The Philadelphia 76ers are expected to bring in another max player in the upcoming offseason to team up with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey in an effort to take down the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference.
President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey will have his eyes set on big names such as Paul George and LeBron James. However, if he can’t reel in one of those big names, maybe a guy like DeMar DeRozan makes sense for this group.
DeRozan is set to be a free agent and has been a star for the entirety of his career. He has been an All-Star in two of his three seasons with the Chicago Bulls, and he has career averages of 21.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 4.1 assists. He will have plenty of suitors once free agency hits on June 30.
Bleacher Report wrote this on DeRozan’s potential free agency fit in Philadelphia:
If the Philadelphia 76ers strike out on signing LeBron James and Paul George this summer and can’t work out a trade for Jimmy Butler or Brandon Ingram with no players to send back in return, both the Sixers and DeRozan should have mutual interest.
Signing the six-time All-Star as a third offensive option next to Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey could still leave Philly with $20 million in cap space, enough to pursue another starter or try to re-sign players such as De’Anthony Melton, Kelly Oubre Jr. and Kyle Lowry.
DeRozan averaged 24.0 points, 4.3 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 1.1 steals and shot 48.0 percent overall this past season. His durability (74 games or more in all three years with the Bulls) is important for the Sixers given Embiid’s injury history.
DeRozan is an elite mid-range scorer able to put on a masterclass by pulling up in the middle of the floor and knocking down tough shots. The biggest bugaboo of his career has been his lack of a 3-point shot. For his career, he shoots just 29.6% from deep on 1.6 attempts in his 15-year career.
However, DeRozan did shoot 33.6% from deep on 2.2 attempts during his time with the Bulls. One has to wonder if those numbers will continue to go up being back with coach Nick Nurse who he has experience with in Toronto.
One also has to believe that if Maxey continues to be a deadly shooter from deep, then the floor will continue to be spaced for Embiid and DeRozan to do what they do on the offensive end. DeRozan is a true pro and if the Sixers don’t get one of those big names, he should be at the top of Morey’s list.
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