Brian Windhorst was on Mike Greenberg’s show and dropped some bread crumbs regarding the Sixers offseason plans:

  • Daryl Morey has “big, giant plans to acquire another star” close to the end of his contract.
  • Windy thinks Daryl mentioning Doc Rivers is coming back next season could be a leverage play with the Lakers.
  • James Harden will be back. How much money will he be making? That depends.

Here’s the entire segment:

Now six months ago I would take everything Windy says not about LeBron with a grain of salt. But he singlehandedly brought us to the Deal Zone at the NBA trade deadline so now everything he says about the Sixers is Gospel. We’re star hunting again.

So who could be the star who is close to the end of his deal? Lets take a look at the 2023 free agent class: Bradley Beal jumps off the page immediately, Kyrie Irving, Nikola Jokic will be an UFA and who wouldn’t want to pair the last three MVP winners together? Then there is LeBron James. Someone better be scanning the Malvern visitors logs daily.

Its gotta be Brad Beal right? Windy said he’d get in trouble if he said the name. Probably because Beal is still deciding if he wants to decline his player option and sign a 5 year/$246 million extension or pick up the player option and all but force the Wizards to trade him rather than risk him leaving in free agency for nothing. If it is Brad Beal the contract Harden is going to sign becomes even more important. Will he take less money for a star player? There are reports the Sixers had intel he would even before the trade. Or do they package Tobias Harris and picks or Tyrese Maxey and picks for Beal, Harden picks up his option, maybe takes less money, and we re-visit everything in the offseason? Strap in. We’re going to the Deal Zone: