5 offseason needs for the Philadelphia 76ers

PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 23: Tobias Harris #33 of the Philadelphia 76ers high fives Jimmy Butler #23 against the Brooklyn Nets in Game Five of Round One of the 2019 NBA Playoffs at the Wells Fargo Center on April 23, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 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. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /

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TORONTO, CANADA – MAY 12: Ben Simmons #25 of the Philadelphia 76ers looks on against the Toronto Raptors during Game Seven of the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals of the 2019 NBA Playoffs on May 12, 2019 at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. 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 2019 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) /

4. Sign Ben Simmons to an extension

On July 1, Simmons will become eligible for a five-year contract extension worth up to roughly $168 million. If he qualifies for a supermax extension next season by winning MVP, Defensive Player of the Year or making an All-NBA team, that would rise to north of $200 million.

On July 1, the Sixers should sign him to such a deal.

Yes, concerns remain about his unwillingness to shoot jump shots and how that affects his long-term fit alongside Embiid. It’s fair to wonder whether it’s possible to maximize both Embiid and Simmons together, or whether they’d ultimately be better off apart (with Simmons surrounded by four knockdown shooters, a la LeBron James on the mid-2010s Cleveland Cavaliers).

But it’s also reckless to give up on the partnership after only two years, especially given how young Simmons and Embiid both are.

“He’s 22 years old,” Brown told reporters about Simmons after the Sixers staved off elimination against Toronto in Game 6. “His game, as he grows his shot and tries to get a better command of his position, and deals with the stage of the NBA playoffs—shame on us for thinking he’s going to be all day, every day, here he is and he’s just going to go knock it out of the park. It’s just not fair. ”

Simmons flashed elite defensive potential in the playoffs, smothering Brooklyn Nets All-Star point guard D’Angelo Russell in their first-round series and making life difficult on Toronto’s Kawhi Leonard in the conference semifinals. Improvement from the free-throw line and a consistent jumper would make him damn near unstoppable.

The Sixers will become prohibitively expensive in 2020-21 if they re-sign both Butler and Harris and ink Simmons to a max extension, but that’s the price they have to pay for choosing to embark upon this Big Four model.

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