The Philadelphia 76ers have obvious holes that need to be filled before they truly begin the 2020-21 season as they look to improve the pieces around Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid.
They need shooting. They need a ball-handler. And they could use a veteran leader who shows off some toughness as well.
Philadelphia will fill these needs more in the draft and in trades since they do not have much cap space when it comes to free agency, but that does not mean they can’t find some cheap options they can lean on. The team has $6 million to spend in free agency and there are options that will come cheap in their price range.
A guy who makes a lot of sense for them is Garrett Temple, a veteran who had a fine season with the Brooklyn Nets, but the consensus is that the team will not pick up his option as it turns to younger choices.
The Athletic’s John Hollinger broke it down this way for Temple:
Brooklyn’s tax situation may push it to decline the $5 million option for Temple, especially with the development of Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot at the same position. Temple’s 3-and-D resume has suffered the past couple of seasons, as he made just 32.9 percent from distance in Brooklyn after converting 34.1 percent the year before. At 34, he doesn’t have time on his side either.
Because his low-volume game is relatively easy to plug in next to elite talent, Temple likely will have interest from contending teams at the minimum or biannual exception. It’s also possible Brooklyn declines the option but still brings him back at a lower number.
Temple averaged 10.3 points and 3.5 rebounds as he was pressed to do more due to the multitude of injuries the Nets suffered throughout the season. He is not a knockdown shooter as he is only a career 34.7% shooter from deep, but he can easily be plugged next to Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons and make a positive impact on this team. He brings a steady veteran presence, he’s a tough perimeter defender, and he can fill any role that Doc Rivers would throw at him.
He is a veteran of 11 years in the league and at 34-years old, it is all about competing for a title. As Hollinger mentioned, he could just return to Brooklyn on a cheaper deal, but Philadelphia could also swoop in if it misses on other targets.