Why the Philadelphia 76ers Could Be NBA's Most Intriguing Team This Offseason
The Philadelphia 76ers are in position to make a big splash this summer. Armed with a plethora of draft picks and plenty of cap space, the team can continue building on a young roster and start its climb up the NBA ladder.
Winning hasn't been much of a priority since general manager Sam Hinkie took over the team in May of 2013. In the past two seasons, the Sixers have a combined 37-127 record. During that span, the club stockpiled draft picks, invested in rookies who wouldn't contribute right away and gave starting opportunities to players who may not otherwise crack a NBA rotation.
| Michael Carter-Williams | No.11 Overall, 2013 | Own selection (Traded to MIL) |
| Nerlens Noel | No. 6 Overall, 2013 | Acquired via Jrue Holiday trade |
| Joel Embiid | No. 3 Overall, 2014 | Own selection |
| Dario Saric | No. 12 Overall, 2014 | Acquired via Holiday trade/trade with Orlando Magic for Elfrid Payton |
| K.J. McDaniels | No. 32 Overall, 2014 | Own selection (traded to HOU) |
| 2015 First-Round Pick | TBD | Own selection, no worse than No. 6 overall |
| Miami's 2015 First-Round Pick | TBD | Acquired in Kevin Love trade (top-10 protected in '15 or '16, unprotected in '17) |
| Lakers' 2015 First-Round Pick | TBD | Acquired in Carter-Williams trade (top-five protected in '15, top-three in '16 and '17, unprotected in '18) |
| Thunder's 2016 First-Round Pick | TBD | Acquired in JaVale McGee trade (top-15 protected in '16 and '17, becomes two second-round picks afterward) |
After trading former Rookie of the Year Michael Carter-Williams in February, Hinkie explained the method to his madness, per Business Insider's Tony Manfred.
"We're focused on how to put the building blocks in place that have a chance to compete in May. Those teams win in the high-50s. They don't win in the teens and they don't add two or three wins a year and they don't add a win a month for a little while to try and get to where they're going. They get all the way to the 50s. And they get there usually on the backs of great players. We are still — as much as I've talked about how we make decisions and as much as I've talked about our organizational goals and our player development — it is a players-driven league, still. When we have a set of players that can carry us deep, that's the only way, that's the only way to get where we're going.
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While that strategy hasn't led to many victories, it has produced a tantalizing big man duo in Nerlens Noel and Joel Embiid. Noel, who missed all of the 2013-14 season while recovering from knee surgery, impressed in his debut pro campaign. Embiid was sidelined for all of 2014-15 with a bum foot, but his agent, Arn Tellem, says the center is expected to play in the summer league this year, per CSNPhilly.com's Dei Lynam.
At one point, both Noel and Embiid were in consideration to go No. 1 overall leading up to their respective drafts before injuries caused their stocks to drop. Noel slipped to the New Orleans Pelicans at No. 6 in 2013 and was later traded to Philadelphia for Jrue Holiday. Embiid wound up sliding to No. 3 overall last year.
| Name | Points Per Game | Rebounds Per Game | Assists Per Game | Steals Per Game | Blocks Per Game |
| Noel | 9.9 | 8.1 | 1.7 | 1.8 | 1.9 |
| Embiid (college) | 11.2 | 8.1 | 1.4 | 0.9 | 2.6 |
Meanwhile, the team has done a nice job of developing role players to surround the team's Twin Towers. Tony Wroten, once a first-round pick with the Memphis Grizzlies, was the Sixers' leading scorer (16.9 points per game) before going down in January with a torn ACL. Robert Covington was an afterthought with the Houston Rockets but averaged 13.5 points in 70 games for Philly.
The franchise will eventually be joined by forward Dario Saric, the No. 12 overall selection in last year's draft, who is honing his skills overseas. The club could also have as many as eight selections in the June 25 NBA draft, depending on how the pingpong balls fall during the lottery on May 19.
As for the cap, Philly has just $26.7 million in guaranteed money on the books for next year, giving it the flexibility to be players in the free-agent market.
The Draft
After finishing with a 18-64 record this season, the Sixers have a 15.6 percent chance of winning the lottery, which is the third-best odds of any team in the league. If they win the top pick, they will be in position to add a big man like Kentucky's Karl-Anthony Towns or Duke's Jahlil Okafor to a frontcourt that already includes Noel and Embiid.
If they pick outside of the top two, the team could choose to address a need in the backcourt with Ohio State's D'Angelo Russell. Russell is good friends with Noel (as seen in this Instagram photo) and reportedly would love to play in Philly, according to Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
While the Sixers are in a good spot to add a possible impact player, there is also the scant hope the club will be choosing more than once in this year's lottery. The team also owns the Los Angeles Lakers' top-five protected first-round pick (from the Carter-Williams trade) as well as the Miami Heat's top-10 protected selection (Kevin Love deal). The odds of Philly coming away with all three are shown below:
| First Pick | 15.6 |
| Second Pick | 15.7 |
| Third Pick | 15.6 |
| Fourth Pick | 22.6 |
| Fifth Pick | 26.5 |
| Sixth Pick | 4.0 |
| Lakers' Pick | 17.2 |
| Heat Pick | 9.1 |
In an email exchange, Bleacher Report's resident Sixers expert Alec Nathan shared his thoughts on why Philadelphia will be the most interesting team in the NBA this summer:
"The first and most important reason is the draft. Even if two of their potential first-round picks don’t convey, they’re still slated to make six picks (one in the first and five in the second). Although the Sixers are flush with cap space, Philadelphia still isn't an enticing destination for free agents. And with the cap spike looming, it’s hard to envision any impactful names signing long-term deals in Philly this summer. That leaves the draft—which has always been the team’s preferred avenue of rebuilding—as the lone way to make a splash.
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As Nathan pointed out, even if Philly doesn't hit the lottery trifecta, it will still be a formidable presence in the second round. The team owns the 35th (from the Orlando Magic), 37th (from the Denver Nuggets), 47th (from the New Orleans Pelicans), 58th (from the Houston Rockets) and 60th (from the Golden State Warriors) overall picks.
In the second round, the team could look to add depth with a shooter like Nebraska's Terran Petteway, an athletic forward such as Syracuse's Rakeem Christmas or bolster the backcourt with Louisville's Terry Rozier.
The Noel/Embiid combo, assuming the team can get the two raw shot-blockers to work together, gives the Sixers a pretty strong start. Now, with the potential addition of three lottery selections as well as some late-round fliers, the future could be brighter in The City of Brotherly Love.
Cap Space
The Sixers are flush with cap space, and this year's crop of players is deep enough to where the Sixers could still add young talent without reaching for the sky.
Milwaukee Bucks restricted free-agent small forward Khris Middleton was one of this year's breakout stars and, according to the Sporting News' Sean Deveney, his potential price tag, as well as a future extension for the Bucks' other prospects, puts the team in a tough spot:
"One league executive told Sporting News that Middleton will draw an offer around — brace yourself — $15 million per year. “That’s what Chandler Parsons got, but this guy plays much better defense,” the executive said. Parsons was granted a three-year, $46 million deal by the Mavericks last season to ensure the Rockets didn't match. Now the Bucks have that dilemma, for a player who averaged 13.4 points a game this season but was their leading playoff scorer. All signs suggest they will match any deal he gets, and they have the space under the luxury tax line to do so. But they will need to consider a future in which they have to pay Carter-Williams, (Giannis) Antetokounmpo and (Jabari) Parker.
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Middleton will be 24 years old in August and is coming off a season where he set career highs in scoring (13.4 points per game), rebounding (4.4 boards), steals (1.5) and field-goal percentage (46.7 percent). The Texas A&M product also allowed a much-improved 102 points per 100 possessions and held opponents to 39.5 percent shooting from the field during the regular season.
Middleton could join Embiid, Noel and whomever the team drafts in this year's lottery to give them an exciting core that could grow into a monster. Even if the Bucks match Philly's offer, the Sixers will be sending a message that they are willing to compete for free agents.
Another alternative is Orlando's Tobias Harris. The 22-year-old restricted free agent averaged 17.1 points and 6.3 rebounds per game while stroking 36.4 percent from three-point range. He's a restricted free agent who is familiar with the rebuilding process from his time with the Magic.
While the Magic have shown slight improvement in the win column over the last three seasons (from 20 to 23 to 25), the current head coaching vacancy clouds the team's future.
The Sixers' rebuilding process may be moving at a very deliberate pace, but the Noel/Embiid tandem, combined with the pieces they will add in the coming drafts, makes them an interesting destination. Additionally, Philadelphia has the cap space to make Harris a very rich man and price him out of the Magic's reach.
Lastly, if Philadelphia strikes out in free agency, it could use its considerable resources to bait teams into giving up other assets in exchange for salary relief. Hinkie utilized this strategy in February when he acquired the Oklahoma City Thunder's first-round pick from the Nuggets along with JaVale McGee's albatross of a contract.
The Philadelphia 76ers spent the last two seasons purging the roster of big names and building for the future. The team toiled in the NBA's basement as the losses mounted in droves.
However, lost in that lack of immediate success is the framework that general manager Sam Hinkie and head coach Brett Brown has put in place. The franchise has plenty of building blocks in place and are in position to add a few more this summer.
While other teams fight to stay at the top, the Sixers' climb from the bottom will be the most intriguing storyline of the offseason.
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