The Philadelphia 76ers have a very important offseason ahead of them. After being eliminated in the second round of the playoffs again, they will be looking to make some changes to help get the team over the hump.
Their biggest splash came ahead of the deadline when they acquired James Harden from the Brooklyn Nets to pair with Joel Embiid. Now, they will look to add some pieces around that duo that will hopefully lead to more postseason success.
They started that process during the 2022 NBA Draft. Philadelphia traded Danny Green and the No. 23 overall pick to the Memphis Grizzlies for De’Anthony Melton. Melton will upgrade the backcourt behind Tyrese Maxey and Harden, providing the team with a much-needed upgrade at the backup point guard spot.
One player to keep an eye on in free agency is P.J. Tucker. Tucker declined his player option with the Miami Heat, becoming an unrestricted free agent. Shortly after doing that, it was reported that he and the 76ers have mutual interest and that he could sign a three-year deal worth $30 million.
LATEST NBA FREE AGENCY NEWS AND TRADE RUMORS: Bulls Interested In Trade For Philadelphia 76ers’ Matisse Thybulle
He would be an excellent addition to the roster given that he has experience playing alongside Harden already. His addition to the frontcourt would be a massive one for the 76ers, who struggled at times to find someone to play alongside Embiid and to back him up.
Tucker would be a big upgrade over Georges Niang and Matisse Thybulle, who both struggled during the postseason. Speaking of Thybulle, he is one of the players that the 76ers are trying to trade to free up some flexibility with their finances and bring in veteran talent.
LATEST NBA FREE AGENCY NEWS AND TRADE RUMORS: Bulls Interested In Trade For Philadelphia 76ers’ Matisse Thybulle
Thybulle is an elite defensive player as he can lock down the perimeter. However, he has a long way to go offensively, as even with his stellar defense, he was a net negative during the postseason.
Despite that, he is drawing some trade interest around the league. The Portland Trail Blazers and Dallas Mavericks are two teams mentioned most often as a potential landing spot for Thybulle.
Portland has been on the lookout for some defensive-minded players for years as their offense has always been explosive but they have struggled to slow opponents down. Before last season, the same could be said about the Mavericks, but they were as stingy as anyone in the second half of the season on the defensive end of the court.
Both the Dallas Mavericks and Portland Trail Blazers would love the defensive upgrade that Matisse Thybulle brings to the table and would be hoping their respective coaching staffs could get more out of him offensively than the Philadelphia 76ers were able to.
