The Philadelphia 76ers will have lots of cap room heading into the NBA offseason in 2024. With Joel Embiid in his prime, the Sixers must spend their money carefully. OG Anunoby is one possibility that may become available on the open market.
Anunoby has a player option for $19.9 million, which he is expected to refuse. If he does, Bleacher Report’s Andy Bailey highlighted why he thinks Anunoby is a “reasonable” Sixers free agent candidate.
“The Sixers’ mountain of cap space could be best spent on high-end role players,” Bailey wrote in an article published on March 19. “Anunoby is right on the border between that distinction and peripheral star, and his defense would transform Philly into a completely different team on that end.
Having shooters to surround Embiid and Maxey’s two-man game in the center of the court should also be a goal, and Anunoby fits the bill.”
Anunoby also has worked with Nick Nurse and Kyle Lowry. The trio played together for several years, one of which resulted in a championship for the Toronto Raptors in 2019.
Anunoby is in the final year of his four-year, $72 million contract.
GM’s Caution OG Anunoby’s Next Contract
Multiple GMs spoke with Sean Deveney of Heavy Sports about Anunoby’s imminent free agency. With him sidelined again due to an elbow ailment, one executive claimed his injury history should concern any potential suitor.
“It has to worry you,” one Eastern Conference general manager told Deveney in a March 20 piece. “He is going to get a lot of money from the Knicks, but he is starting to look like a player who is just injury-prone and that makes you nervous, paying him that much.”
Because of what the New York Knicks gave up to get him, the executive predicted what he will expect from them.
“He will try to break the bank there,” the GM warned. “Why not?” They cannot afford to lose him. Not a max agreement, but I believe it will be more like $40 million per year, for four years and $160 million.”
A Western Conference executive compared Anunoby to another great and winner to describe what he’ll most likely seek.
“He’s probably around where Middleton is, maybe just a little more.”
Middleton is on a three-year contract worth $93 million, with incentives that may bring it above $100 million. That could be close to what Anunoby will expect. Given that he is younger than Middleton, he may expect more.
Sixers ‘Loom as Eager Suitor’ for Paul George
If Anunoby is not available, the Sixers might consider alternative wings, including as Los Angeles Clippers star Paul George. According to NBA insider Marc Stein, the Sixers
“League sources say that Philadelphia continues to loom as an eager George suitor should he make it onto the open market and give the 76ers their formal opportunity to lure him across the country,” Stein wrote in his substack newsletter on March 20. “The Sixers are said to maintain interest in George despite the widely held presumption that he and Leonard want to keep playing together in their native Southern California.”
Anunoby and George are among the best wings that could enter the market. If they choose to explore free agency, the Sixers might be very appealing by offering them the money they want and the opportunity to win a championship.
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