6 Non-Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception Targets For The Sixers

After acquiring De’Anthony Melton in a draft-night trade with the Memphis Grizzlies, the Philadelphia 76ers must now turn their attention to free agency.

Teams can begin legally contacting free agents at 6 p.m. ET on Thursday, June 30. Between now and then, the Sixers need to assemble their list of free-agent targets and weigh which of them are realistic options.

If James Harden picks up his $47.4 million player option for the 2022-23 season as expected, the Sixers will have roughly $151.7 million in salary tied up in 13 players. That would put them just under $4 million below the projected $155.7 million luxury-tax apron, which is the line that teams cannot cross in a given season if they spend the non-taxpayer mid-level exception, the bi-annual exception or acquire a player via a sign-and-trade.

The non-taxpayer mid-level exception is projected to come in at roughly $10.3 million next season. After acquiring Melton, the Sixers would have to trim around $8.2 million in salary to have access to the non-taxpayer MLE and have enough room under the apron to afford a veteran-minimum contract ($1.8 million) for their 15th roster spot.

An NBA source told Tom Moore of the Bucks County Courier Times that the Sixers aren’t planning to trade just “to trim salary to use on [the] non-taxpayer MLE.” That reduces the likelihood of them having it, although they could flip Tobias Harris for a slightly smaller contract (Gordon Hayward? Kevin Love?) to carve out the room they need under the apron.

If the Sixers do manage to gain access to the non-taxpayer MLE, the following six players could all be of interest.

P.J. Tucker, PF

After the Miami Heat knocked the Sixers out of the playoffs, Joel Embiid lamented that his squad didn’t have more players like P.J. Tucker.

“When you have size and toughness, that goes a long way,” Embiid said (h/t Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice). You look at someone like P.J. Tucker. Great player, but its’ not about him knocking down shots. It’s about what he does, whether it’s on the defensive end or rebounding the ball.”

The Sixers soon may have a shot to land Tucker, as he plans to decline his $7.4 million player option for the 2022-23 season to become an unrestricted free agent, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic. “Several championship-contending teams are expected to compete for Tucker,” Charania added.

The Heat have non-Bird rights on Tucker, which means they can offer him up to $8.4 million as a starting salary on a new contract (120 percent of his salary from this past season). According to Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Tucker’s decision to opt out “was expected,” as “it merely is the means of securing a higher starting salary next season, and more than a single season.”

If talks break down between Tucker and the Heat, the Sixers might seek to appease Embiid by spending most or all of the non-taxpayer MLE on the 37-year-old forward. Although he averaged only 7.6 points and 5.5 rebounds in 27.9 minutes per game for the Heat this past season, he knocked down a career-high 41.5 percent of his three-point attempts and occasionally created floaters off the dribble.

Tucker could fill a number of holes on the Sixers as a low-usage three-and-D forward who can moonlight as a small-ball 5 in short doses. His familiarity with team president Daryl Morey from their time together in Houston could give them an advantage over similar-sized offers from other teams.

Prior to the draft, multiple sources told Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer that the Sixers intend to offer Tucker a three-year, $30 million contract once free agency begins. He said there’s mutual interest between Tucker and the Sixers, and that “league executives believe there’s a good chance Tucker will become a Sixer.”

The acquisition of Melton might throw a wrench into the Sixers’ non-taxpayer MLE plans. But if they do gain access to it, Tucker may be their most likely addition.

T.J. Warren, SF/PF

T.J. Warren is the textbook definition of a high-risk, high-reward free-agent target.

Warren hasn’t suited up in an NBA game since Dec. 29, 2020, as a pair of stress fractures in his left foot have sidelined him for the past 18 months. He did resume full on-court activities by mid-March, but the Indiana Pacers were well outside the playoff picture by that point, so he did not make his long-awaited return.

Prior to his injury, Warren averaged a career-high 19.8 points on 53.6 percent shooting during the 2019-20 season, which he punctuated with an explosive showing at the NBA bubble in Orlando, Florida. He erupted for 53 points on 20-of-29 shooting in the Pacers’ first game—against the Sixers, no less—and then averaged 30.3 points on 57.6 percent shooting (including 45.8 percent from deep) over the next four games.

Warren shot 42.8 percent from three-point range in 2018-19 and 40.3 percent in 2019-20, albeit on relatively low volume in both seasons. He also might be better suited to play the 4, where he can take advantage of slower-footed defenders who lack the lateral quickness to keep up with him on the perimeter, which could conflict with Tobias Harris’ role in Philly.

As Forbes Sports colleague Tony East recently wrote, Warren’s injuries make his market value nearly impossible to predict. He’d likely be in line for a deal worth at least $20 million annually without those question marks, but a contender like the Sixers might be able to snag him for the non-taxpayer MLE, particularly if they have an open starting job.

Bruce Brown Jr., SG/SF

Even in today’s increasingly positionless NBA, Bruce Brown Jr. is a rarity. Even though he’s listed at only 6’4″ and 202 pounds, the Brooklyn Nets unleashed him as an unconventional point-center during the 2020-21 season.

“I just realized, I mean, when I was on the floor with [Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden], more than likely l have the weakest defender on me,” Brown said, per CBS Sports’ James Herbert. “Just trying to get the weakest defender on James or Ky, so they could go to work.”

Brown set 34 screens per 100 possessions during the 2021 playoffs, according to Jared Dubin of FiveThirtyEight, and was fourth in points per possession among the 277 players who set at least 100 screens during the playoffs over the previous eight seasons. His ability to carve up defenses out of the short roll, similar to Golden State Warriors point-forward Draymond Green, made the supercharged Nets offense even more unstoppable.

With Ben Simmons set to make his Nets debut next season, Brooklyn may feel comfortable shifting many of Brown’s offensive responsibilities to him. That could make them hesitant to offer Brown an eight-figure annual salary if another team is willing to spend its full non-taxpayer MLE on him.

The Sixers wouldn’t necessarily use Brown the same way the Nets did, but his experience working with Harden could make him an asset. If teams continued to stick their weakest defenders on him—he’s a low-volume three-point shooter, although he did can a career-high 40.4 percent of his looks from deep this year—he could try to get those defenders switched onto Harden and Tyrese Maxey and let them go to work.

Kyle Anderson, SF/PF

Brown isn’t the only positional oddity who might be on the Sixers’ free-agent radar this year. Kyle Anderson could likewise interest them if Memphis Grizzlies decide to pivot away from him in favor of creating salary-cap space this offseason.

Anderson measured in at 6’8½” with a massive 7’2¾” wingspan at the 2014 NBA draft combine, which gives him the ability to switch defensively onto just about anyone. He racked up 1.1 steals and 0.7 blocks in only 21.5 minutes per game this past season, and he was tied with Ja Morant for the third-most deflections per game (2.0) of any Memphis player.

In each of Anderson’s first three seasons with the Grizzlies, they allowed at least 3.5 fewer points per 100 possessions with him on the floor compared to when he was on the bench, per Cleaning the Glass. While his defensive on/off splits plummeted this past season—in part because he mostly came off the bench—Memphis hauled in offensive rebounds on an absurd 30.8 percent of its missed shot attempts with him on the floor.

Anderson’s offensive fit with the Sixers is a bit more difficult to envision. He’s a career 33.4 percent three-point shooter on low volume (634 total attempts across 505 regular-season games), and he knocked down only 33.5 percent of his catch-and-shoot looks this past season. That could make him a questionable fit in a Sixers starting lineup that desperately needs another three-and-D wing in the wake of Danny Green’s injury.

However, Anderson is an adept playmaker who can create offense for himself or his teammates. The Sixers could use him as a secondary or tertiary ball-handler alongside Harden and Maxey to ensure they have multiple offensive creators on the floor at all times.

Even though Anderson might not be the cleanest fit in terms of floor spacing, his defensive versatility and playmaking ability could be appealing to the Sixers.

Taurean Prince, SF

While Anderson might be an unconventional way for the Sixers to fill their biggest needs, Taurean Prince is the exact opposite.

The 28-year-old is a career 37.1 percent three-point shooter who knocked down 38.5 percent of his catch-and-shoot looks from deep this past season. More than 81.4 percent of his made field goals came off assists, including nearly every three-pointer, but the same was true for Green.

With Embiid routinely drawing double- and triple-teams and both Harden and Maxey able to suck defenders into the paint on drives, the Sixers just need a wing who can consistently knock down open three-point looks. No defender was within four feet of Green on 212 of his 271 long-range attempts last season, which is the role that Prince would fill in Philly.

Prince isn’t a lockdown on-ball defender, but at 6’6″ and 218 pounds, he can credibly switch to guard multiple positions. He’s a mediocre rebounder, especially on the offensive glass, although Embiid and Harden should help the Sixers muster at least a league-average mark in that department next season.

After the Minnesota Timberwolves were eliminated from the playoffs, he told reporters that he planned to return next season. If he’s looking for a bigger role, though—he averaged only 17.1 minutes per game and started only eight games for the Timberwolves last season—the Sixers’ vacancy at the 3 could make him reconsider that stance.

Delon Wright, PG/SG

After acquiring Melton, the Sixers should be relatively set at guard. The combination of Maxey, Harden and Melton figure to play most of their minutes at the 1 and 2, while Shake Milton and Jaden Springer will round out their backcourt.

The Sixers’ biggest need is at the 3 to replace Green, but they could look to address that void in other ways—a Harris trade?—and spend the non-taxpayer MLE elsewhere. If they go that route, combo guard Delon Wright could be of interest.

The 30-year-old isn’t a high-volume three-point shooter, but he did knock down 37.9 percent of his looks from behind the arc with the Atlanta Hawks this past season. He drilled 38.0 percent of his catch-and-shoot triples and 38.2 percent of his pull-up treys, although he attempted only 34 of the latter all season.

Wright could also make his impact felt on defense in Philadelphia. He led all Hawks players with 149 deflections and 93 steals last season despite finishing eighth on the team in total minutes. At 6’5½” with a 6’7½” wingspan, Wright might struggle defending bigger forwards, but he can smother guards and smaller wings.

Since the mid-level exception is one of the Sixers’ biggest opportunities to address their hole on the wing, Wright would be more of a luxury than a necessity for them. Teams can never have enough ball-handlers and shot-creators, though, particularly ones who can hold their own on defense.