NBA Free Agency 2018: 5 offseason targets for the Philadelphia 76ers

CLEVELAND, CA - JUN 8: LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers handles the ball against Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors in Game Four of the 2018 NBA Finals won 108-85 by the Golden State Warriors over the Cleveland Cavaliers at the Quicken Loans Arena on June 6, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Chris Elise/NBAE via Getty Images) /

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MEMPHIS, TN – JANUARY 29: Tyreke Evans #12 of the Memphis Grizzlies handles the ball against the Phoenix Suns on January 29, 2018 at FedExForum in Memphis, Tennessee. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images) /

4. Tyreke Evans, SG/SF

The Memphis Grizzlies inexplicably held on to Tyreke Evans at the trade deadline, but not before the Sixers reportedly weighed whether to acquire him.

In late January, Marc Stein of the New York Times reported the Sixers had “expressed trade interest” in Evans, but the Grizzlies wanted a “first-round pick in an Evans deal and Philly is naturally reluctant to surrender it.” Two days before the deadline, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski named the Sixers as one of the front-runners for Evans along with the Boston Celtics and Denver Nuggets, but no trade ever came to fruition.

The Grizzlies are now limited to offering Evans the non-taxpayer’s mid-level exception, which gives them no advantage in free agency outside of his familiarity with the team and the city. If the Sixers whiff on their top free-agent targets and have cap space to dangle, they could offer Evans a one-year deal above the MLE if he’s unwilling to lock himself to a long-term contract at that rate.

After undergoing three knee surgeries in 2015 and 2016, Evans looked like a shell of his former self in 40 appearances with the New Orleans Pelicans and Sacramento Kings in the 2016-17 season. That led him to sign a one-year, $3.3 million deal with the Memphis Grizzlies last July in an attempt to resuscitate his value.

Evans accomplished that goal and then some, as he set career-best marks in PER, win shares per 48 minutes and box plus/minus while averaging 19.4 points, 5.2 assists and 5.1 rebounds in only 30.9 minutes per game. Most encouragingly, Evans drilled a career-high 39.9 percent of his 3-point attempts while jacking 5.5 per game.

Evans missed 30 games last season, but many of those absences were due to the Grizzlies intentionally holding him out prior to the trade deadline and for personal reasons late in the season. If the Sixers can goad him into taking a one-year deal, that’d mitigate any long-term risk with regard to his knees, too.

Next: 3. Kawhi Leonard