By Evan Krawczuk, Contributing Writer 
Elton Brand has an enormous offseason ahead of him. After the turmoil of the Colangelos last summer, Brand has a roster that he has built and he can maneuver around. Between key free agents, the draft and the summer of superstars, Brand better have a plan for summer ’19. This is a little rundown of what Sixers fans can expect and some opinions on who they should take a look at.
The Draft:
The Sixers will be picking at just the 24thselection. With that pick, Matisse Thybulle from Washington would fit perfectly. He’s a lengthy defender who can cover multiple positions and is athletic enough to create shots near the rim for himself.
The 76ers also have four second round picks and desperately need a decent back up for Joel Embiid. Do the Sixers dare take a look at the ticket-selling Tacko Fall? The 7’6” big man out of UCF could provide some great rim protection and rebounding with a second group on the floor.
They could also use a real backup point guard. I love TJ McConnell as much as the next guy but if he doesn’t re-sign a guy like Carsen Edwards from Purdue would be an incredible bench scorer for Brett Brown and the boys.
Another interring product in the late rounds could be Terry Harris out of North Carolina A&T. Terry is the younger brother of Tobias Harris and, again, could help to lure him back to the Wells Fargo Center.
Jimmy Butler:
Jimmy Butler is one of the biggest names in this summer’s incredible free agent class and is the most important pieces for the Sixers this offseason. There’s been whispers that the Sixers are prepared to offer him the max at five years/$190 million, according Brian Windhorst and The Score.
Sixers are reportedly getting ready to show Jimmy Butler the 💰. https://t.co/ngYPFrHfmr pic.twitter.com/0xLTUPYFaG
— theScore (@theScore) June 2, 2019
The tricky part will be teams like the Lakers and the Knicks offering him a slightly bigger market and the opportunity to play with LeBron (Lakers) or Kevin Durant (possibly the Knicks) as well as give him close to the same amount of money.
Ben Simmons:
Next season will be Ben Simmons' last year on his rookie deal. The hope is he signs the rookie extension similar to what Joel Embiid did a few years back. This would also leave us enough money to sign bench players that the Sixers would desperately need. It would be huge if the Sixers could extend him this offseason and get it out of the way. All this as well as hopefully taking a few hundred thousand jump shots this summer.
Tobias Harris:
Tobias Harris wants a max contract. He fits extremely well with this core group and is blossoming into one of the quietest superstars in the NBA. But, he disappeared in the playoffs and that has a lot of people worried if he can show up in the playoffs. I, personally, wouldn’t throw a max deal at Harris, but if the Sixers could give him a little bit less and be able to sign a solid bench piece or two, that would be ideal.
Other Key Free Agents:
TJ McConnell could return to the Sixers for the Veteran minimum and help out the cap space. If he were to walk it wouldn’t crush the team even it does hurt some of the Philly faithful.
Mike Scott and JJ Redick could sign on very team friendly deals to stay in Philly. That’s because the Sixers already gave JJ his payday two years back when the cap space wasn’t an issue. Mike Scott seems to love Philly and being on this team along with the “Mike Scott Hive”.
Hopefully Boban Marjanovic takes a similar contract to that of the one he has now or maybe even a pay cut (fingers crossed). If the team loses Boban, it won’t be the end of the world, but it might help keep Tobias Harris around.
James Ennis III was a key contributor off the bench in the playoffs. He was a very quiet mid-season pick up and provided valuable minutes come April and May. Ennis is wiling to test the market and the Sixers may be reluctant to give him the multi year deal he is looking for.
Possible Free Agent Additions:
Patrick Beverley: Pat Bev would be a huge signing for Philly and an unbelievable bench defender for crunch time in big games. He is very reliable offensively and one of the stingiest defenders in the league. If the Sixers could sign him for a similar price that he got last year ($5 million) that would be huge.
Ed Davis: Davis would be an inexpensive role player for the Sixers. He does a lot of things well and would be solid in a bench role. Not to mention, he would not be too expensive as he is a career bench guy.
Kent Bazemore: If the Sixers were to spend a little extra for a weapon off the bench, Kent Bazemore would be a great fit. He’s a great scorer and a great defender. He would score about 12 off the bench and could cover most wing players. He would be a little more expensive than the other two, but he would definitely be worth it.
Big-Name Free Agents the Sixers have a Chance at:
*This is list of guys is free agents the Sixers should target if they don’t re-sign Jimmy Butler and/or Tobias Harris.
Kawhi Leonard: Kawhi is dragging the Raptors in these playoffs. Prior to the start of the finals Kawhi was putting up stats that compare to that of Michael Jordan and Hakeem Olajuwon.
Kawhi Leonard has 11 games with at least 30 points in the 2019 #NBAPlayoffs. The only players in postseason history with more such games prior to the Finals are Michael Jordan (13 in 1989, 12 in 1990) and Hakeem Olajuwon (12 in 1995). pic.twitter.com/6rUUpVHIan
— NBA.com/Stats (@nbastats) May 28, 2019
Kawhi would cost Jimmy-Butler-type-money but would be well worth it if the Sixers could pull the trigger. The Sixers probably aren't at the top of Kawhi's list but he would be a great fit with Simmons and Embiid.
Klay Thompson: The “lesser” of the two splash brothers is up for a big deal this offseason. Although he got snubbed from the All NBA 3rd team, he’s still going to get a huge contract. He would be a nice fit if the Sixers don’t nail down on Harris. It’ll be a contract similar to Butler’s, but it could mean a lot in big moments.
Kemba Walker: A lot of Simmons haters would love to see Kemba come in here and take over a point guard/shooting guard hybrid with Ben on the floor. Walker would be getting a five year/$221 million super-max contract that would inevitably put the Sixers into the luxury tax. That’s no issue according to owner Josh Harris, but that is a lot of money when there are bigger fish to catch.
As far as the fans are concerned this might be the most important answer from today:
"We've said it repeatedly and we'll keep saying it. We'll continue to do what it takes to bring a championship to Philly including spending into the luxury tax." – Josh Harris
— Sarah Todd (@NBASarah) May 14, 2019
