July 17, 2024
Bill Streicher/USA TODAY Sports
Kyle Lowry is set to be the Sixers' backup point guard in 2024-25 after agreeing to return on a one-year, veteran's minimum deal.
We are officially well over two weeks into NBA free agency, and the Sixers' roster is about 80 percent complete. They will sign two or three more players to veteran's minimum contracts as they fill out the remainder of their team, but the nuts and bolts of the 2024-25 Sixers have been cemented for now.
With that being said, let's dive into a few questions about the decisions they have made over the last month, which players' values could fluctuate once the season begins and an intriguing thought exercise.
From @Notorious_Alps: Why [did the Sixers sign] Kyle Lowry over Cam Payne?
I think just about anybody who watched the Sixers last year would agree that, in a vacuum, Lowry is currently a better player than Payne. But heading into the offseason, there was a real argument that if the team could only bring back one of the two point guards, Payne should be prioritized.
That argument starts with this: Payne is eight and a half years younger than Lowry. Lowry is going to turn 39 years old before the 2025 NBA Playoffs begin, and that is a massive cause for concern. Additionally, Payne is a much more consistent offensive creator than Lowry at this stage of their careers. Lowry is perhaps a more reliable spot-up three-point shooter and better passer, but Payne's burst and advantage creation makes him a superior generator of shots.
But here we are: Lowry is back, and Payne has joined the New York Knicks — both on one-year deals at the minimum.
With a new-look roster now set, the Sixers had to consider which player's skills best fit what they needed. A team that has Tyrese Maxey, Paul George and Joel Embiid all under contract but lacks plus passers and players who can defend multiple positions, Lowry makes much more sense.
If the Sixers could have brought back Lowry to be their backup point guard and also re-signed Payne as a third-string ball-handler, I'm sure the team would have had plenty of interest. But in New York, Payne will likely be in like for more playing time while still being part of a great team.
From @zteutsch: Which Sixer's play/impact will improve the most this coming season? Who might decline?
The easiest way to answer this question is by looking at player's ages. Everybody is excited about Ricky Council IV's potential, and it is not hard to see why. KJ Martin does not turn 24 years old until January and is entering his fifth NBA season. Of course, Maxey making another leap can never be ruled out.
On the other hand, Lowry will be 39 be the end of the regular season and Eric Gordon will turn 36 on Christmas Day. It is logical to expect at least one of those two players to take a step back.
Putting the simplest equations to the side, here is one: are we sure Kelly Oubre Jr. will not have the most impactful season of his NBA career for the second straight year? Oubre starred in several roles on both ends of the floor for the Sixers last year, but perhaps some stability and consistency in role could do him favors. The Sixers have added George, of course, and hope that Embiid will not have a two-month absence at any point in the season; Maxey was oftentimes the team's only reliable scorer in 2023-24 and that would force Oubre into an offensive role in which he was overtasked. Could a simplification of Oubre's role unlock another gear for the veteran wing?
From @Ry_CampbellSoup: Fun thought experiment... if you could add one non-All-Star to the current roster, who would it be?
A fun thought experiment, indeed! I am going to take this question as to mean players who have never made an All-Star Game at any point in their careers, and for good measure I am going to exclude players on rookie contracts who clearly have All-Star appearances in their future like Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs and Jalen Williams of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The first two names that came to my mind were both members of the Knicks: OG Anunoby, who inked a massive five-year deal to remain in New York before the start of free agency, and Mikal Bridges, who days earlier the Knicks acquired from the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for a gargantuan collection of draft picks. Anunoby might fit better with the Sixers than Bridges from a positional standpoint because he is more capable of logging power forward minutes, but even without factoring in his enormous contract, I would prefer Bridges of the two New York wings because I simply believe he is a better player. Shoutout to Donte DiVincenzo as well, who as Sixers fans know far too well has become one of the single best long-range snipers in all of basketball.
Someone I would take over Anunoby but not over Bridges is Derrick White of the Boston Celtics, who has turned into a remarkable player thanks to out-of-this-world defensive chops, elite three-point shooting and healthy doses of off-dribble creation and scoring. White is just about the cleanest fit imaginable in between Maxey and George.
He is likely a lesser player than White, but Marcus Smart of the Memphis Grizzlies — a long-time enemy of the Sixers — checks many of the same boxes as his former teammate.
Other players who jumped out to me were Jaden McDaniels of the Minnesota Timberwolves and Herb Jones of the New Orleans Pelicans, two outstanding wing defenders who have become a good enough three-point shooter to be a surefire starting wing for any theoretical contender.
Ultimately, the name I landed on was Aaron Gordon of the Denver Nuggets. There has been plenty of talk about the Sixers' desperation for a true power forward, their potential deficiencies as a rebounding team and an overall lack of muscle. Gordon has been there and done that, serving as the ultimate role player at the four for a championship-winning team. He makes all of the necessary plays to win on offense, defense and the boards, can play multiple positions on both ends of the floor and is still only entering his age-29 season.
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