In this series we'll ask questions about the Sixers to our resident basketball analysts and see what they have to say.
Running the Give and Go this week are CSNPhilly.com columnist John Gonzalez and CSNPhilly.com producer/reporter John Finger.
Will the Sixers go after one of the NBA's top wing free agents (Jimmy Butler, Kawhi Leonard, Draymond Green)?
Gonzalez
All three are excellent players at one of the thinnest positions in the league. All three are restricted free agents. All three will command max contracts. None of them would likely want to play in Philadelphia. But that doesn’t mean the Sixers shouldn’t toss a max offer on the table, hand over a pen, and force Chicago/SA/GS to match or do better.
The Sixers will be well under the salary cap again to start next season. That is by design. They’re a long way from being a team that can win north of 35 games and contend for the playoffs, even in the Eastern Conference. But eventually they’ll start adding players through free agency.
Butler and Green are 25. Leonard is 23. They’re young. They’re exactly the kinds of players the Sixers should covet — even if that interest is ultimately unrequited.
Finger
At this point, the Sixers don’t seem ready to make a splash on the free-agent market. The team is still acquiring assets and putting together its pieces. Moreover, what free agent would want to join the Sixers and waste a season?