The 76ers roster enters free agency with Kelly Oubre Jr., Quentin Grimes and Andre Drummond still unresolved, and that leaves three rotation spots hanging as Tuesday arrives. The front office moved on Monday to pick up Dominick Barlow and Dalen Terry while declining Trendon Watford’s option, but the bigger decision is whether two wings and a center from last season stay in place.
Nick Nurse Rotation
Oubre, Grimes and Drummond were vital pieces in Nick Nurse’s rotation last season, when the Philadelphia 76ers reached the Eastern Conference semifinals. Their status now sits beside a roster that already has its four best players entrenched, yet still needs at least one more guard and more help up front.
That need is sharper because the roster is thin in specific places. The Sixers have only three guards at the moment, Adem Bona is back after playing a lot of minutes at center, Justin Edwards joins Paul George as the only true wings, and Johni Broome returns after barely playing any minutes last season.
Barlow and Terry Options
Monday’s moves added a little structure to the front office’s plan. Picking up Barlow’s and Terry’s options keeps two depth pieces in place, while the decision on Watford removes one power forward from the mix before free agency starts. Barlow started 59 regular-season games in the frontcourt, so the option pickup preserves a player who already carried a real workload.
The Sixers also have spending tools to work with. The non-taxpayer mid-level exception gives them around $15 million to spend, and the biannual exception is worth a projected $5.5 million. That gives them a way to chase one more guard or another wing without stripping the roster down further.
Labaron Philon Jr.
Last week’s draft of Labaron Philon Jr. adds a rookie guard to the picture, but it does not close the guard shortage by itself. Whether the Sixers bring back Oubre or Grimes will shape how much of the wing rotation still needs to be rebuilt, and Drummond’s status will affect the front line behind the entrenched core.
That is the part worth watching for the people tracking this roster: Tuesday opens the market, and the Sixers enter it with choices already made on Barlow, Terry and Watford, but with Oubre, Grimes and Drummond still on the board.
