Philadelphia 76ers: 5 candidates for vacant general manager role

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2. David Griffin, former GM, Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cleveland Cavaliers were at their best under former general manager David Griffin. For any team aiming at signing LeBron James in free agency, signing Griffin to a front office role automatically earns the inside track.

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Recall that it was that savvy shrewdness of David Griffin that built a cohesive team around LeBron James to land the Cavaliers their championship ring. He did so by focusing on second-tier players like Iman Shumpert, J.R. Smith and Channing Frye. While these players may not be household names, they did complement the core Cavaliers players.

Right now, that is the immediate task at hand for these Philadelphia 76ers. This team has a solid core. Even if you discount the eventual impact of shooting guard Markelle Fultz, the presence of a rapidly improving Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons gives this team a very talented nucleus to build around. Adding Griffin should lead to the addition of LeBron James. From that point on, the Sixers should be contenders each and every year.

Griffin’s greatest worth, and perhaps the most critical need of the Sixers, is assembling the roster around great players. While some laud the work of Bryan Colangelo, the results were mixed. He did score with the J.J. Redick signing, but the one-year $23 million deal has the team right back in the free agent market once more. His other 2017 signing of Amir Johnson for one-year at $12 million, provided some defense but was an overspend.

Signing Griffin would place the Sixers back into the heart of the free agent market, and also give them good feel for rounding out the roster.