What I Would Like To See From The Sixers In The Offseason

     What a year for the Sixers. I thought at most they could get the 6th seed because of their inexperience and mediocre depth, but by god did they exceed my expectations. Embiid stayed relatively healthy, JJ averaged a career high, Covington showed he is one of the best defenders in the league, Simmons looked like a vet and showed that he is a superb defender, Dario stepped up his game and was almost lights out from 3, we got rid of players we did not need in Okafor and Stauskas, which led to us getting Belinelli and Ilyasova who have really transformed this team, and players like Justin Anderson and TJ (for a better part of the year) have really shown up in their sparse playing time. This season was beyond amazing, and we are still going strong in the playoffs! Although we are still fighting to win the East (which is actually a possibility), I'm already thinking about the offseason.

Re-Sign Key Players

JJ to the MLE

     JJ was absolutely amazing for us this year. He shot lights out from deep (42%) and was even 6th in free throw percentage (90.4%). We knew he wasn't going to be a good defender, but he was the shooter that we needed. The contract we signed him to was expensive (1 year, $23 million), but it's not like we were going to spend it anywhere else and we had the money. What I believe is that we overspent because he would be willing to take less later on to stay with us. He has said in interviews that the plan was always to stay here long term (that most likely means to the end of his career which most likely isn't too far away), so I think he would be willing to take the MLE (which will possibly be around $8 million). The only way I could see him leaving is if the Nets offer him a huge contract. He lives in Brooklyn so it would be much easier for him to make the trip to home games and practice. Either way, I really want JJ back for the right contract.

Amir, Belinelli, and Ilyasova to the min

     I bashed Amir Johnson all year (he put up the dumbest shots I've ever seen and committed some dumb ass fouls), but I'd honestly like him back. He could teach some things to help Richaun develop (and maybe even Jonah Bolden if he comes over!), and I finally have to admit that he progressively got better as the backup to Embiid throughout the year. Although he was pretty horrendous on offense (at least scoring wise, he wasn't that bad at setting screens and such), he was an okay defender and rebounder. I wouldn't give him any more than the min.

     The addition of Belinelli and Ilyasova (thanks Atlanta) is what transformed this team to one of the best in the league. They were both really good shooters and really helped out the bench. Although Belinelli didn't have a great first couple weeks, he became basically JJ 2.0 afterwards and a fan favorite. Ersan's offensive boards and putbacks, charges, and shooting is what we really need. It was amazing what two veterans who were waived from the same team did for the Sixers. I feel like they would be willing to take a cheap contract to play with us again because they are aging (who knows how old Ilyasova is, here's the conspiracy theory), seem to really love their time on this team, and because we are becoming one of the best teams in the league who need exactly what they bring to the table.

Another Shooter in Wayne Ellington

     Fuck the Heat, but everyone knows that Wayne Ellington would be a great addition to this team. He's been a very reliable shooter for them this year, and if we aren't able to re-sign JJ and or Belinelli, he would be a great fit next to Simmons and Fultz. We still do not know when Fultz will regain his shot, but if it's not in time for the beginning of next season at the least (please dear god no), then putting Wayne Ellington on one of the corners or just spotting up for three will really free up a lot of options offensively.

Unrealistic But Would Be Amazing: Paul George

     Getting Paul George is not very realistic (he has never said anything about Philly, the picture has Sixers jerseys from 3 years prior), but just imagine how amazing it would be to have him. We would have probably the best defensive starting five if we slide him to the 2 and continue to roll with Covington at the 3. Paul George, Covington, Simmons, and Embiid are all monsters on the defensive end with all of them being All-Defensive candidates and Embiid and George being candidates for Defensive Player of the Year.

     Obviously, George is not just a defensive player. He has made a name for himself being a great 3-point shooter (shooting 40.1% from deep this year) and a very athletic finisher. He averaged 21.9 points per game next to Westbrook and Melo, who both took some of the scoring pressure off of PG. I personally think that Simmons is a more willing passer and has better court vision than Westbrook, so that could do wonders for George. He wouldn't have to feel to much pressure to score because Simmons can score at incredible rates (54.5% from the floor AS A POINT GUARD, which is best among all point guards), Embiid is Embiid, Dario has become a really good finisher and shooter, and other efficient shooter like JJ and Marco will surround him. I think Paul George would be a perfect fit for Philly and Philly will be a perfect fit for him, but there is almost no chance he comes here. Prove me wrong Playoff P.

Why I'm Skeptical About Lebron

Pros

• It's Lebron. Do I really need to explain?

Cons

• LeGm. I feel like he's going to try to take over this team and I really don't want to see that. This year in Cleveland was absolutely disgusting. Having to start Jose Calderon at the point and having such a dysfunctional locker room does not look good for him. 
• This would most likely force Covington to the bench. Covington needs to be a starter to defend their best player and he can't do that if he comes off the bench. He's not efficient enough as a shooter to be able to come off the bench as a scorer. Cov is mostly used as a defender who can hit the 3 and that won't be utilized if he's on the bench. His defense is a big asset to this team and putting him on the bench would hinder our defense.
• What would happen with Simmons and Embiid? They're going to have to step back and mainly let Lebron take the reigns and I don't want to see that either. They are young and have shown superstar (or even possibly All Time Great) potential, and having Lebron will diminish their role. I want to see them tearing up opponents, and that will be harder if Lebron will take on a lot of scoring.

(Edit: Dylan reminded me of Noel. If he's willing to take a very small deal for a year, he could be a really good backup to Embiid. The catch is if he's willing to take a small contract because he turned down $17.5 million from the Mavs last year. He might get a fourth of that.)