National Basketball Association

5 Reasons Philadelphia 76ers Deal Expiring Contracts Before Trade Deadline

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 5:57 p.m. ET

Fansided, Bret Stuter/FanSided via The Sixer Sense

The Philadelphia 76ers project three free agents in 2017, plus a team option on an additional player. Here are five reasons why the team should deal players before the trade deadline

The Philadelphia 76ers are discovering how good they can be in the month of January 2017. In fact, much of the NBA is sharing their discovery at the same time. In the month, the Philadelphia 76ers played 10-5 basketball, averaging 104.9 points per game on offense, and yielding just 104.8 points per game.

The team played far better when Joel Embiid played. Unfortunately, the 76ers rookie center could only dress for 9 of the 15 games in the month. In his games, the 76ers boasted a 7-2 record. Without Embiid, the team would only manage 3-3 .

And there is the Philadelphia 76ers season in one paragraph. But there are other players who are picking up the load as well. From T.J. McConnell, to Robert Covington, Nik Stauskas to Dario Saric, from Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot to Chasson Randle.

The team is oozing youth, energy, and cohesiveness.

Jan 8, 2017; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Robert Covington (33) reacts with guard Nik Stauskas (11) and guard TJ McConnell (1) against Brooklyn Nets in the fourth quarter at Barclays Center. Sixers win 105-95. Mandatory Credit: Nicole Sweet-USA TODAY Sports

Overlooked Players Contribute Big

In fact, many of the players in that list were not thought of as major components to a championship team. To be honest, they may not be. But for now, they are all major Components to THIS team in THIS year. It’s only right for the team to lend them the opportunity to prove their worth. To do that, they need to play.

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Now I am not second guessing head coach Brett Brown for a minute. But I am second guessing the roster. As of tonight, the Philadelphia 76ers will finish their 49th game.

2017 free agents from the Philadelphia 76ers include Ersan Ilyasova, Nerlens Noel, Sergio Rodriguez, and Gerald Henderson if the team does not pick up his option for a second year.

Ilyasova played 45 games, as he was an Oklahoma City Thunder power forward early in the year.
Henderson has appeared in 45 games. Noel has played in 22. Rodriguez has played in 43 games. With the exception of Noel and Ilyasova, the teams success has come when veterans were relegated to the bench.

Dec 8, 2016; New Orleans, LA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Ersan Ilyasova (7) celebrates with guard Sergio Rodriguez (14) during the second half against the New Orleans Pelicans at the Smoothie King Center. The 76ers defeated the Pelicans 99-88. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Reason I: The Expendables

Nobody thought to give starts to T.J. McConnell. But the season long loss of Jerryd Bayless paired with injuries to Ben Simmons and Sergio Rodriguez forced the issue. And T.J. McConnell’s play has ensured the team never looked back. As a result, the insurance of having Sergio Rodriguez on the team no longer seems… required.

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Similarly, the team has been playing very well since trading Jerami Grant to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Ersan Ilyasova. But Ilyasova is only under contract for this season. Meanwhile, the team has been grooming Dario Saric for the role. While he is still improving as a rookie, Saric shows flashes of utter brilliance. He has established a trademark for tough physical play, as well as incredible passing skills for the team. Ultimately, he will need starts to raise the bar.

Give Holmes a Home

Finally, the belief that the 76ers can retain Nerlens Noel may not come to pass. But is that a bad thing? Not if you factor in the developing skills of second year player Richaun Holmes. Right now, Richaun Holmes needs regular playing time. Without an injury or precautionary resting of Joel Embiid, Holmes is simply not getting playing time.

The team had options to ensure each player would be locked in for next season. Since the team had not done so, the team has left the door open to not retaining any of the three.

Jun 23, 2016; New York, NY, USA; A general view of a video board displaying all thirty draft picks in the first round of the 2016 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports

Reason II: Seeds For Tomorrow

Unlike many teams that have reached the cusp of rebuilding and begin to win games, the Philadelphia 76ers are still a work-in-process. That strikes as a result of a team that is just beginning to assemble the pieces.

If not for the brilliance of rookie Joel Embiid’s play, the Philadelphia 76ers would be competing with the Brooklyn Nets for the top pick of the 2017 NBA Draft.

But the early stages of a rebuild require a great deal of flexibility. With the only certain “piece” to the team in Joel Embiid, the team needs to preserve flexibility. The only way to do that is to cash in the value of players today into the value of tomorrow’s players.

NBA draft picks are more than just the opportunity to select a guy in the upcoming NBA Draft. They essentially are NBA currency. They are the universally valued tradeable commodity which can convert a point guard from one team into the power forward of another. Since the 76ers are still the work in process, it behooves the team to bank the value of expiring contract players for whatever draft picks the team can acquire.

Reason III: Focus On Tomorrow’s Players

Players like T.J.McConnell, Robert Covington, Dario Saric, Joel Embiid, Nik Stauskas, and Richaun Holmes sprang from the keen-eye-of-discernment of Sam Hinkie. Each player arrived to contribute to the common good. Each player had a “niche”.

As the team continues to load up on young players, the team becomes saturated with players who need to learn from veterans. But each year those players themselves become “veterans”. Players who spend several years on an NBA team, and do not get sufficient playing time, never develop.

Rookies Develop Into Skilled Veterans

Painful playing time in the 2015-2016 season for Nik Stauskas, T.J. McConnell, and even Robert Covington, has helped the trio become three of the five players in the 76ers best lineup. But by that same process, players like Dario Saric, Richaun Holmes, and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot need time invested now to afford them a similar opportunity.

I heard in throughout the season last year. “D-Leaguers” “Not good enough to land on another team’s roster” “Can’t Play”. Funny that we simply do not set realistic expectations to rookies in the NBA. Players can have all the talent in the world, but without knowing and fully understanding the plays, the coaches, and the teammates, even veteran players can struggle.

The team must ensure that unfamiliarity only lasts one season in an NBA player’s career.

Reason IV: Budget Salary

Players who do well want to be paid. So that really hasn’t played a major part in the team’s planning… yet. But that all changes this year. Like it or not, the Philadelphia 76ers must now manage their salary cap. Why so soon?

NBA players shy away from short term deals. Like the rest of us, they value the security of knowing that they will get paid for as far into the future as possible. But the Philadelphia 76ers will not have that luxury.

At the end of the 2017-2018 season (it’s only 15 months away), the Philadelphia 76ers will face retention of Robert Covington, Joel Embiid, Nik Stauskas, and Gerald Henderson. Depending on their play, the market for this group may take a significant portion of the team’s salary to retain.

That does not factor in any free agents the team may wish to sign up.

And so, if the team truly plans to keep any of the three players next season, there will be that trade off: money spent there will not be available for the next contract. In essence, retaining Nerlens Noel dilutes the team’s ability to retain both Covington and Embiid. That being said, the team may already have decided to part ways. If so, trading now only moves up the timeline.

Jan 11, 2017; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Ben Simmons (L) practices with center Joel Embiid (R) before a game against the New York Knicks at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Reason V: We Don’t Know What We Don’t Know

The Philadelphia 76ers are as much speculation as realization today. That’s because the team has only one player from the known future playing now – Joel Embiid. Ersan Ilyasova, Nerlens Noel, and Sergio Rodriguez all have varying levels of compatibility with Embiid while playing alongside him.

Jahlil Okafor has yet to demonstrate that same level of compatibility.

But just as Okafor’s style may not mesh well with Embiid, we have yet to see who can compliment the style of Ben Simmons. It may be that he won’t be as compatible with Rodriguez. Simmons has all the skillsets of “El Chacho”, plus the ability to score and work the paint more physically. Perhaps the presence of Simmons will minimize the value of a high shooter/scorer like Ilyasova.

I Dunno

And so, we don’t know what we don’t know.

That being the case, the team would be wise not to overextend in the effort to retain this year’s players. With a strong NBA Draft class about to arrive soon, there will be numerous opportunities to load up on areas the team needs to reinforce.

In summary, the Philadelphia 76ers have decisions to make at the end of the season. While the play of Ersan Ilyasova, Sergio Rodriguez, and Nerlens Noel will warrant consideration, the future of the team rests upon other players. As such, the smart money may simply be to part ways here and take a different path.

Don’t get me wrong. For the right terms, each player would be a solid contributor to the team next season. But realistically speaking, the number of years or dollars required to retain any of the three seems very formidable at this point in time. With so many untapped young players on this team’s roster, I can’t see the team exerting the effort to strike new deals.