The Sixers have one open roster spot at the moment, and it’s fairly obvious whom they’re saving it for. But if LeBron James chooses to sign elsewhere in free agency, then what?
The free-agent market has largely been picked over at this point. A handful of big names are still unsigned, although James Harden and Draymond Green are just biding their time until LeBron decides before they re-sign with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors, respectively. Neither are legitimate possibilities
for the Sixers.
The Sixers already split their non-taxpayer mid-level exception between Dean Wade and Anfernee Simons, and they spent a portion of their bi-annual exception on Ariel Hukporti. As a result, they are now hard-capped at the $209 million first apron from now through June 30, 2027. They only have enough space under the first apron ($3.4 million) to offer a one-year, veteran-minimum contract to any free agent.
With that said, Dalen Terry is on a fully non-guaranteed contract, while only $250,000 of Jabari Walker’s $2.6 million salary is guaranteed. Regardless of what happens with LeBron, the Sixers could still make a few moves around the margins this offseason.
Here’s a look at some of their best remaining free-agent options.
Nick Richards, C
The Sixers aren’t really planning on going into the season with Hukporti, Adem Bona and Johni Broome as their only backups to the oft-injured Joel Embiid… are they?
Perhaps they believe the 7-foot Hukporti has some untapped upside, but he was the New York Knicks’ third-string center last year. Not having a veteran option to push Bona for the primary backup job could come back to bite the Sixers if (when?) the oft-injured Embiid misses time.
Nick Richards is likely the best remaining solution in free agency. The 28-year-old isn’t anything flashy, but he’s a steady presence who averaged 9.5 points, 8.1 rebounds and 1.0 blocks in only 24.3 minutes per game with the Charlotte Hornets and Phoenix Suns between the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons.
Richards fell down the Suns’ pecking order last season, but he put up 9.4 points, 7.6 rebounds and 0.9 blocks in only 22.4 minutes per game across 20 appearances with the Chicago Bulls after they acquired him ahead of the trade deadline. However, if you thought advanced analytics hate Jaylen Brown, you should steer clear of Richards’ Dunks and Threes page.
Mario Hezonja, SF
Eleven years after the Orlando Magic selected Mario Hezonja with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2015 draft, Super Mario is reportedly headed back stateside, as Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews was first to report.
Hezonja has spent the past four seasons with Real Madrid and is fresh off being named the MVP of the Liga Endesa in Spain. In 80 games across all competitions this past season, he averaged 15.0 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.8 made threes in only 23.1 minutes per game.
Hezonja came into the NBA looking like a prototypical shooting wing, but he shot only 31.9 percent from deep over five years between the Orlando Magic, New York Knicks and Portland Trail Blazers. He shot above 39.0 percent from beyond the arc in both 2022-23 and 2023-24 during his first two seasons with Real Madrid, although his percentages dipped over the past two years.
Wing is one of the Sixers’ weakest positions behind Jaylen Brown, unless Justin Edwards takes a major leap forward or they land LeBron in free agency. Hezonja is no LeBron, but the former top-five pick would be a relatively low-risk, high-upside gamble, especially on a minimum deal.
DeMar DeRozan, SF
Since only $10 million of DeMar DeRozan’s $25.7 million contract was fully guaranteed in 2026-27, the Sacramento Kings opted to waive him as they attempted to get their 25-win team below the luxury-tax line. On a minimum deal, he’d be a steal anywhere.
DeRozan is an anachronistic player. He rarely shoots threes and tends to dominate in the mid-range, but he also averaged 18.4 points per game while shooting 49.7 percent overall in his age-36 season last year. However, he’s been one of the league’s worst defensive players over the past few seasons, according to some advanced metrics.
The Sixers already have to figure out how to split touches between Brown, Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe in their starting lineup, not to mention Simons and Labaron Philon Jr. off the bench. One could argue that the last thing the Sixers need is another high-usage player, especially one who’s a defensive liability. But if nothing else, DeRozan could soak up minutes during the regular season to avoid Maxey and Edgecombe getting overworked.
DeRozan did overlap with Nurse in Toronto for a few years before Nurse took over as head coach, so the two have plenty of familiarity with one another. The Miami Heat are also viewed as “a real possibility” to sign DeRozan if they whiff on LeBron in free agency, according to Barry Jackson of Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald, so he might wind up being the consolation prize for whichever team loses the King James race.
Kelly Olynyk, C
Kelly Olynyk played sparingly behind Victor Wembanyama and Luke Kornet this past season. But he’s only one year removed from a four-year stretch in which he averaged 10.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.6 assists in only 23.3 minutes per game across four teams.
Olynyk turned 35 in April, so he isn’t suited for a major role at this point of his career. He could potentially fill the Andre Drummond job of stopgap starting center whenever Embiid misses time, but he’d otherwise compete with Bona, Hukporti and Broome for minutes behind the big fella.
Olynyk is a career 36.9 percent shooter from deep, so the Sixers could have a legitimate five-out look with him on the floor. Bona and Hukporti both likely have the edge on him defensively at this stage of their respective careers, but Olynyk’s long-range shooting could help him carve out a role regardless.
Spending five of their 15 roster spots on centers wouldn’t be great from a positional allocation standpoint, although the Spurs just did so and made it to the NBA Finals. But if the Sixers aren’t confident in the Bona-Hukporti-Broome trio as Embiid’s backup options and they can’t land Richards, Olynyk may be the next-best realistic option.
Jae’Sean Tate, SF
Jae’Sean Tate has spent all six of his NBA seasons in Houston, and his role has gradually declined each year. This past season, he averaged a career-low 2.8 points and 1.6 rebounds in 8.8 minutes per game.
In Houston, Tate was buried behind Amen Thompson, Kevin Durant and Josh Okogie since Alperen Şengün, Jabari Smith Jr., Tari Eason and Steven Adams soaked up most of the frontcourt minutes. In Philly, Edwards might be Tate’s only real competition to be Brown’s primary backup.
The 30-year-old Tate is a career 30.9 percent three-point shooter on low volume, which is the main drawback from the Sixers’ perspective. However, he’s been a plus defender for most of his career.
Given the Sixers’ lack of wing depth, Tate could be a welcome addition on a minimum deal.
Ochai Agbaji, SG/SF
In the last few years of Daryl Morey’s tenure, he turned the Sixers into the Land of Second Chances for recent first-round picks. Could Mike Gansey do the same with Ochai Agbaji?
The Cleveland Cavaliers selected Agbaji with the No. 14 overall pick in the 2022 draft. Two months later, they shipped him to the Utah Jazz as part of their blockbuster trade for Donovan Mitchell.
Agbaji never found his footing in Utah, which led the Jazz to trade him to the Toronto Raptors midway through his second season. He averaged 10.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.6 made threes and 1.5 assists in 27.2 minutes per game during his lone full season in Toronto, but he was once again on the move this past season as part of a tax dump.
Shooting has always been Agbaji’s swing skill, and he shot a career-worst 26.6 percent from deep this past season between Toronto and Brooklyn. The 26-year-old may never live up to his predraft pedigree, but he has great size and athleticism for a wing. He isn’t much of a threat on the ball or as a passer, but the Sixers could do far worse than signing him to a minimum deal and plugging him into a low-usage, three-and-D role.
Amir Coffey, SF
Behold, another desperate attempt to plug the Sixers’ hole at the wing.
Amir Coffey spent the first six seasons of his NBA career with the Los Angeles Clippers before splitting this past season between the Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns. He’s a streaky long-range shooter, but he did knock down nearly 40 percent of his three-point attempts between the 2023-24 and 2024-25 campaigns.
Like Tate and Agbaji, Coffey isn’t much of a threat on the ball either as a scorer or a passer, but the Sixers wouldn’t ask that of him. He isn’t a standout defender by any means, but he isn’t a glaring target, either.
The 29-year-old has played sparingly in the playoffs, although he did average 18.7 minutes per game during the Clippers’ first-round loss to the Dallas Mavericks in 2023-24. He could be some veteran insurance for the Sixers in case Edwards doesn’t take another step forward this season.
Bruce Brown Jr., SG
Bruce Brown Jr. might be waiting for Peyton Watson’s future to get resolved before he re-signs with the Denver Nuggets. But if he gets priced out there because of apron concerns, he’d be a welcome addition in Philly.
Over the past four seasons, Brown has averaged 9.8 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.0 steals in 26.2 minutes per game while shooting 47.1 percent overall and 35.2 percent from deep. Though he stands only 6’4″ and 202 pounds, he’s able to defend anything from point guards to small forwards.
Among the remaining wing options on the market, Brown might be the best passer by far. Coffey has the edge on him as a long-range shooter, although Brown did drill 38.5 percent of his looks from deep last year.
As an added bonus, Brown signing with the Sixers would likely lead to a lot of diaper-wetting in Denver.
