It’s going to be a busy offseason for the Philadelphia 76ers as they work to address a myriad of needs after fizzling out in the playoffs once again.
The Sixers have a good core to build around in James Harden and Joel Embiid, and even if Harden isn’t able to recapture his form from his Houston Rockets days, he’s still a valuable playmaker.
Outside of the star duo, the Sixers also have Tobias Harris and Tyrese Maxey to rely on, so the starting lineup does look quite solid. Where things start to fall apart is the bench. It was clear that the Sixers don’t have a championship-level bench, and they’ll need to address that in the offseason.
Spotrac’s Keith Smith laid out what an offseason could look like for the Sixers, and he says Wesley Matthews could end up being a good option for the team to target.
Matthew’s a Good Fit?
GettyWesley Matthews is still searching for a championship.
A player who can hit threes and play solid defense has a fit on any NBA team in the league.
At this stage in his career, Matthews is closer to retirement than he is to the beginning of his NBA run, but he can still hit timely buckets on a championship contender. Given his recent years on the Bucks and Lakers, it seems like he’s searching for a title and he might be able to help out in Philly. The Sixers could certainly use more wing depth, so Smith laid out Matthews as an option, but he’s not the only target.
“They can also be aggressive in targeting 3&D wings as well,” he wrote. “Wesley Matthews could be a target and a good replacement for Green. Other veteran options that make sense to go after include Danuel House Jr. (assuming there are no residual bad feelings with Harden from their time in Houston), Derrick Jones Jr. or Kent Bazemore.”
Matthews’ days of commanding big $70 million deals are behind him, so the Sixers could snag him for cheap, likely the minimum. With the team needing to fill the void left behind by Danny Green, this seems like a logical solution.
Green played a big role for the team in the playoffs after Matisse Thybulle was ruled ineligible to play road games against the Toronto Raptors in the first round. However, there are now big question marks around him and the team will need to fill the void left by him.
What’s Next For Green?
GettyDanny Green may have played his final game in a Philadelphia 76ers uniform.
Danny Green was injured in the playoffs after Joel Embiid rolled into his leg and caused both an LCL and ACL tear. The veteran wing estimated a return by the All-Star Break.
“I’ll make sure that I get back on the court, and it’s not gonna take me a year,” said Green on his podcast. “I will be back before All-Star break. You gotta believe it. You heard it here first.”
Because of that injury, he’s a candidate to be released, but he can always be brought back when he’s healthy.
There will be other areas that need to be addressed for the team, perhaps most notably the backup center position. DeAndre Jordan doesn’t look like a long-term answer by any means, so the team will either go with Paul Reed or they’ll find somebody else.
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