With free agency approaching, Rich Hofmann of The Athletic floated five possible free-agent targets for the Philadelphia 76ers, including former Sixers sharpshooter Seth Curry.
Hofmann brought up Curry as a possible option should the Sixers be able to get him at a discount.
“If he’s gettable at a cheaper price, Seth Curry is someone who the Sixers also could look to bring back as a bench option. We know he’s capable of running pick-and-rolls with Embiid,” Hofmann said.
Hofmann then named Miami Heat guards Max Strus and Gabe Vincent as other possible options.
“Miami’s backcourt of Max Strus and Gabe Vincent could be worth a look. For one thing, it would be funny if the Sixers used the full midlevel exception for the second straight year on a Heat player. Strus would be the higher priority target for my taste due to his ability to shoot off screens and guard. He might command more money than $12.2 million per year, but with Miami having a lot of money already committed for next season, it might not hurt to offer it.”
Other players Hofmann brought up were Donte DiVincenzo of the Golden State Warriors and Bruce Brown of the Denver Nuggets.
“If the Sixers decide to go the “bigger body” route, Donte DiVincenzo and Bruce Brown are players I would have some interest in as well. Perhaps neither player would command the full midlevel exception, but if the Sixers do move on from Harden, I like having two rugged defenders (De’Anthony Melton is the other one) in a three-guard rotation with Maxey.”
Sixers Plan to Keep Joel Embiid
Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that the Sixers plan to keep Joel Embiid this summer.
“There’s no plan to trade Embiid at any point,” Pompey wrote. “So, yes, he is very much untouchable. There are some who believe the Sixers should consider trading the league MVP because of his injury history and inability to get out of the second round. But it’s not that simple. Embiid is the face of the Sixers and the main reason why they’ve won 154 games over the past three seasons.”
Pompey then explained why the Sixers don’t think trading is the best option for Embiid.
“They won’t come close to getting equal value for the future Hall of Famer in a trade. Sure, they’ll get several nice pieces and multiple first-round picks. But any trade for Embiid basically would jumpstart The Process Part 2. And if we learned anything from The Process, nothing is guaranteed.”
Insider Suspects James Harden is Using Rockets as Leverage
NBA Insider Brian Windhorst relayed his belief on “The Hoops Collective,” that Harden may be using the Houston Rockets as leverage to get a better offer from the Sixers.
“I still suspect that all of that is one giant leverage play, that what James Harden really wants is to elicit the biggest offer out of the Sixers, even if it isn’t a max. Whatever the number of money is, for as long as many years as he can get, and that this slow dance for months, and these rumors are all sort of tied to that.”
Windhorst explained why both Harden and Kyrie Irving are trying to use other teams to get better offers from their respective teams.
“Just doing all of this, and whatever he may do between now and free agency to try to get the juiciest offer he can from the team that he’s on because those are the teams (the Sixers and Mavericks) that face the most damage from losing those guys.”
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Ex-Sixer Seth Curry, 4 Others Floated as Possible Free Agent Targets