NBA Free Agency 2019: 5 offseason targets for the Philadelphia 76ers

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LOS ANGELES, CA – MARCH 19: Patrick Beverley #21 of the LA Clippers looks on during the game against the Indiana Pacers on March 19, 2019 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. 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 Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images) /

3. Patrick Beverley, PG

Patrick Beverley will seemingly be a hot commodity in free agency.

On Monday, longtime NBA reporter Sean Deveney tweeted Beverley “will be taking meetings with as many as five teams” before he meets with the Los Angeles Clippers. With the Clippers vying for “max-type” free agents such as Kawhi Leonard, “Beverley won’t necessarily wait on an offer from them,” Deveney reported.

Beverley has already expressed an openness to sign with his hometown Chicago Bulls, but he could give the Sixers the point-of-attack defender they sorely lacked this past season.

While Ben Simmons and Jimmy Butler largely defended point guards throughout the playoffs, that strategy may not be as viable over the course of a full 82-game regular season. With T.J. McConnell headed into restricted free agency and unlikely to be a top priority, the Sixers will need to target a backup point guard in free agency if they don’t select one in the draft.

The 6-foot Beverley doesn’t fit into the Sixers’ supersized identity, but he’s a dogged defender whose ability to get under his opponents’ skin would fit like a glove in Philadelphia. Beverley may stay with the Los Angeles Clippers if Kawhi Leonard heads there this summer, but if he and the Sixers should appeal to one another if he’s in ring-chasing mode.

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