The Philadelphia 76ers are taking a slow and steady approach this offseason as the James Harden trade saga drags on. Their free agents have all been signed on minimum deals. They haven’t yet extended Tyrese Maxey. It's an understandable process but one that is not without complications.

In a recent interview on 97.5 The Fanatic, Daryl Morey stressed that fans should not judge the Sixers' roster until the season begins. It's tough to sell that vision when the team is so stuffed with bigs, especially when they can’t be traded until right before the season. Philly went into last season with an open roster spot in the name of flexibility. Their longer-term plan suggests they could do it again.

The Sixers have signed a point guard and added three new bigs in free agency so far, the positions that their best players already occupy. Tobias Harris and P.J. Tucker are set to be their starting forwards, a pairing that already presents issues that proved to be baneful in the playoffs. Behind them, it looks even bleaker.

The Sixers need wings more badly than a football fan on a Sunday afternoon. Their standard roster as it stands right now has just Harris, Tucker, Danuel House Jr. and Furkan Korkmaz as wing options. The latter two guys spent big chunks of last season outside the rotation. De’Anthony Melton could count here given his play style, but he will likely mostly play at one of the guard spots. Put simply, this cannot stand.

Unfortunately, the market for solid wings has dried up considerably. The Sixers have a taxpayer mid-level exception worth $5 million to pursue someone, but the options out there are not great. No free agent is perfect, but this late into July, the pickings are super slim for guys who have prototypical wing size and have skills that would make them potential contributors in the postseason environment.

Although Kelly Oubre Jr. certainly had a fine statistical output last season, the Sixers don’t need to bring someone who can get a bucket but lacks high-end supplementary skills like shooting and defense. Jaylen Nowell and Terence Davis are solid players but would both be undersized forwards. P.J. Washington could play at the forward spot, but the fit is imperfect given the rest of Philly’s roster (and he's a restricted free agent, anyway).

Philly needs to find itself a legitimate 3-and-D wing before training camp starts. One player who fits that description and would be a good under-the-radar pickup for the Sixers is Lindy Waters III.

Bargain-bin free agent worth targeting for Sixers: Lindy Waters III

In 66 games over the last two seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Waters averaged 6.3 points, 2.2 rebounds and 0.8 assists in 15.1 minutes per contest. The soon-to-be 26-year-old shot 308 of his 353 field goals from beyond the arc, cashing in at 36.0 percent. In 29 G League games during those two seasons, he shot 42.7 percent from deep.

The Sixers lost a lot of shooting prowess when Georges Niang signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Waters would help replenish that. Almost all he does is shoot — off of pin-downs, going to his left or right and even as his momentum takes him sideways. There are several off-ball actions and two-man sets with Joel Embiid to work with here.

The Sixers need quick-trigger shooters around their stars. Waters is just that, though his shooting percentages are less than sterling. The playmaking from Embiid and Harden (should he stay and be a good trooper) could help him. If Waters passed the 40-percent mark on shots from deep if signed and given extended minutes for the Sixers, that would be great. But, truthfully, whether he remains right above average or pushes his percentage further north, his shooting gravity would be great to have.

Equipped with a long wingspan and a good sense for timing on plays off the ball, Waters could make the Sixers' defense better. Would he help fix the shoddy perimeter defense that Philly showed often last season? Probably not. But he could patch up the holes that it creates, giving the Sixers someone who can generate live-ball turnovers that kickstart fast breaks.

While Waters is inexperienced at the NBA level, he did play a key role on a surprisingly competitive Thunder team last season. Plus, the fact that he only has a few years of experience should not matter all that much to the Sixers. As evidenced by their midseason addition of Jalen McDaniels, who had spent his career to that point on bad Charlotte Hornets teams, they are willing to add the right young player to their veteran-laden roster.

Waters would fit very well with the Sixers and should not command a contract that is more than $5 million. The Thunder were much better on both sides of the ball in the minutes he played. With his prime years still to come, Waters could be a sneaky great addition for the Sixers.