Sixers Free Agency Targets Revised Following Latest Revelation
By Simon Smith
Free-Agent Signings
When taking into consideration the Sixers’ current roster combined flexibility, the minimum aim of Colangelo and his front office team should be:
- Sign a wing free-agent to a lucrative deal
- Sign a veteran free-agent to a mid-range contract
Hopefully, the targets will come from the those listed here. And when considering the current constitution of the team, their prime targets should be:
- Otto Porter
- Patty Mills
Porter and Mills represent the players who fill the most glaring weaknesses on the Sixers. Both are excellent three-point shooters. Porter has demonstrated the ability to play at both ends of the floor and doesn’t have to be the focus of the offence.
Coming off the bench, Mills provides a consistent spark and has now had vast experience in both the playoffs and on an international scale.
The Sixers’ current starting small forward, Robert Covington, comes out of contract at the end of the 2017-18 season. Considering the current climate, he is likely to command a heft deal if he continues to develop as a player.
Therefore, Colangelo will likely need to be proactive in potentially moving Covington, rather than risk losing him for nothing in the summer of 2018.
Based on the signings around the league since the explosion of the salary cap last summer, the contracts of Porter and Mills would likely be:
- Porter: Four years, $95 million
- Mills: Three years, $30 million
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The easy comparison for Porter is the Memphis Grizzlies signing last summer of forward Chandler Parsons. A similarly long, rangy small forward, Parsons was signed to a four-year, $94.8 million contract despite his injury concerns.
This deal has blown up in the Grizzlies’ faces, with Parsons so far playing just 33 games and averaging 6.2 points on 34.0 percent shooting.
In the case of Mills, the contracts for the likes of Austin Rivers and Matthew Dellavedova this past offseason are very comparable. Although Rivers and Dellavedova are younger than Mills, they’ve nonetheless been career backups and were rewarded handsomely.
Rivers signed for three years, $35 million, whereas Dellavedova signed for four years, $38 million.
Colangelo has shown in the past what he’s capable of producing, having being named the NBA Executive of the Year in two different cities.
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The Sixers will be hoping that this offseason helps kick off the trifecta for Colangelo in the front office.