The 76ers do not have much room to add free agents this offseason so they are not expected to be big players.
They have, however, lost both Georges Niang and Shake Milton in the opening hours of free agency, leaving the team with a need to fill out their rotations for the upcoming season.
Their first move was to sign 11-year veteran Patrick Beverley, according to his podcast.
Breaking news: free agent guard Patrick Beverley is signing with the Philadelphia 76ers.
— Pat Bev Pod (@PatBevPod) July 1, 2023
With little cap room, the deal was not expected to be a large one.
This was confirmed by Kyle Neubeck, who reported that the deal is a guaranteed veteran minimum contract.
The Sixers are signing Patrick Beverley to a one-year deal for the minimum, per source. Deal is fully guaranteed
— Kyle Neubeck (@KyleNeubeck) July 1, 2023
Beverley spent the first part of last season with the Lakers before he was bought out and joined Chicago to help stabilize their rotation in their push for the playoffs.
Last season, he shot 33% from three-point range. Prior to the 2021-22 season he had been a career 38.2% shooter from beyond the arc.
He averaged 27.1 minutes per game so could play a fairly large role in the rotation for the Sixers. He also averaged 6.2 points, 2.9 assist, 0.9 steals, 1.2 blocks and 3.7 rebounds per game, so should bring some defense to the team.
The Sixers also had major issues with rebounding at times last season, so his willingness to attack the glass should help there.
The veteran will not only provide leadership but help the team to supplement the production lost with Niang and Milton’s departures.
While the Sixers will certainly continue to look at free agency for players they may have the space to sign, all eyes remain on James Harden and his reported trade request following opting into his player option. Certainly fans in Philly will also be following the Damian Lillard situation following his reportedly requesting a trade this morning, as well.
It is notable that Beverley did play with Harden in Houston, so this brings a potential piece in on that front for the reports that Harden may be willing to stick in Philadelphia for another season.
