The Philadelphia 76ers have had a busy free agency period, having already agreed to terms with Paul George, Kelly Oubre, Andre Drummond, and Eric Gordon – as well as extending star Tyrese Maxey.
But the 76ers are still hunting for deals and have interest in prying Dorian Finney-Smith away from the Brooklyn Nets, per Michael Scotto of HoopsHype:
“Philadelphia is scouring the free agent market and potential trade options to land another forward, with Paul Reed expected to be waived or used in a trade, league sources told HoopsHype.
The 76ers have exploratory interest in trading for Nets forward Dorian Finney-Smith, league sources told HoopsHype, but nothing is considered imminent there.”
Finney-Smith theoretically slides in nicely as a 3-and-D option for the 76ers. He would give them the size and physicality they need at the four next to Embiid. At 6-foot-7 with a 6-foot-11 wingspan, he's a versatile defender who always fights to stick with the play and can disrupt shots.
One major question with Finney-Smith is whether his shooting from deep will come back around. He was a 40-percent 3-point shooter next to Luka Doncic but wasn’t nearly as efficient with the creator-starved Nets. With Embiid Maxey, and Paul George commanding so much attention, the 76ers seem like a situation that could help Finney-Smith get his percentages back up. He shoots from all over the arc and has also been a solid offensive rebounder in the past.
76ers are Eastern Conference contenders with Paul George
After months rumors and speculation, Paul George signed with the Philadelphia 76ers.
Will the pairing of George, Joel Embiid, and Tyrese Maxey ultimately work? Only time will tell, but considering just how much talent is on the roster right now and how much optionality Morey still has to prove the product, it's safe to say, this has the potential to be an incredibly successful season in Philadelphia.
There are some questions about what George's optimal role is in 2024 and how he could “age well” over the course of his four-year contract.
After initially beginning his career as a true first option – leading an Indiana Pacers team to punch well above their weight class against LeBron James and company – Paul has never been more than a 1B since taking his talents to Oklahoma City, splitting time on-ball and off, depending on who his teammates were at the time.
In Los Angeles, George was very active on-ball, routinely hitting usage ratings above 30 and ranking either first or second on the team in terms of points scored. When Kawhi Leonard was out, George would pick up the slack, and when PG-13 needed help, he could routinely turn to Leonard for a bucket or two. While that strategy didn't lead to a championship, it did keep the team competitive – even if they were seemingly always searching for an upgrade at point guard.
In Philadelphia, George doesn't need to be the first option, a 1b, or even a two in order to have a fantastic, All-Star-caliber season. All he needs to do is average a little over 20 points per game on good efficiency numbers, and success will naturally follow.
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