Unpacking the pre-agency period and what it means for the Sixers

NBA free agency opens in earnest at 6 pm on Tuesday, when teams can finally begin (legally) negotiating with all upcoming free agents. For the Sixers, armed with as much as the non-taxpayer mid-level (roughly $15 million) and the bi-annual exception (roughly $5.4 million next season), it’s an important period where they’ll try to split the difference between competing now and setting up the Tyrese Maxey/VJ Edgecombe backcourt for a prosperous future.

Here are some thoughts on what’s ahead this week, and what has already taken place.

Internal option decisions

Philadelphia had some important decisions to make ahead of free agency opening, and I would qualify at least two of their decisions as minor surprises.

Dominick Barlow had his option for the 2025-26 season picked up on Monday afternoon, locking him in for a $3.4 million salary for next season. The surprise here isn’t that Barlow will be back, which was all but a lock after the team signed him to the 1+1 deal midseason. But even as recently as a couple of weeks ago, it seemed likely that the team would rip up Barlow’s team option year and get him on a longer-term deal to lock a role player in for multiple years while providing Barlow some long-term security.

That was certainly the expectation when Daryl Morey was still in control of the front office, so this marks a minor shift in the early days of the Gansey/Nelson power structure. And it’s certainly defensible depending on what Barlow and his representation were hoping for. Although he was a frequent starter and regular contributor last season, Barlow’s weaknesses were emblematic of the team’s structural problems. Barlow was an underwhelming defensive rebounder for his position and was dared to shoot by most teams in the league, which dented his value as a self-creator and versatile defensive piece.

Philadelphia’s primary targets in free agency are either all power forwards or players with some ability to play that spot, from Dean Wade to John Collins to Sandro Mamukelashvili. Mike Gansey doesn’t seem to feel the need to lock in Barlow for additional money and/or years while they pursue an upgrade at his position. With another solid year next season, perhaps Barlow can play himself into a bigger and better deal, whether that comes in Philadelphia or elsewhere.

Dalen Terry was a late addition to Philadelphia’s roster, signing a two-way deal in mid-February before the team converted him to a standard contract in the wake of an injury to backup guard Cam Payne in April. That late conversion was essentially a “use it or lose it” slot to get a healthy body on the playoff roster, so it didn’t mean much about his future with the program.

Evidently, Terry has shown enough over those few months to justify an end-of-bench spot on the roster. That seems justifiable enough compared to their end-of-bench options next year, like a glorified assistant coach in Kyle Lowry and the open roster spot they carried for half of the year, which we can refer to as Helicopter Fuel To Be Named Later. Terry didn’t shoot the ball well and rarely played outside of garbage time, but he has a functional handle, good physical tools, and has some defensive switchability on a team crying out for it.

Trendon Watford‘s team option was not picked up, making him an unrestricted free agent this summer. Unless you were a huge believer in the power of friendship and wanted to keep one of Tyrese Maxey’s BFFs on the team, this was a pretty straightforward decision. Watford’s weaknesses were more relevant than his strengths could be in Philadelphia, so the team ultimately opted to look elsewhere.

Watford had his moments last season — his 20-point triple-double against Toronto was one of the highlights of November — but he never proved willing to be a regular three-point shooter, frequently dragging possessions to a full stop when it swung his way. His creative talents on-ball were useful at times, and perhaps they should have leaned into him more as a short-roll weapon, but Watford fell out of favor with Nurse and was consistently off the pace on the defensive end.

The preferred targets

The good news for Philadelphia is that all three of the free agent names mentioned above are still theoretically available. I think you can make reasonable cases for and against each of them depending on what your other business looks like.

Dean Wade is the obvious “Gansey connection” player from Cleveland with the least impressive numbers on paper, but he has emerged as a rock-solid defender over the last five seasons who rarely takes anything off the table. As a frequent fifth starter for the Cavs, Wade specialized in mistake-free basketball, almost never turning the ball over while hitting right around an average number of spot-up jumpers and pitching in as a rebounder. But he’s also a fairly passive player dependent on others to get him looks, so don’t expect much in the way of secondary creation or offensive versatility.

John Collins is a bigger name with a better resume as an offensive threat, a frequent lob target who turned himself into a (mostly) good shooter over the years. On paper, he’s also a guy who can play the four in that spacer/baseline cutter role off of Joel Embiid while giving the team an offense-first option as a smaller five. Two things concern me: Collins’ defensive engagement has been inconsistent to say the least, and his rebounding numbers took a pretty significant hit last season. Was that an aberration due to team context, or a product of athletic decline that might eat away at his effectiveness?

Sandro Mamukelashvili is a popular name in some fan circles after he had a very strong shooting season off the bench for Toronto last year, and his theoretical ability to play the four and five appeals if it holds up. I do wonder if there is some smoke and mirrors to the numbers that suggest he was a viable nominal center in Toronto, as he spent most of his year playing in long and athletic lineups that could protect some of his defensive limitations. Mamu wouldn’t have that luxury as often in Philadelphia.

Collins is the high-variance play with probably the most risk and reward, with Wade a safe, unspectacular bet, and Mamu somewhere in the middle. Figuring out who the most likely man to join their team is will also loom large — an offseason can quickly fall apart if the new front office puts too many eggs in one basket as other value signings lock in deals elsewhere. Gansey’s ability to delegate and set up contingincies as the head honcho will be tested.

A potential trade partner in Memphis

Here’s a transaction that, in theory, doesn’t mean a whole lot for the Sixers:

BREAKING: The Memphis Grizzlies are trading two-time NBA All-Star Ja Morant to the Portland Trail Blazers for Jerami Grant and Kris Murray, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/FJOTzGe5Tr

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 29, 2026

A staggering fall from grace for Morant, truth be told, after he thrilled fans as one of the most exciting young players in the league. Some off-court mishaps and health concerns combined to make him a buy-low candidate for Portland, who had their own problematic contract to dump in Grant.

In any case, the Grizzlies’ current roster is a lot more relevant from a Philly perspective. The Grizzlies now have eight players who could be considered power forwards or hybrid frontcourt players on their roster: Cam Boozer, Karim Lopez, Santi Aldama, Grant, Isaiah Stewart, GG Jackson, Olivier-Maxence Prosper, and Taylor Hendricks. Realistically, you can strike out the first five names on that list for financial reasons, but that leaves a group of three players on small-ish contracts who could ostensibly fill a need in Philly without costing much to acquire. To be frank, no one in the Jackson/Prosper/Hendricks trio immediately fixes a problem in the frontcourt. They’re all pretty ordinary as rebounders, don’t offer much playmaking juice, and are inconsistent as shooters, with each claiming one solid year from deep and suspect numbers otherwise.

Hendricks is probably the most interesting name on the list as a former top-10 pick who never quite broke through in Utah, a lottery talent who has flashed shooting talent in short bursts with good physical tools for a switchable forward/big wing. His skill set, if he can ever shoot it consistently, is arguably the most scalable, as Hendricks profiles as a low-usage spacer who shoots the open looks and doesn’t demand the ball. But he’s also on a deal paying him close to $8 million, so he’s tougher to match salary-wise. I wouldn’t mind a punt on Jackson, who is slightly younger, has uncomming ballhandling for a 6’9″ forward, and he has been more productive than the other two names here in his three NBA seasons. But Jackson has mostly produced in clear tanking situations and has battled questions about his maturity over the years.

In any case, Memphis is the sort of team the Sixers should be in conversation with to go after a deeper bench flier at a position of need.

Ben Simmons: No

For those who missed his semi-annual magazine interview:

Maybe I’ll go back to Philly,” he says. “Miami would be nice. And not because it’s Miami—I like Erik Spoelstra, I like the Heat, I like their organization, I like the culture.”

Not now, not ever, not for a second. Enjoy the high seas.