3 big free agents already indicate they want to return to 76ers

The Philadelphia 76ers were one of the two teams involved in one of the most entertaining first-round matchups in recent memory, but came up on the short end, falling in six games to the No. 2 seed New York Knicks.

Despite yet another early postseason exit, the future actually looks bright in Philadelphia. They have one of the best players in the league, Joel Embiid, leading the way. Tyrese Maxey showed that he can be a very formidable No. 2 option. This offseason is all about filling the rest of the roster, and the 76ers are expected to have a little over $55 million in cap space according to Spotrac.

The 76ers can pursue a star like Paul George to create one of the best "Big Threes" in the NBA, and they can also choose to fill out their roster with high-end role players.

While the external options are always exciting, the 76ers can't ignore players who were on their team this past season even with the early exit. These three players in particular are not only strong fits with the team, but have expressed interest in re-signing with the 76ers.

3 key role players have already expressed interest in re-signing with 76ers

The 76ers have ten players whose contracts are set to expire, which is crazy to think about. Their roster could look entirely different next season if they want. They have Embiid under contract, and that's really it. They'll bring Maxey back as he's a restricted free agent, but he's not officially under contract right now.

Tobias Harris, arguably the biggest name set to hit unrestricted free agency, looks like a lock to sign elsewhere after yet another rough postseason showing. Still, a different key wing, Kelly Oubre Jr., is one of three players who have already indicated that they want a return.

After the Sixers’ Game 6 loss to the Knicks, Oubre said he wants to be somewhere he feels loved and respected, and that there “ain’t nothing but love here.” He added that he feels like there is “unfinished business” with the Sixers after losing in the playoffs’ first round.

Oubre signed a deal for the veteran's minimum this past offseason and will receive a monster raise this offseason. The 28-year-old averaged 15.4 points and 5.0 rebounds per game in the regular season and was a key contributor in that Knicks series on both sides of the ball. He proved he can be a valuable role player on a playoff team, and those kinds of players just don't grow on trees.

Buddy Hield is another player interested in a return to Philadelphia as he said “Right now, Philly is the priority for me.” Hield showed the kind of impact he could have in Game 6 against the Knicks as he drilled six three-pointers and scored 20 points in the loss, but he was out of the rotation entirely in the two games prior. On paper, an elite shooter like Hield surrounding the likes of Embiid and Maxey sounds great, but as Daryl Morey said, the trade “didn’t quite work as well as we’d hoped.” It'll be interesting to see if the 76ers show interest in re-signing him.

Once the 76ers traded James Harden, De'Anthony Melton stepped in as a starter and set a career-high scoring 11.1 points per game while shooting 36.0% from three-point range. While he's better suited in a bench role, Melton's ability to shoot at a solid clip while being a high-level perimeter defender makes him an attractive asset, but back troubles limited him to just 38 games this past season.

Melton said following Game 6 that he “for sure” would “love” to come back to the Sixers, but understands the business side.

Perhaps Melton showing interest in remaining with the team can allow them to bring him back at a team-friendly number. If that's the case, Morey would almost certainly want him back. The same can be said in that regard with the other two on this list.