[ad_1]
When the clock will ring on July 1st at midnight and the free agency period of the NBA will begin, there is no mystery as to who the first two phone calls from the Sixers will likely be addressed.
In Star Hunt mode, the Sixers will pursue LeBron James and Paul George.
But the excitement of potentially adding James or George to the existing young talented core should be tempered by the real possibilities of a new superstar signing with their current team or heading elsewhere.
If LeBron or P.G signs with the Sixers, what should the plan of their plan B look like?
<h2 class = "canvas-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "Try again next summer"data-reactid =" 19 ">Try again next summer
The Sixers have a two year window when they can access max ceiling space without sacrificing basic parts. If they feel this offseason, they should have another chance in the summer of 2019 when Klay Thompson, Leonard Kawhi, Kyrie Irving and Jimmy Butler plan to be free agents. Irving, Butler and Leonard (unless he's cared for something that he intends to sign 100%) should test the waters, but Thompson could sign an extension this season dead.
If there were high-end complementary players in the market, like Khris Middleton or Tobias Harris who are by chance free agents in the offseason, there would be at least one argument to pursue this kind of players rather than hoping that Thompson or Leonard actually hit free agency, and then bank on one of the four stars to actually sign Philly. But since the decline after the stars is important, there is not much debate about how the Sixers should conduct their business.
<h2 class = "canvas-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "Maintain future flexibility of the ceiling "data-reactid =" 22 ">Maintain future flexibility of the ceiling
The Sixers will almost certainly keep their powder dry for next summer while they plan to spend more than $ 40 million. With a maximum contract of 30% expected to start at $ 32.4 million in 2019, they will not want to commit too much money beyond this season. So, like the last offseason, they will likely only be in the market for one year transactions.
As a rule, teams must pay a premium on one year contracts. We saw this when the Sixers signed JJ Redick for $ 23 million and Amir Johnson for $ 11 million last summer. Since the Sixers offered no long-term guarantees, they were paying a higher price than the market for both, probably about double what their average annual salary would have been on multi-year transactions. For this reason, the market for them tends to be thin and they are rare for free boot level agents.
Well, this summer could be different and work for the Sixers.
<h2 class = "canvas-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "Capitalize on a small market"data-reactid =" 26 ">Capitalize on a small market
With the league's salary cap estimated at $ 101 million, look at Spotrac's active paylist showing the least-committed money for 2018-19, excluding support for free agents waiting. It's important to note that these figures are fluid and that the first ones selected in last week's draft are not included because they have not yet signed their rookie deals, so the Sixers have really about $ 26 million.
There are two great takeaways here. First, there will not be a ton of money there. From the numbers above, we are talking about 13 teams with at least 10 million space dollars. At present, 22 teams plan to have at least 20 million dollars in space next summer.
Second, there is only a handful of playoff teams in addition to the Sixers with plenty of space and one of them, the Rockets, will operate at above the limit with three starters who will have a free agency.
For non – playoff teams, the Lakers will chase the stars and try again next year if they retire. The Bulls and Hawks are rebuilding themselves, so more likely to use their space to take a bad pay for assets. Dallas needs a starting center. Phoenix and Orlando need guard starting points. Brooklyn will probably fall low because he finally gets his choice. And kings are kings.
With such a depressed market, some of the best free secondary agents could take one-year inflated contracts, then try again for the eight-year multi-year agreement that will follow the next offseason while there will be more of money and competitive teams in the market.
For free agents looking to improve their stock on a one – year inflated contract while aiming for a big pay day next summer, the Sixers could be an attractive destination.
<h2 class = "canvas-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "How much to spend?"data-reactid =" 45 ">How much to spend?
The Sixers free agency spending limit will depend on two things: the cost of exiting Jerryd Bayless's $ 8.5 million expiry contract and Redick's willingness to take a reduction.
If they abandon Bayless and give up the unsecured deal of Richaun Holmes, they will dispose of more than $ 36 million. Now, if the Sixers needed to create the maximum ceiling space needed for a star, they would have no problem stretching Bayless' s hat trick over the next three years or at the same time. exchange with an asset in the space of another team. But if this is not the case, is it worth giving up an active future (say a first round of 2019 protected by a lottery) to create space for rentals? a year?
This could depend on how much Redick salary reduction is ready to take. Re-signing Redick will be a priority and while the Sixers gave him a big salary last season, he's turned out to be a valuable starter and may want his next paycheck to reflect that again. Suppose he receives a multi-year $ 24 million bid from another team and that he does not sign back for less than $ 18 million, leaving the Sixers only $ 8 million. space dollars (about the value of the non-taxable intermediate level). exception) without any corresponding movement. If they move Bayless and cut Holmes, that space goes up to $ 18 million.
But if Redick is ready to sign a cheaper deal, say $ 12 million, then the Sixers can add more coins, they would still have $ 14 million and could get up to $ 24 million.
<h2 class = "canvas-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "Do not just run back"data-reactid =" 50 ">Do not just run back
Free agency plan B should not be as simple as making it work. Whether James is heading west or not, there will be a legitimate path to the top two seeds and the finals of the conference. But, as the Celtics have shown in the playoffs, this will not come without improving the depth of the roster.
The Sixers should not sacrifice the future flexibility of ceilings or abandon Bayless for important assets, like the first rounders beyond 2020 with the imminent abolition of the one-and-done rule, but that does not mean that they can not improve their other three waiting for three agents.
Johnson, Marco Belinelli and Ersan Ilyasova were all key elements of the 52-win season, but the Sixers could upgrade, becoming younger and more athletic at these positions (center, wing and four-four). Again, this will largely depend on the space they have after recruiting Redick and if Bayless is still on the list, but the Sixers might have a real chance to add one or two substantial improvements to their bench.
Even if the Sixers do not get James and George, they could still have the ability to build a stronger team than last season.
<h2 class = "canvas-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "More on the Sixers"data-reactid =" 55 ">More on the Sixers
• What LeBron wants in Sixers' tone
• Not a recruit? Try to say this to the Ben Simmons Trophy case
• Despite the claims of Embiid, he is not the best defender of the league
• Unknown Sixer wins league prize
• New branches on the Sixers family tree built with the character
Source link
