NBA Free Agency 2017: 5 offseason needs for the Philadelphia 76ers

By John Buhler | Apr 27, 2017

Apr 4, 2017; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Dario Saric (9) and guard T.J. McConnell (1) cover their faces as they talk on the bench in the game against the Brooklyn Nets at Wells Fargo Center. The Brooklyn Nets won 141-118. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /

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Apr 4, 2017; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Tiago Splitter (47) shoots against Brooklyn Nets forward Andrew Nicholson (44) during the second half at Wells Fargo Center. The Brooklyn Nets won 141-118. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /

3. A veteran professional down low

When Elton Brand retired from hoops after the 2015-16 NBA season, Philadelphia once again lacked a veteran mentor down low. Ersan Ilyasova filled that void in some capacity at stretch four, but he was traded to the Atlanta Hawks for a more ideal veteran mentor in center Tiago Splitter.

Splitter had been groomed in a similar system that Brown runs in Philadelphia while Splitter was with the San Antonio Spurs and Atlanta. However, his ailing hip may end up cutting the solid Brazilian’s NBA career short.

Basically, Philadelphia needs to keep bringing in at least one former All-Star/NBA champion to help bring these young kids along in the frontcourt. This is the area of the 76ers roster where the front office has allocated most of its drafting resources. Embiid has been a great find, but Nerlens Noel was traded to the Dallas Mavericks and it’s still up in the air what Jahlil Okafor can become a the next level.

Perhaps a Taj Gibson or a Zach Randolph would be a solid veteran to bring in to the Philadelphia culture. Neither player comes from a team built on Gregg Popovich principles, but those two power forwards are revered across the league for their competitiveness and defensive acumen.

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