Welcome to the very first Sixers mailbag of the 2025 offseason. All questions — solicited from my followers on Bluesky — pertain to the team's potential strategies in retaining its free agents. Let's get into the discussion:
From @phillyhotspur.bsky.social: Do we have a feasible pathway to retain Quentin Grimes/Guerschon Yabusele along with our main trio + Jared McCain and a top-six pick in terms of free agency/salary cap limitations?
Yes, that pathway does exist. Retaining Grimes will clearly be the priority, and luckily for the Sixers the salary cap environment in the NBA this summer paves the way for them to not only re-sign the 24-year-old breakout guard, but do so on a contract that is team-friendly. But the key to fitting in Grimes, Yabusele, Kelly Oubre Jr. and a top-six pick is getting Yabusele on a deal that does not limit the team's flexibility. If he takes the taxpayer's mid-level exception, projected to be worth a maximum of two years and approximately $11.6 million, the Sixers would be able to spend whatever they needed to in order to re-sign either of their remaining key free agents.
If it requires more money than that for the Sixers to re-sign Yabusele, they would need to dip into the non-taxpayer's mid-level exception. Doing so would initiate a hard cap at the first apron for the Sixers, at which point they could fit in Grimes, their first-round pick and possibly not much else outside of minimum contracts. Andre Drummond has a $5 million player option he will likely pick up — perhaps a salary dump of what will then be an expiring deal could help the Sixers clear room under their hard cap if Yabusele's market grows.
Ultimately, I have grown fairly confident that Yabusele could be retained for the tax MLE. There is not a ton of money to go around this summer, the sample size of his production at the NBA level remains very small, and if all things are equal, he seems to have interest in returning to Philadelphia after the team gave him the chance to return to the NBA following a five-year exodus.
If Yabusele is slotted into that salary for 2024-25 — just under $5.7 million is the current projection — the remaining transactions will be much easier to pull off. Yabusele's number is the key to everything in free agency, particularly if the Sixers retain their top-six protected first-round pick.
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From @treenas27.bsky.social: Which of the non-Grimes in-season additions do you see being on the roster next year? And what might their roles look like if they are?
We are basically talking about Lonnie Walker IV and Jared Butler here; both players inked deals with the Sixers in the final months of the season that contain team options for next season. Both of those options are at salaries slightly above the veteran’s minimum, and the Sixers could likely decline them and bring each player back for the actual minimum to save a small amount of salary.
Walker and Butler have certainly done enough to earn genuine consideration for 2025-26 roster spots. Walker’s late-season play might have been more impressive, with a major scoring binge being the headliner alongside better-than-expected production as a passer and some late signs of potential defensively. The Reading, PA native indicated in his exit interview that he would like to be back. If he does return, being a rotation regular right off the bat seems unlikely, but when the Sixers need an offensive spark or some three-point volume, Walker could be a useful option.
However, there is probably more proof of concept on Butler’s side when it comes to being able to contribute to a star-laden team. Butler is a throwback point guard who has become a savant in the pick-and-roll, finds optimal passing lanes and is making noteworthy strides as a shooter. The 2025-26 Sixers currently do not project to even have any point guard minutes available right now; head coach Nick Nurse indicated he wants Grimes and Jared McCain to both handle some backup ball-handling duties behind Tyrese Maxey. But if any of those players is out for a game — or a wing is out and Nurse wants to go with smaller lineups — Butler can step into any unit or game context and provide the exact same thing each time. He will take care of the ball and orchestrate a sound pick-and-roll operation. The improvement in his shooting volume means a great deal, too.
There is a valid case for Walker over Butler, even if the 24-year-old floor general feels like a more logical fit. Both could be back. Neither could be back! In any case, Walker and Butler each did solid work in the final two months of the season to at least put themselves in the conversation, probably much more firmly than expected in Walker’s case.
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From @velodus.bsky.social: How much of a priority is it for the Sixers to get more depth at PF?
If one is to think about the Sixers' roster for next season and break it down in terms of traditional positions, power forward will be their weakest point entering the offseason for the second time in a row. But it is not exactly a gaping hole, and that is because many of their rotation-caliber players are capable of sliding into that spot in a pinch. In today's NBA, where positional roles are far less rigid, the Sixers can probably get by without giving any minutes to a "prototypical" power forward, though it would be nice to have one. Yabusele is their best bet in that regard despite so many of his minutes in 2024-25 coming at the five out of necessity.
Sixers President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey indicated in his exit interview that the team would love to have Yabusele back, and expressed a belief that his "mix" of minutes would be much different from a positional perspective next year — a clear signal that the team wants him to slide down to the four more often if he sticks around.
Otherwise, the Sixers do have options to play that position in stints. Paul George, of course, is 6-foot-8, and certainly capable of handling that role as he occasionally did in his debut season with the team. It may be suboptimal for him to handle the increasingly taxing physical burden that comes with the position given his injury history, but the best version of the team on a per-possession basis might be one with George at the four. Justin Edwards said his main goal for the offseason is to put on some additional bulk, and he already has a good enough frame to step into that spot when needed.
In reality, the Sixers' power forward depth — like just about every aspect of their team — would be bolstered by Joel Embiid being consistently available. It would allow Yabusele to play the vast majority of his minutes at power forward, making it much easier for Nurse to piece together the remaining open minutes at the position.
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