Anderson or Caleb Martin

We have familiarity with Oubre obviously, and you'd be getting prime age. Highest stat producer of the bunch, but also prone to some dumb plays. Solid defender, but clearly the worst of the 3 IMO.

DJJ isn't exactly a stat stuffer, but he's in his prime, is the starting SF for a team in the Finals, has taken on top defensive assignments the whole playoffs, and may have turned the corner as a decent enough spot up guy. Best defender of the bunch and while limited offensively, also plays within himself. Is the shooting just an outlier though? And how much is it playing with Luka/Kyrie getting him wide open looks with passes right on the money?

Kyle Anderson seems to be a board favorite. Played an on again off again role for upstart TWolves. He's basically role player Ben Simmons, minus the athleticism, but also minus the drama. Love the defense, point forward play and just general size/skill package. Could work well as a distributor next to Maxey, and maybe a post entry passer. He just completely abandoned the 3 point shot this year though, which would be an obvious issue here. Also the oldest of the bunch (maybe the cheapest though?)

Caleb Martin is kinda just solid all around. Obviously he had that hot shooting playoff run, but the shooting completely leaves at times. He's the most capable of going and getting you bucket, but I'm not sure how much of a value add that is given the role. Decent rotation wing who's name probably carries more cache than it should due to the Finals run, but decent wings that have some grit aren't the easiest to find. Definitely shoots like 32% from 3 if we sign him, but that's true for all these guys.

[Ferry Avenue]

The Sixers feel like they will be able to work something out with him in free agency. The 6-foot-8, 230-pound forward didn’t expect to like Philadelphia, but ended up loving it here. And Embiid made it known to Batum what he expects him to do.

As a result, he’s at the top of Sixers’ priority list for retaining free agents. However, he a candidate for a little more money than originally expected on a shorter deal.

While Lowry and Oubre also are major priorities, the Sixers ability to retain them could come down to what they’re willing to take in free agency.

Read on Twitter

?s=46

The Sixers are in need of more than role players. Believing all they need are role players is exactly what's kept the team from advancing beyond the second round for the past several years. The nucleus of the team isn't sufficient so as to make role players the team's top priority. This is a team without a quarterback -- it shouldn't be believing a right guard will make the difference.

[mjkvol]

Assuming they all end somewhere between the ROOM (8M) and non-tax payer MLE (~13M starting), which forward do you take between:

Kelly Oubre, Derrick Jones Jr or Kyle Anderson

We have familiarity with Oubre obviously, and you'd be getting prime age. Highest stat producer of the bunch, but also prone to some dumb plays. Solid defender, but clearly the worst of the 3 IMO.

DJJ isn't exactly a stat stuffer, but he's in his prime, is the starting SF for a team in the Finals, has taken on top defensive assignments the whole playoffs, and may have turned the corner as a decent enough spot up guy. Best defender of the bunch and while limited offensively, also plays within himself. Is the shooting just an outlier though? And how much is it playing with Luka/Kyrie getting him wide open looks with passes right on the money?

Kyle Anderson seems to be a board favorite. Played an on again off again role for upstart TWolves. He's basically role player Ben Simmons, minus the athleticism, but also minus the drama. Love the defense, point forward play and just general size/skill package. Could work well as a distributor next to Maxey, and maybe a post entry passer. He just completely abandoned the 3 point shot this year though, which would be an obvious issue here. Also the oldest of the bunch (maybe the cheapest though?)

If we can get DJJ for the same price as Oubre, that's the easy choice for me. I don't get the Anderson Love - despite the intangibles and defense he brings, he is a zero shooting-wise. Haven't we had enough of that? I like Kelly a lot, but if Dallas lets DJJ walk, he's an easy target.

[youngcrev]

Assuming they all end somewhere between the ROOM (8M) and non-tax payer MLE (~13M starting), which forward do you take between:

Kelly Oubre, Derrick Jones Jr or Kyle Anderson

We have familiarity with Oubre obviously, and you'd be getting prime age. Highest stat producer of the bunch, but also prone to some dumb plays. Solid defender, but clearly the worst of the 3 IMO.

DJJ isn't exactly a stat stuffer, but he's in his prime, is the starting SF for a team in the Finals, has taken on top defensive assignments the whole playoffs, and may have turned the corner as a decent enough spot up guy. Best defender of the bunch and while limited offensively, also plays within himself. Is the shooting just an outlier though? And how much is it playing with Luka/Kyrie getting him wide open looks with passes right on the money?

Kyle Anderson seems to be a board favorite. Played an on again off again role for upstart TWolves. He's basically role player Ben Simmons, minus the athleticism, but also minus the drama. Love the defense, point forward play and just general size/skill package. Could work well as a distributor next to Maxey, and maybe a post entry passer. He just completely abandoned the 3 point shot this year though, which would be an obvious issue here. Also the oldest of the bunch (maybe the cheapest though?)

If we can get DJJ for the same price as Oubre, that's the easy choice for me. I don't get the Anderson Love - despite the intangibles and defense he brings, he is a zero shooting-wise. Haven't we had enough of that? I like Kelly a lot, but if Dallas lets DJJ walk, he's an easy target.

Edited to add Caleb Martin to the list.

Dallas is in a spot where they need to dump a bunch of salary just to be able to offer the MLE to him, so I definitely think he's gettable.

Oubre on a 3/30 or DJJ on a 3/40, who ya got?

[mjkvol]

Assuming they all end somewhere between the ROOM (8M) and non-tax payer MLE (~13M starting), which forward do you take between:

Kelly Oubre, Derrick Jones Jr or Kyle Anderson

We have familiarity with Oubre obviously, and you'd be getting prime age. Highest stat producer of the bunch, but also prone to some dumb plays. Solid defender, but clearly the worst of the 3 IMO.

DJJ isn't exactly a stat stuffer, but he's in his prime, is the starting SF for a team in the Finals, has taken on top defensive assignments the whole playoffs, and may have turned the corner as a decent enough spot up guy. Best defender of the bunch and while limited offensively, also plays within himself. Is the shooting just an outlier though? And how much is it playing with Luka/Kyrie getting him wide open looks with passes right on the money?

Kyle Anderson seems to be a board favorite. Played an on again off again role for upstart TWolves. He's basically role player Ben Simmons, minus the athleticism, but also minus the drama. Love the defense, point forward play and just general size/skill package. Could work well as a distributor next to Maxey, and maybe a post entry passer. He just completely abandoned the 3 point shot this year though, which would be an obvious issue here. Also the oldest of the bunch (maybe the cheapest though?)

If we can get DJJ for the same price as Oubre, that's the easy choice for me. I don't get the Anderson Love - despite the intangibles and defense he brings, he is a zero shooting-wise. Haven't we had enough of that? I like Kelly a lot, but if Dallas lets DJJ walk, he's an easy target.

Edited to add Caleb Martin to the list.

Dallas is in a spot where they need to dump a bunch of salary just to be able to offer the MLE to him, so I definitely think he's gettable.

Oubre on a 3/30 or DJJ on a 3/40, who ya got?

I've always loved Jones, Jr., so that's an easy one for me. I like Kelly and wouldn't mind at all having him back, but DJJ is exactly the kind of player I'm hoping Morey will be chasing as soon as the 'aging max' thing goes away.

[ExplosionsInDaSky]

I vote Derrick Jones Jr all day if we're seeking out an elite role player that is entering his prime. He's also from Philly. It almost makes too much sense to try and sign him and he'll be worth the 3/40 if that's what it takes to get him. He's a high flyer who can play either forward position and has improved his three point shooting. Adding him and Jalen Smith would be a massive upgrade at the forward position and would give us so much more versatility. I like Kelly Oubre, but not as much as the some of you do. I also don't get the Kyle Anderson love. He's a decent role player and would be great on a team like Boston, Milwaukee, or Miami, but he's a terrible fit here in my opinion. We need more athleticism from the forward position. Again, it's not a Hell-No to Anderson, but he'd have to come here cheap, and he'd basically be a Batum replacement. If that's the case, find out who the better option is dollar wise and go with that guy. If we can get Batum to come back on a vet min contract, then just do that and go hard after DJJ.

[youngcrev]

I've always loved Jones, Jr., so that's an easy one for me. I like Kelly and wouldn't mind at all having him back, but DJJ is exactly the kind of player I'm hoping Morey will be chasing as soon as the 'aging max' thing goes away.

I'm more thinking he'd be a target with the remaining cap after he gets his max guy

I think I agree that he'd be my preference among the group. I do worry the jump shot would regress back to the mean, which is how he ended up on a minimum in the first place. But, particularly if you end up with another max guy, you're gonna need glue guys that can impact the game on minimal usage.

[mjkvol]

I'm more thinking he'd be a target with the remaining cap after he gets his max guy

Really hoping not, but fearing you'll be right.

[NYSixersFan]

I'd rather sign DeRozan than trade for Jimmy.

[the_process]

I wonder how we can profit from absorbing Lavine’s contract then eventually helping us to round up our team.

Some of my ideas so far. Just to get the ball rolling

Spoiler:

Trade 1

Bulls:
$51M in cap space
2024 Sixers #16 pick

Wizards:
$6M in cap space
Alex Caruso
2026 OKC 1st
2026 Sixers pick swap

Sixers:
Zach Lavine
Deni Avdija
Cody Williams (11th pick)

Tyrese Maxey
Zach Lavine
Cody Williams
Deni Avdija
Joel Embiid

Trade 2

Bulls:
$51M in cap space
2024 Sixers #16 pick

Jazz:
$9M in cap space
Alex Caruso
2024 11th pick via Bulls
2026 OKC 1st
2026 Sixers pick swap

Sixers:
Zach Lavine
Lauri Markkanen

Tyrese Maxey
Zach Lavine
Kelly Oubre
Lauri Markkanen
Joel Embiid

Trade 3

Bulls:
$51M in cap space
2024 Sixers #16 pick

Sixers drafts Cody Williams with 11th pick

Sixers signs Jalen Smith on a 1+1 $17M contract

Sixers:
Zach Lavine
Jalen Smith
Cody Williams (11th pick)

Tyrese Maxey
Zach Lavine
Cody Williams
Jalen Smith
Joel Embiid

Caruso or trading up from 16th to 11th or both.

If both is an option, I’d be listening.

[Jailblazers7]

I get very nervous about signing a guy like DJJ coming from a team with an elite passer like Luka. Luka is the best in the league at generating corner 3s and opportunities to attack close outs. I’m very skeptical that he can replicate his offensive performance as a Sixer.

I like all his traits but Oubre is a better fit here imo despite him being a dumbass. Unless Maxey takes a big leap as a playmaker, we’re better off with a wing who has some juice as a scorer.

[Arsenal]

DJJ is nice but he’s basically the role player flavor of the month, ala guys like Caleb Martin and Bruce Brown before him. Smart teams get these guys for cheap, dumb teams overpay them for one good run in a great situation, after which they normally regress to the mean.

If Oubre is significantly cheaper then I prefer him. Both guys are very similar overall.