Sam Hinkie’s major detractors would always point to his relationship (or lack thereof) with agents as a reason why he was a no-good, competition-hating imbecile. Now that he’s gone, and the Sixers added a #1 overall pick in Ben Simmons, the problem of not being able to lure desirable free agents who weren’t retired has-beens seeking a final paycheck – ELTON BRAND PLAYED FOR THE SIXERS LAST YEAR – is  apparently changing.

According to Sean Deveney at the Sporting News, agents are coming around to Philly as a free agent destination. Two “prominent” agents spoke anonymously to Deveney:

“By all indications, they’re going to be aggressive, and I think once you get past that first tier of free agents, you are going to have a perfect storm in Philadelphia that is going to make players want to go there… Brett Brown is a good coach. They’ve got money. They’ve got playing time available. I mean, it couldn’t be a more different situation than what we’re used to.”

So once the first tier is gone, FAs would love to come here. We’re not exactly the Bahamas or Cancun. It’s more like Key West. It’s not quite the top spot, but still pretty good.

But some people actually want to come here:

“I’ve got guys who tell me they want to going there,” the first agent told SN. “I mean, excited to go there. It’s a different approach.”

We don’t know what the FA outlook on Philly would be if Hinkie was still here with Ben Simmons, but we know what it is now, and it’s looking good, or at least… better.