Beyond this year, the sixers only have three roster spots locked up: Joel Embiid, Paul Reed, and Jaden Springer. The team is quite obviously going to extend a max to Tyrese Maxey after the other moves in the offseason to achieve their maximum financial flexibility. So we can essentially consider four roster spots locked up.
The team with the next smallest number of roster spots taken up next year is 8. That’s a massive gap, and the sixers do have the most cap room, but they have by far the most spots that they need to fit into that cap room.
People are talking about giving 40 million to a 3 and D player like OG, when he would be just the fifth player on the roster for next year. That would severely limit the sixers ability to construct any semblance of a bench unit that could compete.
So my question, what is the plan beyond this year? Why are there so many roster spots open? How will the sixers be able to fill all of those and pull a team together that is cohesive next year with all the moving pieces?
I’m simply trying to understand, my intent is not to knock what they are doing.
There’s too many variables to predict what’s going to happen, including not knowing what teams will flame out and are willing to sell at the trade deadline, and how willing the Sixers ownership is to spend money to win.
But one path that might be interesting is using the Sixers stockpile to trade for 2 underpaid players who are both very productive and potentially great fits: Markkanen and Caruso. Them being underpaid is the key. With the right series of deals, I think the Sixers might have the ability to go into free agency this summer with a core of Embiid/Markkanen/Caruso locked up, still have enough salary cap space to be players for other good talent, and also extend Maxey of course.