** Official 2024 Make or Break Offseason Thread **

[sixers4real]

Just a reminder that Jimmy Butler was the best player in the
- Eastern conference playoffs 2023
- in the play-in against Sixers until he was injured in 2024

[brannigan73]

Morey did say the right thing about using cap space this offseason just now. Said we won’t waste our cap space on a long term deal just to make one and instead would make smarter short term deals and maintain flexibility for the next good opportunity. Said would only go all in if it would make us best in the East.

Id like to ask Embiid what he thinks about not going all in again. I'd be amazed if this roster isn't radically different. If we don't know by now Morey lies or at the very least talks out of both sides of his mouth with only one side telling the truth.

[sixers hoops]

I feel like Morey forgot Reed's contract was UNG now.

I assume they prepped him to include Paul until he is no longer under contract. Maybe they have plans to use him in some type of trade strategy.

Honestly, 95% of us said they wouldn’t match the Paul contract, and I thought Harden was getting gifted a 4 year max, so it’s tough to speculate what a front office really has planned.

[Lou_23]

I feel like Morey forgot Reed's contract was UNG now.

His contract can be necessary to make trades, maybe with the pick 16

[brannigan73]

Just a reminder that Jimmy Butler was the best player in the
- Eastern conference playoffs 2023
- in the play-in against Sixers until he was injured in 2024

I'm in for Butler just have to get him to the playoffs healthy. It's weird he is injury prone he is one of the fittest guys in the league his workout regimen is legendary.

[sixers hoops]

Morey did say the right thing about using cap space this offseason just now. Said we won’t waste our cap space on a long term deal just to make one and instead would make smarter short term deals and maintain flexibility for the next good opportunity. Said would only go all in if it would make us best in the East.

Yep. He won’t be “punting” on the season. Just signing shorter deals. I like that he isn’t publicly committing to aggressively signing a big name. Just be smart.

[Arsenal]

Windhorst said it's unlikely the Clippers will re-sign Paul George and he appears likely to enter free agency. And the Clippers don't want to pay him a max.

If they’re really out on him that’s big. Maybe we get him for $45m instead of $50m in year one, which means we can add another $5-6m piece via cap space.

Something like 4 yrs $190m so $45m / yr would be good. First year could be as low as $42m, leaving $22m of cap to sign 3-4 other guys not including one more from the RE.

What is his market? He prob only has two good years left. Maybe Orlando or somebody offers him a big contract, but I wonder if he even gets that. Seems like LAC and Miami are trying to take a step back from offering 35 year olds’ contracts into their late 30s. I think for two years, PG can fetch $50 million per; however, if you’re giving him four years, the average value should drop down to the mid 30s. I just wonder if anybody really wants to make that kind of commitment to a 34 year old who seems to have already lost a step.

Would I be shocked if he got 4 years, $200? No, but after seeing Harden’s cold market last year, I wonder if we overestimated PG’s value on the market.

Something like 4 / $160m at a flat $40m per year would be good for us. The last year will be bad but the deal can be used as a big expiring in trade at that point. Meanwhile getting PG at $40m this year leaves room to sign 3 other guys with the cap room, plus one more with the RE. Can get decent depth to start, then continue bolstering with in-season trades to fill out the remaining holes.

This would probably be the best outcome. I just don't know if when push comes to shove, Clips will cave and match the deal.

[davesilver]

If they’re really out on him that’s big. Maybe we get him for $45m instead of $50m in year one, which means we can add another $5-6m piece via cap space.

Something like 4 yrs $190m so $45m / yr would be good. First year could be as low as $42m, leaving $22m of cap to sign 3-4 other guys not including one more from the RE.

What is his market? He prob only has two good years left. Maybe Orlando or somebody offers him a big contract, but I wonder if he even gets that. Seems like LAC and Miami are trying to take a step back from offering 35 year olds’ contracts into their late 30s. I think for two years, PG can fetch $50 million per; however, if you’re giving him four years, the average value should drop down to the mid 30s. I just wonder if anybody really wants to make that kind of commitment to a 34 year old who seems to have already lost a step.

Would I be shocked if he got 4 years, $200? No, but after seeing Harden’s cold market last year, I wonder if we overestimated PG’s value on the market.

Something like 4 / $160m at a flat $40m per year would be good for us. The last year will be bad but the deal can be used as a big expiring in trade at that point. Meanwhile getting PG at $40m this year leaves room to sign 3 other guys with the cap room, plus one more with the RE. Can get decent depth to start, then continue bolstering with in-season trades to fill out the remaining holes.

This would probably be the best outcome. I just don't know if when push comes to shove, Clips will cave and match the deal.

Best part of the Clips caving is it makes that 2028 FRP look that much sweeter.

[SixthStreet]

One thing is clear to me seeing the feuding between Riley and Butler. It not going to take even 1 FRP to trade for him.

Another thing, if we are going for old star players, I think Morey and Harden making up wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. If Harden could be the actual 3rd best player on the team with Maxey elevating and we still have the trade assets that might be my preferred route.

Trade everything for Markkenen and sign Harden.

[Arsenal]

Keep in mind with the projected new media rights deal being up to 3x the current size, the cap and tax should rise significantly. Even with cap smoothing it should probably go up by at least 10% per year.

So in 2024-25 the tax line is $172m, then the following few years it could be $190m, $210m, $235m, $260m, etc.

If that happens it's not the end of the world to be locked into Paul George, even at the MAX of $50m per year.

[sixers hoops]

One thing is clear to me seeing the feuding between Riley and Butler. It not going to take even 1 FRP to trade for him.

Another thing, if we are going for old star players, I think Morey and Harden making up wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. If Harden could be the actual 3rd best player on the team with Maxey elevating and we still have the trade assets that might be my preferred route.

Trade everything for Markkenen and sign Harden.

Harden stinks. He dominates the ball and kills the offense in the playoffs. He will have two good games in a series, then kill your team the rest of the games. When his shot isn’t falling, I think he kills the entire offense to the point that the team starts to fall apart. I don’t want him at any price.

[FireMorey]

I still think Paul George will stick with the Clips. I can't see him wanting to come to Philly. He's from the LA area. Would he really go across the other side of the country to a whole new area for like 10m per year extra? I guess CA taxes factor in too. But still, he's made a ton of money. And would the Clips really let him go? They have no alternative, they gotta kinda try to win with those 3 guys or bust.

I have a feeling right now it's posturing and ultimately he'll re-sign. Probably for less than the max. Which would make Butler or Ingram the most likely scenarios IMO.

[ProcessDoctor]

Gut tells me we’re gonna end up with Butler. The two big question marks for me will be how much we give up for him and how we fill out the roster around the new core.

[Ferry Avenue]

Gut tells me we’re gonna end up with Butler. The two big question marks for me will be how much we give up for him and how we fill out the roster around the new core.

Maxey
Hield
Butler
Batum
Embiid

The 4 has to be Batum or someone like him, and the 2 has to be Hield or someone like him. There is only one ball. The players other than Embiid, Maxey, and Butler have to have defined roles that don't involve scoring ~20 points. That was the mistake with Harris. If Harris isn't scoring ~20 points, he has no defined role, and he's not scoring ~20 points with Maxey's emergence.

The team can't be on the floor feeling like it has to jam a square peg in a round hole consisting of feeding the ball to a player like Harris to justify his existence (and salary...) while better scorers stand around and watch. The player in Harris's position is a ball and chain under those conditions, whereas the presence of a player like Batum is invigorating by contrast. Likewise Hield is a guy you fire the ball to for catch and shoot when you're double-teamed, in his well-defined role -- he places no negative scoring demand on the team either.

[NYSixersFan]

I'm not sure how anyone can have a positive spin from that presser....unless you want George or Butler on max contracts.

He basically said if we don't get one of these guys, I'm going to sign a bunch of guys to one year deals and then use draft picks and those contracts to make trades during the season. That is VERY risky.

[the_process]

Just a reminder that Jimmy Butler was the best player in the
- Eastern conference playoffs 2023
- in the play-in against Sixers until he was injured in 2024

I'm fine with trading for Jimmy, I'm even fine with max extending him, assuming the acquiring price is right.

[youngcrev]

I'll be extremely excited if they manage to get Jimmy back here. I don't think it's that tough to build a roster those 3. Probably just look to keep Melton, Oubre and Batum, honestly. Lowry stays on a minimum. Find the best backup 5 you can get to come for a minimum. And that's your playoff 8.

[PhillyNj]

One thing is clear to me seeing the feuding between Riley and Butler. It not going to take even 1 FRP to trade for him.

Another thing, if we are going for old star players, I think Morey and Harden making up wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. If Harden could be the actual 3rd best player on the team with Maxey elevating and we still have the trade assets that might be my preferred route.

Trade everything for Markkenen and sign Harden.

Sign Harden? You must be kidding! That bridge is burnt down.

[Iverson Armband]

I'll be extremely excited if they manage to get Jimmy back here. I don't think it's that tough to build a roster those 3. Probably just look to keep Melton, Oubre and Batum, honestly. Lowry stays on a minimum. Find the best backup 5 you can get to come for a minimum. And that's your playoff 8.

So you’re looking at:

Maxey/Lowry
Melton/Hield?
Butler/Oubre
Batum/Reed?
Embiid/Drummond

Not bad.

[ExplosionsInDaSky]

I'll be extremely excited if they manage to get Jimmy back here. I don't think it's that tough to build a roster those 3. Probably just look to keep Melton, Oubre and Batum, honestly. Lowry stays on a minimum. Find the best backup 5 you can get to come for a minimum. And that's your playoff 8.

What about Hield? He's a great fit as a shooter in any lineup with Joel, Butler, and Maxey. If we go into next season with this;
Maxey/Lowry/Dowtin/Smith???
Hield/Melton
Butler/Oubre/Council
Derrick Jones Jr/Batum or we sign Jalen Smith???
Embiid/Reed/Drummond???

Throw our first round draft pick in the mix as well...I'm going to feel pretty good about things personally.