Free agency began at 6 p.m. on Monday evening, and it was highlighted by Philly native Kyle Lowry not coming home. He took his talents to South Beach, and teamed up with Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo on a three-year, $90 million Miami Heat deal. It’s a sign-and-trade that’s expected to see Goran Dragic and Precious Achiuwa go to Toronto, according to PRELIMINARY reports.
That’s killer money for a 35 year old who was linked to the Sixers midway through this past season.
Philadelphia, meantime, went out and signed Furkan Korkmaz to a three-year deal worth $15 million, and my thoughts on that are:
As for Dwight Howard going back to the Lakers, well, he was the best backup center they’ve had for Joel Embiid. I know they dropped off pretty significantly in the playoffs when he came on the floor, but Embiid was the MVP runner-up, so anybody is going to look like relative shit subbing in for Joel. That’s more indicative of how good Embiid is vs. how “bad” anybody else is. I think our view of that has always been skewed since Embiid is really the engine that runs the whole thing. It’s like taking LeBron off the floor. Of course you’re gonna struggle.
The Lakers are up against the cap after the Russell Westbrook trade, and they need super cheap players to fill out that roster. Dwight was a great fit for them in 2020, won a ring, and will try to do it again this year. Makes sense for him, but the Sixers once again find themselves looking for another big behind Joel. They’ve cycled through Amir Johnson, Richaun Holmes, Greg Monroe, Boban Marjanovic, Dwight, a staggered Al Horford, and tried various smaller lineups with Ersan Ilyasova and Dario Saric playing small ball five. Seems like they’re looking for a backup big every season, doesn’t it?
The cycle continues.