** Official 2024 Make or Break Offseason Thread **

[ExplosionsInDaSky]

Well, we're going to have to say goodbye to some of the players we like. I personally do not want to see Melton go. He's such a valuable player for us. I really hope his injuries are behind him and he re-ups with Philly. I'd like to bring Kelly Oubre back as well. Those are the main two players I'd like us to re-sign. Free agency in general just needs to be handled correctly and with some wisdom and intelligence. God forbid we sign Paul George! Doing so is only going to attract over the hill players that are in the twilight of their careers. IT NEVER WORKS when teams do this.

I also don't think we can dismiss the type of impact Ricky Council might have on us next season. He showed that he can play in this league. That should do wonders for his confidence and motivation. If he comes back next season with a legit three in his bag, he can easily become a valuable rotation player for us. I think we need to prioritize adding some youth or young veterans to this roster. An example of why going younger and athletic is important could be a player like Paul George. I don't want us to sign him, but if we were to, I think youth and athleticism would the priority over adding more older, past their prime players. That always seems to be the fatalist of mistakes I see teams do when they add free agents. We don't need to do what the Lakers or Suns continue to do with their teams. The Clippers do it too. They add big names that never fit and are too old. Following that format will land us firmly in the play-in once again.

If we trade away this draft pick, I'm going to rage. There's no way we need to come off of this pick unless the Mavs are offering Luka to us. I don't expect this player to be a superstar, but whoever we get at 16 is going to an important determination towards where the team is headed in the future. If this player busts, or can't stay healthy it's going to take us closer to a rebuild. However, if this player ends up being good quality for the 16th pick, it will keep our future brighter despite Embiid hitting his 30s. Personally, I prefer home grown talent over signing mercenaries to play you into the 8th seed.

[mjkvol]

If we trade away this draft pick, I'm going to rage. There's no way we need to come off of this pick unless the Mavs are offering Luka to us. I don't expect this player to be a superstar, but whoever we get at 16 is going to an important determination towards where the team is headed in the future. If this player busts, or can't stay healthy it's going to take us closer to a rebuild. However, if this player ends up being good quality for the 16th pick, it will keep our future brighter despite Embiid hitting his 30s. Personally, I prefer home grown talent over signing mercenaries to play you into the 8th seed.

I wish I could say I have any confidence that we'll keep the pick, but hearing Morey's comments about draft picks not contributing early lead me to look at the pick as a trade chip. I hope I'm wrong, because the right pick might be a valuable part of building this team out, and would give us a youthful core along with Maxey and Council. I'd love to see a age-balanced roster here for once instead of the usual senior citizens home.

[Monix]

the 16th pick in a bad draft is not a game changer for a team trying to win unless they can trade it for an established player ready to contribute

this draft is pretty flat through the first 35 picks, no real outliers

[Monix]

this draft is worse than 2015 b/c there's no Towns

[LeonJordanJr24]

Make or break season lol no we been cooked a few years ago

[ExplosionsInDaSky]

the 16th pick in a bad draft is not a game changer for a team trying to win unless they can trade it for an established player ready to contribute

this draft is pretty flat through the first 35 picks, no real outliers

I love it! The double standards...So this draft sucks BUT we can trade the pick for an established player ready to contribute?

There are plenty of NBA players that will have long career's in this draft. Nobody is expecting a superstar with the 16th pick. In fact, most of us are expecting Morey to trade the pick for a 35 year old veteran coming off of knee surgery. If we do keep the pick, I actually like our chances of that player being a contributor here. The draft isn't stacked with top flight talent, but there are about thirty available names in this draft that will have lengthy careers.

[76ciology]

It's a bad draft if you have a top pick because Risacher is very raw while Sarr and Topic are not top pick materials, so there's no clear No. 1 player in the draft. However, it's not generally a bad draft, if you have a non-lotto first and value players who can contribute right away.

With the 16th pick, there are players who can contribute immediately and play winning basketball, like Zach Edey, Filipowski, Terrence Shannon, Kel'el Ware, Devin Carter, or Daron Holmes.

These are $8 million-ish players on below $4 million-ish contracts. Consider letting Reed go and replacing him with Edey, Filipowski, Holmes, or Ware. That would result in $4 million savings. But then, you can also address the back-up C role using the minimum or the exemption.

But whether to hold or trade the pick depends on potential trades or if the savings from unloading the pick can significantly impact signing a big free agent.

I don't think Morey is just going to blindly unload the pick because it's said to be a bad draft. Rather, he has to map out the entire offseason blueprint and decide if holding or trading the pick would hurt or benefit our overall plan in the end.

Just my two cents.

[ExplosionsInDaSky]

Could we trade the pick? Yeah if Lauri Markkannen is on the table, I can see it happening. If we get a youngish, established player, I could see the pick being part of the equation. Otherwise I think we're keeping it.

[Ferry Avenue]

Everybody has 'roleplayer utopia' until you ask for names.

Malik Monk, Tyus Jones and Kevin Love? This isn't getting you anywhere near a championship.

George is by far and away the best option available at our disposal.

He's an elite fit alongside Maxey and Embiid, and would be the first player in the Joel-era that wouldn't capitulate 20 point leads without someone there to hold his hand.

I guess you could max an injury prone OG (injured again btw) or an up and down Siakam.

Someone like Donovan Mitchell is an obvious All NBA talent in his prime with proven playoff ability. He would have synergy with Maxey and Embiid and the improvements he gives the team in scoring and shot creation would lower the skill threshold you need from the wing position.

But not only would we likely be outbid for him. Our fans have turned their noses up at him multiple times in the past stating that our backcourt would be too small.

So what are our other options?

We're clearly watching the passing of the guard before our eyes. Durant/Steph/Lebron unable to dominate the way they once did. It's sport first and foremost and youth, physicality and athleticism has been winning fast and frequent.

The time to get cute and experiment with roleplayers was six seasons ago when Joel Embiid was 24 years old, not now when he's 30 years old and suffering from never before seen trauma every season.

The formula was there though. Simmons/Redick/Covington/Saric.

Maybe one season you transformed Simmons into a guard with a more well rounded game
And then maybe you transformed Covington into a star wing that could actually put the ball on the floor
or you transformed Saric into an advanced stretch four/big that didn't have TRex arms and could defend
or your transformed Redick into a movement shooter that wasn't a defensive liability

And then you tuned the recipe again and again until something finally clicked.

That's what the Bucks did with Ilyasova/Bledsoe/Brogdon into Portis/Holiday/Tucker and it's what the Celtics have been doing around Tatum and Brown; IT to Hayward and Kyrie to Kemba to White and Holiday -- Smart into Porzingis.

We let amateurs like Colangelo/Brown/Brand run rampant and we ended up anchoring Joel Embiid to the ultimate loser Tobias Harris with no further assets.

We're at the point now where going "all-in" might not even result in an ECF, and it's more than likely that we end up a Suns east type of team constantly compounding bad moves.

Paul George is a free asset and better than any name I'm seeing brought up here. You retain your capital and the valuable Clippers future picks, and you simply get to monitor what happens with Embiid and his health over coming years.

You get a wing that defends and shoots at a high level and with 5+ tradeable firsts in pocket to hold onto incase a real big fish becomes available.

Possibly a player that could be a running mate with Maxey for the next decade.

“Role-player utopia.” Great name for it. Same thing happens in the NFL when a team has an inadequate quarterback but there is still hope he can become adequate. People start talking about the offensive line and who is needed in the “surrounding cast.”

[PhillyFan11]

Everybody has 'roleplayer utopia' until you ask for names.

Malik Monk, Tyus Jones and Kevin Love? This isn't getting you anywhere near a championship.

George is by far and away the best option available at our disposal.

He's an elite fit alongside Maxey and Embiid, and would be the first player in the Joel-era that wouldn't capitulate 20 point leads without someone there to hold his hand.

I guess you could max an injury prone OG (injured again btw) or an up and down Siakam.

Someone like Donovan Mitchell is an obvious All NBA talent in his prime with proven playoff ability. He would have synergy with Maxey and Embiid and the improvements he gives the team in scoring and shot creation would lower the skill threshold you need from the wing position.

But not only would we likely be outbid for him. Our fans have turned their noses up at him multiple times in the past stating that our backcourt would be too small.

So what are our other options?

We're clearly watching the passing of the guard before our eyes. Durant/Steph/Lebron unable to dominate the way they once did. It's sport first and foremost and youth, physicality and athleticism has been winning fast and frequent.

The time to get cute and experiment with roleplayers was six seasons ago when Joel Embiid was 24 years old, not now when he's 30 years old and suffering from never before seen trauma every season.

The formula was there though. Simmons/Redick/Covington/Saric.

Maybe one season you transformed Simmons into a guard with a more well rounded game
And then maybe you transformed Covington into a star wing that could actually put the ball on the floor
or you transformed Saric into an advanced stretch four/big that didn't have TRex arms and could defend
or your transformed Redick into a movement shooter that wasn't a defensive liability

And then you tuned the recipe again and again until something finally clicked.

That's what the Bucks did with Ilyasova/Bledsoe/Brogdon into Portis/Holiday/Tucker and it's what the Celtics have been doing around Tatum and Brown; IT to Hayward and Kyrie to Kemba to White and Holiday -- Smart into Porzingis.

We let amateurs like Colangelo/Brown/Brand run rampant and we ended up anchoring Joel Embiid to the ultimate loser Tobias Harris with no further assets.

We're at the point now where going "all-in" might not even result in an ECF, and it's more than likely that we end up a Suns east type of team constantly compounding bad moves.

Paul George is a free asset and better than any name I'm seeing brought up here. You retain your capital and the valuable Clippers future picks, and you simply get to monitor what happens with Embiid and his health over coming years.

You get a wing that defends and shoots at a high level and with 5+ tradeable firsts in pocket to hold onto incase a real big fish becomes available.

Possibly a player that could be a running mate with Maxey for the next decade.

“Role-player utopia.” Great name for it. Same thing happens in the NFL when a team has an inadequate quarterback but there is still hope he can become adequate. People start talking about the offensive line and who is needed in the “surrounding cast.”

Just like the “role-player utopia” in Denver? This board would explode if Morey added players like Gordon(at the time), KCP, and mid/late 1st round picks like Porter Jr and Braun. Almost like there’s more than 1 way to do things.

Most people would rather build a Suns like team apparently.

[Ferry Avenue]

Everybody has 'roleplayer utopia' until you ask for names.

“Role-player utopia.” Great name for it. Same thing happens in the NFL when a team has an inadequate quarterback but there is still hope he can become adequate. People start talking about the offensive line and who is needed in the “surrounding cast.”

Just like the “role-player utopia” in Denver? This board would explode if Morey added players like Gordon(at the time), KCP, and mid/late 1st round picks like Porter Jr and Braun. Almost like there’s more than 1 way to do things.

Most people would rather build a Suns like team apparently.

The point is that role players become the lynchpin only when the players atop the team are adequate. With Jokic and Murray in tow for example you can focus on role players. With Embiid and Maxey on the other hand questions abound whether either player has what it takes to lead the team consistently in the playoffs. Role players in that scenario constitute a cart before the horse.

We've been doing "role players" and "supporting cast" and "build around this guy and that guy" for years now. It started with Simmons and Embiid. Then it moved along to Harden and Embiid. Now we're doing Embiid and Maxey. The strategy has failed for years because the NON-role players -- i.e. the stars the team is built around, with the common denominator being Embiid -- are inadequate.

There is literally no team in the NBA that is trying to win a championship spearheaded by a traditional center. Yet the Sixers are. Again it's like trying to win a Super Bowl by running the ball with a great running back. You're going to get your ass kicked in the playoffs every year by a team with a great QB. It's no surprise this team gets beaten in the playoffs every year by the likes of Jalen Brunson or Jayson Tatum or Trae Young or Jimmy Butler, etc.

[seventy6ers]

“Role-player utopia.” Great name for it. Same thing happens in the NFL when a team has an inadequate quarterback but there is still hope he can become adequate. People start talking about the offensive line and who is needed in the “surrounding cast.”

Just like the “role-player utopia” in Denver? This board would explode if Morey added players like Gordon(at the time), KCP, and mid/late 1st round picks like Porter Jr and Braun. Almost like there’s more than 1 way to do things.

Most people would rather build a Suns like team apparently.

The point is that role players become the lynchpin only when the players atop the team are adequate. With Jokic and Murray in tow for example you can focus on role players. With Embiid and Maxey on the other hand questions abound whether either player has what it takes to lead the team consistently in the playoffs. Role players in that scenario constitute a cart before the horse.

We've been doing "role players" and "supporting cast" and "build around this guy and that guy" for years now. It started with Simmons and Embiid. Then it moved along to Harden and Embiid. Now we're doing Embiid and Maxey. The strategy has failed for years because the NON-role players -- i.e. the stars the team is built around, with the common denominator being Embiid -- are inadequate.

1) Building around Embiid and Simmons was futile because Simmons was next to worthless on the offensive end. Yes he would get assists, but the lack of aggression to drive to the basket and leave Embiid consistently double-teamed would always lead to failure.
2) Having a maxed-out low-level role player in Tobias Harris (the Assassin) hurt the ability to get adequate role players, unless they were willing to take less.
3) Jokic and Murray are surrounded by good role players. It's hard to even name any decent role players over the Embiid years, excluding this past year.
4) This year should be much different with Embiid having a star in Maxey next to him, with the ability to pay legitimate role players. The problem is if there are any available outside of those who were on the Sixers last year. It really all falls on Morey this offseason!

[fkd215]

Seems like, if you have ~$60M to acquire ~10 players, you're going to have to choose between "role player utopia" and "vet minimum player utopia." I think going with the role players route gets you a better overall team than 1 max player and 7-8 vet minimums.

[Arsenal]

It's not like we're locked in if we sign PG or Siakam. If things don't work out we can trade them for pieces that cost less and shoot for "role player utopia" instead.

Optionality is important.

[Mik317]

Good FOs find a way to do both.

Its one of those things we can't really predict atm w/ the info we have. Guys get over and under paid all the time with the use of retrospec lol.

To me its less about specific guys but rather specific roles we desperately need. We need a shot creator with some size to allow Maxey to play off ball and to give Biid another PNR partner with. Lowry was fine because despite his size his girth (pause) allows him to defend bigger however his lack of offense at this stage meant teams could cheat off him. Filling this role makes it harder for teams to sell out to stop Maxey via traps and it allows multiple ways to get Biid the ball and also take the ball out of his hands more. The issue is that this role is highly sought after soooooo

Another skill set we need is a flamethrower shooter with no conscience. Ideally not a midget (again I think Maxey should be the smallest guy who gets minutes on the team next year). This gives Biid another DHO guy but just in general one less guy to cheat off of. If Morey isn't a hoe, I think there are plenty in this draft but I also don't think Nurse will play said guy soooooo

Another guy to target is an athletic 4. Someone who can actually rebound and semi protect the rim next to Biid would be great. Doubly so if he can double as a back up 5 in a pinch. Nurse never really tried BBall in this role probably due to his spazoid energy but I think its worth a look especially if they bring him back.

Finally I think we need a real 6th man microwave scorer type. That would solve those non Biid minutes a lot. IMO part of the reason things go to **** when he sits isn't just defensively. A lot of the time we don't get good shots and either turnovers or fastbreaks off of misses happen...get someone who can go on a heater off the pine and that helps that. Again I think this role is better for a younger unproven guy but yeah.

Other things like a back up 5 who can be a passing hub or a shooter or who can play next to Biid sometimes; as part of the reason our backup 5s have sucked is because the only guys willing to play maybe 10 minutes on a good night are washed or unproven. Another real PG..maybe bring back Lowry IN A BENCH ROLE for that. Athletic wings for the 14th year in a row.

But yeah that what you should target...now obviously can't fill all of those roles and you damn sure won't do it all in FA but you have to target that moreso than names. This is where great FOs find unproven gems like Denver did w/ Bruce Brown. Yes the fanbase will go "WUT THAT GUY STANKZ" the moment you get them ....I did the same with Oubre (I will say that was due in part to it seeming like Morey was going to bring Harden back and generally being pissy over that dragging out) but this is where they make the big bucks.

But beyond all of that, I don't want to have half the roster be old and slow again. So be it put all your eggs in the Paul George basket and fill out the team with scrubs or the role player utopia plan... I want them scrubs or role players to at least be able to jump over a sheet of paper lol.

[FireMorey]

Any interest in Donovan Mitchell?

Not the best fit with Maxey and might be the biggest ball hog in the NBA, but in a playoff setting he'd give you another go to scorer that the team has lacked and they could figure out the distribution stuff later. Would cost a lot in trade, but he's still young.

[Mik317]

I love to get Mitchell...think he'd asked to be traded to Miami or BK tho

[the_process]

If they don't get Paul George, a name to go after that has been mentioned occasionally is Cam Johnson.

If you can do a 3 way where Tobias gets 4-100 to go wherever, that team sends a 2nd to BKN and the Sixers send 16 to BKN,'that should be pursued.

You would still have all Bird rights at that point, or around 35M in cap space should there be some FAs you want to sign.

Brooklyn should do that because they want all the cap room next year because they think they're signing Mitchell.

[76ciology]

Any interest in Donovan Mitchell?

Not the best fit with Maxey and might be the biggest ball hog in the NBA, but in a playoff setting he'd give you another go to scorer that the team has lacked and they could figure out the distribution stuff later. Would cost a lot in trade, but he's still young.

Only interested if the plan is to trade Maxey.

But not interested if Maxey stays, which is very likely the case.

[Monix]

the 16th pick in a bad draft is not a game changer for a team trying to win unless they can trade it for an established player ready to contribute

this draft is pretty flat through the first 35 picks, no real outliers

I love it! The double standards...So this draft sucks BUT we can trade the pick for an established player ready to contribute?

There are plenty of NBA players that will have long career's in this draft. Nobody is expecting a superstar with the 16th pick. In fact, most of us are expecting Morey to trade the pick for a 35 year old veteran coming off of knee surgery. If we do keep the pick, I actually like our chances of that player being a contributor here. The draft isn't stacked with top flight talent, but there are about thirty available names in this draft that will have lengthy careers.

yes, I think this draft is garbage

it can also be true that there are NBA teams that may value a pick over a player that doesn't fit their timeline or vision moving forward