2022 NBA free agency is approaching quickly. For the Philadelphia 76ers, it's time to put up or shut up. The Sixers are in need of more support around Joel Embiid and have to pull out all the stops they can to put a worthy team around him.
While going for someone like Zach LaVine is certainly worthwhile, the most realistic scenario is that they have to settle on finding role players to surround Embiid, James Harden and Tyrese Maxey with. There will be plenty out there, but Philly doesn't have endless pockets of cash to throw at anyone they want.
The amount of money the Sixers have at their disposal is still not settled. At the moment, with Harden likely to accept his player option, they only have $6.4 million to use because they are over the cap and are paying the luxury tax. If they can shed enough salary to get below that threshold, they will have $10.3 million to use:
If Harden opts into his deal, the Sixers will have 2 options:
1) Stay at the $6.4 million taxpayer MLE and narrow their free-agent search.
2) Get to the $10.3 million non-taxpayer MLE by orchestrating a trade involving Korkmaz, Niang, or Thybulle & take nothing back.
— Austin Krell (@NBAKrell) June 15, 2022
All the best options will be priced out of the Sixers' range, but $10 million can still bring in a very solid player. Whether or not Philadelphia finds a way to open up more room for the MLE, they have plenty of options in free agency.
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3 players Sixers must sign in 2022 NBA free agency
3. Patty Mills
Mills has a player option that he has yet to exercise with the Brooklyn Nets. Should the concerns around the team become too much to handle, Mills could hit the open market. He will likely receive interest from many teams, and the Sixers should be one of them.
In 81 games last season, the 33-year-old Mills averaged 11.4 points, 2.3 assists and 1.9 rebounds. He shot an even 40.0 percent from deep on 7.0 attempts per game. His shiftiness and deep-range shooting make him a great option off the bench:
Patty Mills making it look easy on Christmas Day 🔥 pic.twitter.com/RP2dJHYWXc
— ESPN (@espn) December 26, 2021
Although Mills is old and not super big, he can hold his own on the defensive end. His weaknesses there are not too worrisome, anyway, given what the Sixers need out of him. They need someone who can keep the offense going while the starters sit.
Luring Payton away from the Golden State Warriors will be extremely tough to pull off. Since the reigning champions have a number of free agents to re-sign, the Sixers could throw a sizable bag at Payton to come pair up with Embiid and Harden.
Payton emerged as a key defender for the Warriors this past season. He assumed a role similar to a big man on offense, finding room to cut and finishing at the rim or hitting stand-still triples. He averaged 7.1 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.4 steals in just 17.6 minutes per game last season.
Payton's game may be a bit redundant next to Matisse Thybulle, another solid defender who doesn't create much offense. However, Payton is a stronger defender at the point of attack and proved to be playable later in the postseason than Thybulle did. Having both of them to use would be very helpful, if Thybulle actually sticks around and is not traded.
1. P.J. Tucker
The Sixers are one of many title-chasers to have an interest in Tucker. Although he was just a key part of the Miami Heat, who sunk the Sixers in the postseason, Philly should look to bring him aboard. Based on recent reporting, they might just be the favorite to acquire his services. The front office reportedly wants to offer him a three-year, $30 million MLE deal, so some other moves could be in the works to make that happen.
Tucker would team up with Harden again and give the Sixers a much-needed edge. His shooting from the corner would be a very nice addition to the offense as a replacement for Danny Green. He averaged 7.6 points and 5.5 rebounds while shooting 41.5 percent from deep last season.
Tucker has the very simple roles of shooting triples and bringing the energy on defense. He does so very well, even as he approaches 40 years of age. The Sixers may not get much use out of him down the line, but they could certainly use a playoff-hardened 3-and-D guy.
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