The Philadelphia 76ers were on the verge of their first Eastern Conference Finals appearance with a squad led by 2023 MVP Joel Embiid. They were one game away before faltering to the second-seeded Boston Celtics in Games 6 and 7 of the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals. Now, the focus heads to the offseason where signing James Harden to a long term deal is the utmost priority for Daryl Morey and the rest of the Sixers front office.

Newly-hired head coach Nick Nurse will implement a fairly new system to the previous reign of Doc Rivers. In the introductory press conference of Nurse, the mood was serious, and it felt like all business for the 76ers heading into the 2023-24 season. After securing Harden, they will need to add supplementary pieces that will complement the trio of Embiid, Harden, and Tyrese Maxey. Next season will be the final year of Maxey in a rookie contract, so Philadelphia must prepare for that as well.

Even with the pressure to win right away, the Sixers brass must not be reckless and sign anyone that is available in the market. There are still a couple of individuals that they must avoid.

Christian Wood

The big man rotation after Joel Embiid has been a question mark for the 76ers. Paul Reed or Montrezl Harrell were alternating throughout the season, and there were some instances of P.J. Tucker playing the backup 5 position as well. The offensive options and plays dwindled with Embiid on the bench because the interior options were limited.

Adding someone like Christian Wood can give a spark off the bench for 12-15 minutes a night. The problem with acquiring Wood is he will have a difficult time playing at the 4 with Embiid on the court, so the majority of his minutes will be in a second-unit role. He does not have the speed and athleticism to guard the combo forwards, so Nurse will be forced to utilize either Tucker or Tobias Harris in that position.

The bag that Wood will hope to receive is more than $10 million per year, so it would not be worth it for Philadelphia even if he is immensely talented for a sixth man. The Sixers must opt for an upgrade in the role of Jalen McDaniels and Georges Niang.

Talen Horton-Tucker

The Utah Jazz may still have Talen Horton-Tucker for next season if he decides to opt into his player option. He had a slow start to the season, but he had several magnificent games when the Jazz were out of the playoff picture. His agent may decide to opt out of his contract and negotiate for a multi-year deal instead. Philly one team that would want a player who will break down the defense through his terrific ball handling and shot creation skills.

However, the role and fit of Horton-Tucker with the Sixers are not ideal with the current rotation they have. He has not proven to thrive in a role wherein he does not initiate the offense for his squad, so it will be insurmountable in Philadelphia because they have Harden and Maxey as the lead guards. Furthermore, Horton-Tucker still needs to improve on his catch-and-shoot opportunities for him to expand his repertoire at the NBA stage.

The height, skills, and versatility are stellar for THT, but he fits better in a team like the Jazz or even the Washington Wizards, wherein they need players who can initiate the offense and create shots for their teammates.