6 options for Sixers in free agency with taxpayer mid-level exception

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In his first offseason as Sixers president of basketball operations, Daryl Morey placed a high value on flexibility. He chose not to use the team’s taxpayer mid-level exception on a free agent, leaving the possibility open that he’d employ it for an in-signing season. Ultimately, he opted against doing so.The Sixers currently have a little over $100 million committed next season to the trio of Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons and Tobias Harris, making it likely the team will again be over the luxury tax threshold and have the taxpayer mid-level exception as an option.The taxpayer mid-level exception, which can be used to sign multiple players, is set at approximately $5.9 million this season. We look below at six potential candidates for the Sixers.

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Portis has a $3.8 million player option for next year. Bucks fans have loved his Kevin Garnett-esque intensity, and his skills have been valuable, too. On his fourth NBA team, the 26-year-old Portis averaged 11.4 points and 7.1 rebounds during the regular season and shot a career-best 47.1 percent from three-point range. He’s also been impactful in the playoffs despite three DNPs in the second round against the perimeter-oriented Nets. Though returning to Milwaukee will surely sound appealing to Portis, he’d profile well in Philadelphia, in part because of his ability to play both power forward and center. Unlike Dwight Howard, Portis is an outside shooting threat and doesn’t turn the ball over much.

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Bullock started 64 games for the Knicks and made 41 percent of his threes. He’s the type of player who fits in just about any setting. While not as effective at forcing turnovers as fellow UNC product Danny Green, he’d fill a similar role. Furkan Korkmaz and Green are among the Sixers’ four unrestricted free agents, but the team should pursue shooters regardless. Per Cleaning the Glass, the Sixers ranked 26th last season in three-point frequency.

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Another shooter. McDermott is a lesser defender than Bullock but a greater weapon moving off the ball and creating advantages for teammates by cutting and circling around screens. The 29-year-old is elite in terms of efficiency, finishing in the 92nd percentile or higher at his position the past three seasons in points per 100 shot attempts, according to Cleaning the Glass. If All-Defensive Team selections Matisse Thybulle, Simmons and Embiid are all still Sixers next season, the team would be well-positioned to mitigate McDermott’s defensive weaknesses. If not, he still might be a good addition. His offensive strengths would be quite useful next to Embiid. 

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Last November, The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor reported the Sixers had interest in trading for Mills. The Australian guard has been with the Spurs for 10 seasons, so heading elsewhere would be a major career transition. A taxpayer mid-level deal would also be a pay cut for Mills. Anyone who’s watched Mills play for his national team knows he’s more than capable of generating shots and producing clutch offense. He’d be helpful for the Sixers as a second-unit scorer and facilitator, and the pre-existing relationships with Simmons and Green are worth considering, too. 

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Harrell, who has a $9.7 million player option, told reporters at his exit interview that he did not know what his future held. If he hits free agency, the 27-year-old’s connections with Morey and Sixers head coach Doc Rivers could perhaps play a role in his decision-making about what’s next. Morey and the Rockets took him early in the second round of the 2015 NBA draft, while Rivers coached him for three seasons on the Clippers, including Harrell’s 2019-20 Sixth Man of the Year campaign. The 6-foot-7 Harrell is a limited big man — he only played 39 minutes during the Lakers’ first-round series loss to the Suns — but he’s very good at what he does best, which is injecting energy and scoring efficiently. In the event that the Sixers sign him, they’d need at least one other backup center able to handle the matchups that don’t suit Harrell. 

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Many Sixers fans will likely know Olynyk best from his days with the Celtics and Heat. He had a nice 27-game stretch with the rebuilding Rockets after being sent to Houston in the Victor Oladipo trade, posting 19.0 points, 8.4 rebounds and 4.1 assists per contest. Some of that production stemmed from playing for a team that wanted optimal draft lottery odds, but Olynyk has been an above-average passer and shooter for his position throughout his career. For the Sixers, he could play behind both Embiid and Harris. 

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