By Sean Kennedy (@PhillyFastBreak)
Happy 4th of July! It’s only fitting the day when we here in America celebrate the start of a new era in our country’s history also signifies the start of a new era in Philadelphia basketball. First-round picks Ben Simmons and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot both signed their contracts Sunday and will be on the court when the Summer Sixers take on the Celtics Monday night at 7pm for their first game of the Utah Summer League.
https://twitter.com/BenSimmons25/status/749448258632577027
For the Sixers, Ben Simmons will have a larger impact on the franchise than anything they could have done in free agency. Still, even after inking combo guard Jerryd Bayless to a 3-year deal Friday, it was expected that another move would be forthcoming from Bryan Colangelo and company, especially with around $50M in space still available under the $94M salary cap.
However, many names linked to the team in recent days have already been crossed off the list after signing with other clubs.
– Harrison Barnes signs 4 year, $95 million deal with the Mavericks.
Kevin Durant’s decision today, which appears to be coming down to a return to Oklahoma City or the formation of an incredible superteam in Golden State, will ultimately decide Barnes’ fate. If Durant remains with the Thunder, Barnes heads to Texas. If KD takes his talents outside Oklahoma, the Thunder are poised to match the offer for Barnes. Either way, Sixers fans will not be having to talk themselves into a max deal for the 24-year-old.
– Jamal Crawford signs 3 year, $42 million deal with the Clippers.
Despite the Sixers reportedly making a significant offer, Crawford chose to remain with Doc Rivers and the gang in LA. While Crawford would have made for a great veteran mentor, he wasn’t a great fit in terms of largely being an iso-ball player on offense and a poor defender at age 36. If Crawford was seeking 3 years in any deal, the Sixers were right to not up the offer.
– Courtney Lee signs 4 year, $50 million deal with the Knicks.
Lee doesn’t have the cachet of a lot of the other names out there in free agency, mostly because his game isn’t predicated on jacking up as many shots as possible. Still, Lee would fit in seamlessly with any team in the league, and he represents the most reasonable deal of a busy offseason for New York. The Sixers could certainly have offered more than the $12.5M per year figure, but possibly seemed turned off by the length of the deal.
– Rajon Rondo signs 2 year, $28 million deal with the Bulls.
The Sixers likely dodged a bullet in avoiding a point guard who has developed a reputation as a malcontent and empty stat grabber. He doesn’t have an outside shot and gambles for steals on defense rather than staying disciplined within a defensive system. Basically, everything that Philadelphia should be avoiding. The signing doesn’t make much sense for Chicago, who surely can’t think they’re a contender in the East this year.
None of those guys are necessarily big losses, but if those names are off the market, who is left for the Sixers?
– Allen Crabbe
Reports came out Sunday that Crabbe had signed a 4-year, $70M deal with Brooklyn. However, the report was later refuted with the fact that Crabbe would be taking additional meetings on the 5th. There haven’t been any direct links to Philadelphia aside from the fact that there was initial interest in Crabbe from the Sixers. I’m not too optimistic at this time.
– Dion Waiters
All has been quiet on the Waiters front, but with the Kings signing Arron Afflalo, Matt Barnes, Anthony Tolliver, and Garrett Temple, there wouldn’t appear to be room for Waiters there. Every day that goes by without Colangelo signing someone else, and the mountain of cap space goes unused, makes me increasingly concerned Dion is heading toward a hometown return.
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