“People Wanna Play For Him”: Sixers President Explains How They Will Use Doc Rivers to Sign Free Agents

Posted on by Jack Marks

On Thursday, the Philadelphia 76ers made their first offseason acquisition when they traded Danny Green and the No. 23 selection for De’Anthony Melton in a move that benefits the team’s future. Free agency is now the focus of discussion. As a result of the deal, the Sixers’ available funds decreased from $2.5 million to $8.25 million throughout the time.

There are certain personnel concerns that need to be resolved as the Philadelphia 76ers enter the draft and free agency phases of the summer.

James Harden and Joel Embiid Sixers

The Sixers have two stars in Joel Embiid and James Harden who are somebody that players want to play with in terms of what they can offer to potential free agents. They can convince players to play in Philadelphia by pointing to them that those two can end games in a heartbeat. Another important person, according to Sixers president Morey, is Doc Rivers.

Morey feels Doc Rivers can pull free agents towards Sixers

A somebody like Rivers aids in recruiting and helping players comprehend their role because Morey and the Sixers have a strategy for free agency.

“I think one good thing about coach Rivers is people wanna play for him because he’s very upfront with what role they’ll have, and I think that’s helped us recruit,” said Morey on Thursday after the draft.

“We’re, hopefully, after free agency, we’re going to be a fairly deep team.”

By getting rid of Furkan Korkmaz, Matisse Thybulle, and Georges Niang, Philadelphia could now pay out more compensation. They haven’t yet pursued the bigger fish in the free agency pond, but doing so would enable them to do so. There are still financial restrictions even if Morey and the Sixers have a lot to offer free agents. In order to locate the players they need to win a championship, Philadelphia will have to operate within the constraints of the CBA.