After another season which hasn’t met their expectations, Daryl Morey was asked what changes will come to the Sixers‘ roster during the summer and which players will continue to represent the team in the following campaign.
The team president of basketball operations talked about their inclinations to go after role players instead of adding another maximum-salary star in free agency. “We’re definitely looking at fit,” he first responded.
“I think one of the things we’re excited about is Tyrese [Maxey]. … So we definitely look at fit. We’re not really focused, necessarily, on the exact bucket, whether it’s max, role player, or whatever,” Daryl explained. “We’re focused on getting the best players within the CBA constraints, which is basically you only get so many; you only have so much money.”
The Sixers need role players, too. Who might Daryl Morey chase in free agency?@PompeyOnSixers examines ⬇️https://t.co/JFfG1VCfHW
— The Philadelphia Inquirer (@PhillyInquirer) June 2, 2024
If we take those constraints into consideration, it would mean that Kelly Oubre Jr., Kyle Lowry, and Nico Batum are the free agents which are most likely to pursue a re-sign. They would be ideal, considering that they might not command a lot of money and they also played well alongside Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid.
“You’re coming back to the Sixers,” the All-Star big man told Nico while interrupting his media interview following last month’s season-ending Game 6 first-round loss to the Knicks.
The Philadelphia organization probably has around $65 million available in free agency, plus a first-round pick at No. 16 and a second-rounder at No. 41 in the upcoming NBA draft.
“I just want to be loved for me,” Oubre said of what he wants this summer. “I don’t know about the business side of it. I mean, I do, but I can’t tell you what I know because I represent myself right now. At the end of the day, I wanna go somewhere where they respect and they love me. It’s been nothing but love here, of course.”
Morey revealed that he loves the challenge of ‘finding the guys that are overlooked’ like Oubre Jr. and Lowry
After their first campaign in Philly, there’s no doubt that both Lowry and Oubre Jr. were bargains. According to the team’s president of basketball operations, he loves to find the type of players that team has to retain or acquire to build around those three maximum salary stars.
“In those situations, I like having the challenge,” Morey shared. “To me, finding the guys that are overlooked. The Kelly Oubres of the world. Getting a Kyle Lowry. Guys like that. I like that challenge. I think that’s something that the front office is very good at. So I think, yeah, compared to — basically you’re like ‘Have less good players, but more role players.’”
Even though Kyle, who is 38-years-old now, hasn’t mentioned any potential destinations this offseason, he has only recognized that he does plan to compete in his 19th NBA campaign starting in October.
“I think, generally, the history of the NBA would favor — even with the new CBA — get the studs who you can, then put the work and the onus on the front office to find the players that fit around it,” Daryl explained.
