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As the NBA offseason progresses, the Philadelphia 76ers have a star player to woo and a bench to fix.
Going into the 2022-23 NBA season, Harden has a $47 million player option on his hands, and is eligible for a $223 million extension in August.
While Harden and Philly's front-office will likely reach a short-term deal that sits well with both, fixing the bench is an issue the front-office has a unique outlook on.
As reported by Ky Carlin of USA Today Sports' "Sixers Wire," Daryl Morey plans to lure players to Philadelphia with the help of their head coah, Doc Rivers. Morey stated:
"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. ...We’re, hopefully, after free agency, we’re going to be a fairly deep team.” (via) Sixers Wire
Morey further added:
"People love our team, people love playing with Joel, people love playing with James, love playing with Tobias (Harris). We’re optimistic about free agency, but we have no idea how that’s gonna play out.”
“I do think what balances that is city, winning team, coach Rivers. I can’t tell you how much when I’m out there, people are like ‘I wanna play for Doc’. That’s been very helpful for me.” (via) Sixers Wire
Morey has expressed an interest in trading Matisse Thybulle, and the 76ers have already tried to package him in a trade that would bring Rockets guard Eric Gordon to Philadelphia.
Doc Rivers' tenure in the NBA, first as a player, then as a coach, has placed him among one of the best to ever coach.
As a result, Rivers earned a spot on the list of the 15 greatest coaches in NBA history in the 2021-22 season.
The historical precedent for an NBA championship includes a strong bench
Whether it's the Bulls in the '90s, the Lakers in the 2000s or the Warriors in the last eight years, a competitive bench has been a crucial aspect of any championship team in the NBA.
Having traded away their crucial pieces coming off the bench, the Philadelphia 76ers find themselves stuck in a hole with bench players (Matisse Thybulle, Furkan Korkmaz, Danny Green and DeAndre Jordan) who haven't managed to perform up to expectations this season.
If the 76ers aim to be contenders next season, retooling the bench should be at the top of the priority list aside from the Harden extension.
Guess the Lakers players!
