The changes made over these next two weeks are crucial, vital perhaps, for the Sixers and Daryl Morey

The Sixers will have five first-round picks and multiple pick swaps over several seasons available to trade beginning Wednesday night, the start of the 2024 draft.

The next few weeks are vital for the Sixers, most notably Daryl Morey, the president of basketball operations.
The next few weeks are vital for the Sixers, most notably Daryl Morey, the president of basketball operations.

By summer’s end, the 76ers will be evaluated for how they maneuvered the upcoming NBA draft and free agency.

The Sixers will have five first-round picks and multiple pick swaps over several seasons available to trade beginning Wednesday night, the start of the 2024 draft. The Sixers will select No. 16 on Wednesday at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Then, they have the 41st pick on Thursday at ESPN’s Seaport District Studios. They could also have close to $65 million available in salary-cap space when free agency begins at 6 p.m. on June 30.

Drafting a solid NBA-ready player or trading for one to secure a third star to mesh with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey would be a major success. An inability to do so would be viewed as an offseason failure. One that also determines their championship window with Embiid on the roster.

As a result, the next few weeks are vital for the Sixers, most notably Daryl Morey, the president of basketball operations.

Right now, Morey’s legacy is trading for James Harden twice. Harden had blossomed into a three-time scoring champion and 2018 MVP after Morey acquired him for the Houston Rockets on Oct. 27, 2012. During Morey’s 13-year tenure as general manager in Houston, the Rockets never had a losing record and advanced to the Western Conference finals in 2015 and 2018.

Los Angeles Clippers forward Paul George had been the Sixers top free-agent target.
Los Angeles Clippers forward Paul George had been the Sixers top free-agent target.
Steven M. Falk / Staff Photographer
As the Sixers’ top executive, Morey reunited with Harden on Feb. 10, 2020, in a blockbuster trade from the Brooklyn Nets. The second go-round had a nasty divorce with Harden demanding a trade to the Los Angeles Clippers and being granted it on Nov. 1.

Give Morey credit for getting more from that trade than expected. He acquired solid role-playing pieces with expiring contracts and multiple draft picks used for other deals. Not bad, considering there really wasn’t a market for the 34-year-old.

But this could be a make-or-break moment for Morey, whose arrival in 2020 brought about Eastern Conference finals or bust expectations. Instead, the Sixers underachieved with three second-round exits followed by a first-round loss this season.

» READ MORE: The Sixers should be an attractive free-agent destination. But Philly isn’t for the faint of heart.

This summer is so important because of the Sixers’ assets and Maxey having a low-salary-cap hold of $13 million. The available cap space to sign a maximum-salary player will disappear once the All-Star point guard, who is a restricted free agent, signs his deal later this summer to remain with the Sixers.

In an ideal world, the Sixers would sign a max free agent along with others before Maxey inks his deal that could be upwards to five years, $204.5 million.

Clippers swingman Paul George had been listed as the Sixers’ top free-agent target for some time before Thursday’s report about their interest having “significantly waned.” But that doesn’t make sense, considering the nine-time All-Star fits with Embiid and Maxey and how long the Sixers coveted him.

Embiid even publicly recruited during their joint appearance on ESPN’s NBA Countdown show, where George was a guest host, before the Dallas Mavericks’ 122-84 Game 4 victory over the Boston Celtics on June 14.

You never know what will happen until George’s status with the Clippers is finalized.

He has until Saturday to opt into his $48.8 million contract for next season or become an unrestricted free agent. The Clippers can offer him a four-year, $221 million deal. However, they haven’t been willing to offer more than the three years, $152.3 million they gave Kawhi Leonard. The problem is George wants a four-year deal. The Sixers and other squads can offer four years and around $212 million.

One option for George is a sign-and-trade with the Clippers to a destination he desires. Los Angeles, which doesn’t have a first-round pick, would most likely ask for one in a package deal.

The Sixers could include the No. 16 pick and consider even adding Tobias Harris via a sign-and-trade as part of a package. L.A. has some level of interest in Harris, a soon-to-be free agent and former Clipper, according to a league source. And if George opts to become a free agent, don’t rule out Philly going after him.

OG Anunoby’s situation with the New York Knicks is something to pay close attention to as well. The Knicks unrestricted free agent reportedly isn’t happy with what the team is offering him to stay. Could the Sixers entice him with a maximum-salary contract and a larger offensive role than he has in New York?

They could also try to trade for Miami Heat six-time All-Star forward Jimmy Butler or New Orleans Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram.

The return of former Sixers forward Jimmy Butler, now with Miami, isn’t out of the question as a player the Sixers could pursue in a trade deal.
The return of former Sixers forward Jimmy Butler, now with Miami, isn’t out of the question as a player the Sixers could pursue in a trade deal.
Heather Khalifa / Staff Photographer
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope could be an affordable role-playing option the Sixers would like if the shooting guard opts out of a $15.4 million deal with the Denver Nuggets. However, the Orlando Magic and Chicago Bulls are also expected to go after the two-time NBA champion.

The Sixers could also gamble on Klay Thompson, who will be an unrestricted free agent. The five-time All-Star shooting guard is coming off a five-year, $189.9 million deal with the Golden State Warriors.

Thompson reportedly wants at least a three-year contract. But that could be a tough sell for a 34-year-old, who lost his starting spot late in the season and is two years removed from knee and Achilles tendon injuries.

Motivated to prove he’s still impactful, the four-time NBA champion could be in line for a comeback season. His ability to hit shots and fill it up makes him the type of player the Sixers could use for the right price. Thompson and the Warriors, who don’t have a first-round pick in this week’s draft, could agree to a sign-and-trade in exchange for a package that includes a first-round pick.

So this could be an avenue for the Sixers to package the No. 16 pick for an established veteran. But there are also pros to keeping the pick. Maybe they’ll select another good NBA-ready player like when they picked Maxey at No. 21 in 2020.

The Sixers are searching for the third star to mesh with Joel Embiid (21) and Tyrese Maxey.
The Sixers are searching for the third star to mesh with Joel Embiid (21) and Tyrese Maxey.
Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
Picking a player would also help with salary-cap flexibility since the No. 16 player is slotted to make $4 million next season.

You have to imagine the Sixers are looking into everything, starting with the draft pick.

The team also identified their No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3 free-agent targets, etc. And in case they can’t get who they desire, the Sixers are talking with teams that want to consider selling key players via trades. They’re also trying to figure out ways to fit them into their cap space.

The Sixers are looking into everything right now. And that’s a good thing because it shows they have a lot of options in cap space, available roster spots, and draft picks to use or trade.

But this is the summer they have to do it. With Embiid’s window closing, this is the time to get that third piece.