Philadelphia 76ers: 3 free agent backup centers to target

Following their heartbreaking end to the 2019 NBA Playoffs, here are three free agent centers the Philadelphia 76ers should target this summer.

While their season may have just concluded, the Philadelphia 76ers will soon need to look forward to the offseason and the various important decisions they face.

Aside from their dealings in relation to free agents such as Jimmy Butler, Tobias Harris and J.J. Redick, the Sixers front office and coaching staff will need to sort out the pivotal backup center position. While he managed to play a career-high 64 games during the 2018-19 regular season, Joel Embiid was also hampered at various times, primarily due to recurring knee tendonitis.

Furthermore, the manner in which the team struggled when he was on the sidelines was very troublesome, with the Sixers posting an 8-10 record when Embiid was watching from the bench.

Over the course of last season, the Sixers employed a combination of veteran Amir Johnson, midseason acquisition Boban Marjanovic, late-season pickup Greg Monroe and rookie Jonah Bolden. While each player has his own strengths and weaknesses to bring to the table, none could ultimately be depended upon when the games counted the most.

You only need to look at the impact on the Sixers in their seven-game series defeat at the hands of the Toronto Raptors. During the 237 minutes Embiid was on the floor, the Sixers were a +90, while they were a preposterous -109 in the 99 minutes he was resting.

That dramatic swing can clearly cost a series, particularly a seven-game series that went down to the very last shot. Thus, while deciding on their own free agents will be the first priority for the Sixers, finding an adequate backup for Embiid to rely on should be one of the first objectives of the offseason.

With this in mind, here are three backup free agents centers the Sixers should strongly consider this summer.