The Philadelphia 76ers are having one of their most exciting NBA Free Agency period in franchise history. The 76ers landed former Los Angeles Clippers forward Paul George in early July, but they are not done bolstering their team. Philadelphia made a move to bring back coveted veteran point guard and ex-Miami Heat member Kyle Lowry.
Lowry and the Sixers have agreed on a one-year deal that returns him to Philly, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reports.
The 76ers originally acquired Lowry after the Miami Heat traded him to the Charlotte Hornets during the 2023-24 season. Charlotte bought him out, and Philadelphia added him to their roster. Through 23 games with the Sixers, the 38-year-old averaged 8.0 points, 4.6 assists, and 0.9 steals in 28.4 minutes. Before that, he played a pivotal role in helping the Heat to remain a playoff contender in the Eastern Conference.
Kyle Lowry has championship experience and skill that should help push the Sixers closer to the top of the NBA in 2024-25. He won a title with Kawhi Leonard in 2019 when the Toronto Raptors edged the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals.
It will be interesting to what Kyle Lowry's role will be on the team amid Paul George's arrival. Lowry could start at point guard with Tyrese Maxey at shooting guard and George at small forward. Or, Lowry could simply come off the bench as a sparkplug.
Regardless, the 76ers have plenty of talent and experience to overcome their previous postseason showings. The Sixers finished the 2023-24 season with a 47-35 record, which earned them the seventh seed in the playoffs. Unfortunately, the New York Knicks beat Philly in six games. Yet, they will return with a hunger for better showing.
76ers look forward to new squad after NBA Free Agency
The Sixers' attack primarily revolves around former MVP Joel Embiid. Embiid played just 39 games during the 2023-24 season. Yet, when he was on the court, he was dominant. The 30-year-old center averaged 34.7 points, 11.0 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 1.7 blocks, and 1.2 steals per contest.
Embiid's newfound pairing with Paul George should help the already-stout 76ers achieve more success. Embiid spoke on George's fit shortly after the forward's NBA Free Agency decision.
“The fit, it looks amazing… you need to have willing shooters and guys that are not afraid to pull the trigger. PG, great shooter,” Embiid shared, via ESPN.
Furthermore, Embiid believes George's arrival will him stay healthy.
“It makes me excited, because I think that actually might keep me healthy,” Embiid continued. “I don't have to exert myself and make sure I have to have 30, 40 every single night for us to win, and I can let them do their thing…There will be some nights where they got it going and that's OK … but if I have 10 or 15 [points], yeah that's fine. But there's going to be some nights like that, and then there's also going to be some nights where I got it going. So it all evens out at the end of the day. But I think the goal is just to allow those guys to just be themselves so I don't have to … in the playoffs, that's another story. Now we can get going. But in a regular season, just allow them to feel good about themselves and just play well.”
Can the 2024-25 Sixers overcome the rest of the stout competition in the league?
Follow Us
Subscribe