Ranking the 76ers’ rumored offseason targets

The Philadelphia 76ers head into this offseason with as much as $70 million in possible cap space and a mandate to reassemble a competitor around Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid. They need to accomplish a lot with that money but adding a third star would jumpstart the process and, with so much space, they'd been linked with almost every big name who could be on the market.

Even before the season ended, they had already been named as one of the teams likely to take a run at Paul George. They've been mentioned as a dark-horse candidate for LeBron James and, more recently, a potential disruptor in the plans of the Miami Heat and New York Knicks to lock down Jimmy Butler and OG Anunoby.

All four of those wings will cost a pretty penny but all four could make a huge difference as a third-wheel for Maxey and Embiid. But, setting aside cost and the likelihood they actually land with the 76ers, who would be the best fit?

4. LeBron James

LeBron James is, by far, the biggest name the 76ers could land this offseason but on paper, he's the worst fit. In Maxey and Embiid, they have an interior defensive anchor, an elite pick-and-roll combination and a pair of high-level, high-volume offensive engines. The most important things they can slot in around them are shooting, defensive versatility and ancillary creation.

LeBron has never been more effective as a spot-up shooter and at times he's been an All-Defense caliber player. But his best days as a defender are behind him and investing in him primarily as a spot-up shooter and tertiary creator behind Embiid and Maxey is overkill. He might be the most talented player they could add to their lineup but he wouldn't be the best fit for building a deep rotation with as few holes as possible.

3. Jimmy Butler

Butler presents a lot of the same issues as LeBron, but with the 3-point shooting and defense flip-flopped. He's comfortable as a complementary creator and it worked the last time he was with the 76ers, although Tyrese Maxey is a very different third star than Ben Simmons. Butler is also still a strong defender who can handle multiple matchups although his durability and regular-season consistency on this front is not what it used to be.

The bigger issue is how little gravity Butler will bring to the table as a spot-up threat around Maxey-Embiid pick-and-rolls. There are a lot of different variations and ways this could work but it would be absolutely essential that the 76ers could get two other strong 3-point shooters into the five-man lineup. Butler brings some aggressiveness and intensity to the table that could benefit the 76ers but it's certainly not the cleanest fit given his age, injury history and range.

2. OG Anunoby

Anunoby may actually be the biggest longshot here seems he seems almost certain to re-sign with the Knicks. But, on paper, he's pretty close to ideal.

Anunoby is an elite defender with the size and strength to handle everyone from guards to small ball 4s. His 3-point shooting was a bit shakier early in his career but he's made 38.3 percent of his 3s over the past five seasons and is as reliable a shooter as the 76ers are going to find in a 3-and-D package. Of the four options, he's the least polished as a self-creator but that's arguably the least important on the list of skills the 76ers need. In addition, he's come a long way in that regard, especially attacking closeouts from the corner against a bent defense. And, at 26, he still has some upside.

1. Paul George

George is clearly the cleanest fit here. He's the best shooter by a decent margin. He doesn't have the playoff heroics of Jimmy Butler but he's at least as accomplished as a self-creator and well ahead of Anunoby in that regard. And while he's not the defender he used to be a few years ago, he's still versatile and can have a terrific impact at that end of the floor. And while durability will continue to be a concern, it's not any more of a concern for George than it would be for any of the other players on this list.

Landing any of these four could help vault the 76ers back into contention in the Eastern Conference but it would be just the first in a series of essential moves. The only other players currently under contract are Ricky Council IV and Paul Reed. They need frontcourt depth, they need more shooting, they need more defenders at every position, they need ancillary creators and it wouldn't hurt to find one more microwave scorer for the bench.

The 76ers have a clear idea of what kind of star they want to pair with Embiid and Maxey but everything else on this roster still needs to be filled in as well.