By Sean Kennedy (@PhillyFastBreak)
With the lottery victory and selection of Ben Simmons first overall, the improving health of Joel Embiid, and a new pair of international first-round picks added to the fold, the last month or so has made for some of the more exciting times within the Sixers organization over the last decade. Wednesday, the good vibes continued rolling on with the latest confirmation that 2014 lottery pick Dario Saric will be crossing the pond and playing for the Sixers this upcoming season.
BOOM!
Dario Saric says he's going to the NBA! Once Olympic qualifiers end, heading to USA. https://t.co/rwiFDWCt7Z pic.twitter.com/b7y9gpCArp
— CroSports (@CroSports_) June 29, 2016
The best part of that Croatian article (translated to English here) was the following quote from Dario: “For me, what you promise is the most important. If you’re a man of your word, it doesn’t matter what is written on a piece of paper.” You have to respect Saric going full Tony Montana – he doesn’t break his word for no one, you understand.
In case the Croatian media wasn’t enough to convince you, we did receive further confirmation from sources stateside later in the day.
Dario Saric told reporters in Europe he's headed to the Sixers; one source says his reps and Philly are working to make it happen this month
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) June 29, 2016
Brett Brown told me today that Dario Saric has given him his word, that he's gonna play for him this year! #Sixers pic.twitter.com/oTMSMZUY6o
— Jamie Apody (@JamieApody) June 29, 2016
Saric has been saying ever since he was drafted that this would be the year he comes over. Yet, every time a new report comes out backing his statement up, the city of Philadelphia celebrates as if it’s earth-shattering news. It’s like the fan base has been kicked when they’re down so often, the natural defense mechanism is to ignore any future good news, lest it not happen and lead to heartbreak.
Finally though, things seem about as official as they can be until Saric actually signs on the dotted line. Enjoy it Philadelphia, these are heady times to be a Sixers fan.
In other news, Bryan Colangelo has clearly defined outside shooting from the wing position as a need for this team, and is rumored to be interested in every free agent that meets that criteria. I already discussed Harrison Barnes and Dion Waiters, and two more names have popped up since then.
The 76ers, Nets and Kings are among the teams interested in Portland restricted free agent Allen Crabbe, sources say.
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) June 29, 2016
Crabbe was taken with the first pick of the second round in the 2013 draft, and after minimal playing time his first two seasons in Portland, the 24-year-old had a breakout campaign as a 6th-man type last year. In 26 minutes per game, he averaged 10.3 points per game on 45.9% shooting, including 39.3% from three on 3.5 attempts per night. He hasn’t been a consistent contributor on the defensive end, but at 6’6″ with a 6’11” wingspan, he has all the tools to grow into that young, 3&D defender every team is looking for these days.
The contract situation is where things become tricky, as like many of the more interesting names on the market, Crabbe is a restricted free agent. While Crabbe isn’t going to command near the amount of a more proven commodity like Harrison Barnes, in this summer of massive cap space, he’s still going to get a deal somewhere in the teens.
Like the majority of NBA teams, the Blazers have plenty of space to match any reasonable deal for Crabbe. To make it unpalatable to match, another team might have to offer more than $17-18M per year. Is that worth it for a player who has 17 career starts? It’s a tough, risky decision to make.
The #sixers are interested in UFA SG Courtney Lee, per source.
— Michael K-B (@therealmikekb) June 29, 2016
I like Courtney Lee’s game a lot. Offensively, he doesn’t do much in terms of shot creation, but the veteran shooting guard makes good decisions, and has always been an effective outside shooter, (38.4% from three for his career, 37.8% last season between Memphis and Charlotte). Defensively, Lee has the reputation as hard-nosed, willing perimeter defender, with career defensive win shares above his offensive numbers.
Still, it’s hard to see why a guy who will be 31 by the start of the 2016-17 regular season would choose to come to Philadelphia at this stage of the rebuild, after he’s been in the playoffs each of the last 4 seasons. The only way I could see it happening is if the Sixers offer him substantially more money than anyone else. If Lee wants to do a 1 or 2-year deal where he’s being overpaid, fine. But any sort of long-term deal where Philadelphia would have to seriously outprice the market to acquire him, I would pass.
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