After a productive first week of free agency, the Philadelphia 76ers still have some work to do, especially with all the drama surrounding Ben Simmons and their next plan of action to move the young point guard. Despite Simmons wanting out of Philly and the Sixers currently unable to move him, they have still made some quality additions to their roster.
Bringing back veteran 3-and-D extraordinaire Danny Green and adding All-Star center Andre Drummond were solid moves by the 76ers front office. Green gives them stellar perimeter defense and a clutch scorer while Drummond presents a potential upgrade from Dwight Howard as Joel Embiid's back-up.
The Sixers did end up parting ways with George Hill, who could not establish any rhythm with the team during their playoff run this past season. Now that Hill is no longer in the fold for Philly and they're planning to move on from Simmons this offseason, finding a defensive-minded floor general is of utter importance to a Sixers squad that's looking to make a trip to the NBA Finals in 2022. With all this said, let's look at the biggest need the Sixers must address after the first week of 2021 NBA Free Agency.
A defense-first point guard
Now that the Sixers apparently have a void to fill at the point guard position, the first name that comes to mind is free agent defensive specialist and combo guard Avery Bradley. His lockdown perimeter defense and ability to play point or shooting guard would give Philly the perfect addition to their backcourt and another scorer and playmaker outside of Seth Curry and Furkan Korkmaz.
His high IQ play and toughness would be a great fit for Joel Embiid, Matisse Thybulle, and Danny Green. Plus, with him also being able to fill in as another 3-and-D guy on the Sixers, he and Curry could play off each other in the backcourt and open up more scoring opportunities for Embiid, Thybulle, and Green. If the Sixers want to power through and make their first finals appearance since 2001, then this is a move that Daryl Morey should strongly consider making this summer.
Another player who could be a nice fit in Philly would be Josh Hart, a tenacious defender and reliable scorer and playmaker. Hart has the ability to create his own shot and seamlessly create opportunities for his teammates as well. The addition of Hart would also give the Sixers a young guard to invest in long-term as he is still tapping into his potential and continuing to expand his game each season.
If the Sixers wanted to be bold, they could also pursue Dennis Schroder. The only catch to that is he'd be very costly, and they may not feel very confident breaking open the piggy bank after the way he performed with the Lakers last season. If the 76ers continually want to improve under Doc Rivers' direction, then adding a team-oriented defensive stud and playmaker like Avery Bradley or Josh Hart would make way more sense for Philly to pursue during the 2021 NBA offseason.
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