With the Philadelphia 76ers now having a new leader in the form of Mike Gansey as the team’s new President of Basketball Operations, the attention now turns to the offseason. The Sixers will look to fill some holes on the roster as they look to move forward following a Round 2 sweep by the New York Knicks in which the bench unit had its issues.
The Sixers have a strong starting lineup led by Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe in the backcourt along with veterans Joel Embiid and Paul George in the frontcourt. Now, Gansey and Co. will look to make some moves around the margins through the draft and in free agency as they look to make the right decisions to climb the ladder in the East and dethrone the Knicks.
Here are three guards who make sense for the Sixers in the upcoming free agency period that shouldn’t demand any big deals:
The longtime Dallas Maverick is an unrestricted free agent this offseason and he would bring some good production to Philadelphia’s bench unit. He has career averages of 6.5 points and 4.2 rebounds and has been a part of deep playoff runs for the Mavs such as their run to the finals in 2024 as well as the Western Conference finals in 2022. He is a smart player, shouldn’t demand too much money, and would instantly make an impact. If the Sixers lose Andre Drummond in free agency, and don’t quite believe in Adem Bona just yet, then Powell makes a lot of sense.
Richards has been toiling in obscurity with teams like the Charlotte Hornets, Phoenix Suns, and Chicago Bulls, but has been productive everywhere he’s gone. He averaged 9.4 points and 7.6 rebounds for the Bulls after the deadline and would instantly be Philadelphia’s backup big man no matter who is brought back. Richards has soft hands, can finish around the basket, can rebound the basketball, and is an underrated defender. He brings a lot of physicality and should be an option for the Sixers in free agency.
Eubanks had a down year in Sacramento, but that can be attributed to a torn UCL in his left thumb that required surgery and the Kings being well…the Kings. A change of scenery should do him some good. Eubanks has career averages of 5.6 points and 4.3 rebounds as a backup big man and could be brought in on a cheap deal to make things work for the second unit. As mentioned with Powell, the Sixers can look at somebody like Eubanks in the event they lose Drummond and don’t believe in Bona yet. Eubanks offers up good insurance.
This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: 3 big men who make sense for Sixers in the upcoming free agency period
