Beyond James Harden, Which Free Agents Should The Sixers Re-Sign?

James Harden is likely the biggest free-agent decision that the Philadelphia 76ers will have to make this offseason. But he isn’t the only one, as Paul Reed (restricted), Georges Niang, Jalen McDaniels and Shake Milton are all set to become free agents as well.

If Harden declines his $35.6 million player option (as expected) and returns to the Sixers on a max or near-max contract, they’ll be above the projected $162 million luxury-tax threshold. That could limit how much they’re willing to offer any of their other free agents, as the new collective bargaining agreement introduces harsh penalties for any team that goes more than $17.5 million above the tax line.

The Sixers will have plenty of room under that new second apron if Harden leaves, which should give them more wiggle room to re-sign their other free agents. However, they likely won’t want to go into the luxury tax in that scenario, since that would make them subject to the repeater tax in 2024-25.

Without knowing what Harden intends to do, it’s impossible to definitively say which of their other free agents the Sixers should re-sign—or how much they should offer each one. The context will change depending on whether Harden returns and how much he’s earning next year if he does.

Still, it’s worth exploring which of their non-Harden free agents the Sixers should prioritize.

Paul Reed, C

A player who averaged career highs with 4.2 points and 3.8 rebounds per game this past season typically wouldn’t be seen as a priority to re-sign. Paul Reed might be the exception to that rule, though.

Reed spent the first few months of the season largely behind Montrezl Harrell in then-head coach Doc Rivers’ rotation. He didn’t supplant Harrell until after the trade deadline, but he never relinquished the backup center job after that.

Over the final 29 games of the regular season, Reed averaged 5.7 points on 61.4 percent shooting, 4.7 rebounds, 1.0 blocks and 0.7 steals in only 13.1 minutes per game as Joel Embiid’s primary backup. When Embiid went down with a knee injury during the playoffs, Reed stepped into the starting lineup and had 10 points on 5-of-10 shooting and 15 rebounds (including eight offensive boards) in the Sixers’ closeout victory over the Brooklyn Nets.

At 6’9″ and 210 pounds, Reed doesn’t have the physical heft to bang with some of the bigger bodies at center, but his versatility makes him far more able to play a switch-heavy defensive scheme. He’s unable to create his own shots like Embiid, but he took off when Rivers altered his rotation to pair Harden with the Sixers’ second unit. Having an elite ball-handler to run pick-and-rolls with him helped simplify the game for him offensively.

Backup center should be a priority for the Sixers this offseason, as they need to assume Embiid will miss at least 10-15 games throughout every regular season. Reed isn’t likely to receive the full non-taxpayer mid-level exception ($12.2 million) from any team, but something in the $7-8 million-per-year range—much like what Isaiah Hartenstein got from the New York Knicks last offseason—seems like reasonable value for a high-upside backup center.

Reed is a restricted free agent, so the Sixers can match any offer sheet he signs with another team. If he’s unwilling to take whatever the Sixers offer him, they could let the open market dictate his next contract.

Jalen McDaniels, SF

The Sixers acquired Jalen McDaniels and two future second-round picks ahead of this year’s trade deadline by sending out Matisse Thybulle and the Charlotte Hornets’ 2023 second-round pick in a four-team deal. At the time, team president Daryl Morey described him as a “hidden gem” who had “starter potential.”

McDaniels averaged a career-high 10.6 points and 4.8 rebounds in 26.7 minutes per game on the moribund Hornets this season prior to the trade, but his averages dropped to 6.7 points and 3.2 rebounds in 17.5 minutes per game after he joined the Sixers. He started in 21 of his 56 regular-season appearances with the Hornets this season compared to only three of his 24 in Philadelphia.

McDaniels stepped right into Thybulle’s vacant role off the bench after the trade, but he never quite found his footing as a consistent impact player. He wound up falling out of Rivers’ rotation halfway through the Eastern Conference Semifinals, which might partially have been attributable to his midseason arrival.

If McDaniels returns, he’d have a fresh start under new head coach Nick Nurse, who has plenty of experience coaching athletic forwards like him from his days with the Toronto Raptors. McDaniels is an unrestricted free agent, but Morey made it clear after the trade deadline that he didn’t envision him as only a half-season rental.

“I do think he’s someone—given his size, athleticism, he has everything we need—we can build around going forward,” Morey said. He also noted that the Sixers acquired McDaniels’ Bird rights, which allows them to re-sign him to anything up to a max contract.

Since McDaniels hasn’t had a full-fledged opportunity as a starter yet, he might struggle to fetch the full $12.2 million non-taxpayer MLE in free agency. Something in the $7-8 million-per-year range—along the lines of what Caleb Martin, Jae’Sean Tate and Cody Martin received last year—might be enough to get him to return.

If the Sixers trade Tobias Harris this offseason, McDaniels might have an opportunity to slide into the starting lineup. Getting a starter locked up on a multiyear deal for seven figures annually could be a godsend for a Sixers team that projects to have one of the league’s highest payrolls next season if Harden returns.

Georges Niang, PF

The Sixers landed Georges Niang on a two-year, $6.7 million deal back in 2021 with part of their mid-level exception. They now have Early Bird rights on him, which allows them to offer him either 175% of his salary or 105% of the average salary from this past season as the starting salary of a new contract.

Niang earned only $3.5 million this past season, but the average salary should land around $10.7 or $10.8 million. Depending on the exact figure, the Sixers should be able to offer him a starting salary north of $11 million, which isn’t far off from the full $12.2 million non-taxpayer MLE.

Niang has shot above 40% from three-point range in each of the past five seasons, which could cause some team to splurge on him in free agency. He averaged 8.7 points in only 21.1 minutes per game across his two seasons in Philadelphia, and his quick-trigger release should be appealing to teams looking to beef up their three-point shooting.

Niang isn’t a plus defender, although he surprisingly held his own against the Celtics in the playoffs this year. But given his age—he turned 30 on June 17—he’s unlikely to develop into anything more than a three-point specialist. He isn’t quite a one-way player, but he isn’t far off, either.

The Sixers might prioritize retaining Niang (and McDaniels) if they trade Harris and don’t receive a forward in return, as their depth at the 3 and 4 spots would otherwise be spotty. If they keep all three of Harris, McDaniels and P.J. Tucker, though, they might decide Niang is more of a luxury than a necessity, particularly if he commands an annual average salary anywhere near eight figures.

Shake Milton, PG/SG

Shake Milton has been a steady reserve for the Sixers for the past four seasons. He’s more of a combo guard than a true point guard, but he’s capable of playing either backcourt spot.

Milton averaged 8.4 points on 47.9 percent shooting, 3.2 assists and 2.5 rebounds in only 20.6 minutes per game this past season. After missing four of the first five games of the season, Milton played in 75 of the final 77 regular-season outings, including 11 starts.

When both Harden and Tyrese Maxey were sidelined by injuries early in the year, Milton slid into the starting lineup and went off for 21.3 points on 54.7 percent shooting, 6.0 assists, 5.3 rebounds and 1.9 three-pointers across eight starts. He also had 15 points on 7-of-22 shooting and a career-high 16 assists in a late-season win over the Atlanta Hawks in which the Sixers rested all five of their typical starters.

Although Milton regularly got minutes during the regular season, Rivers trimmed him out of the Sixers’ rotation once the playoffs began. He might be more of a luxury than a necessity to retain if Harden returns, as third-year guard Jaden Springer figures to compete for backcourt minutes alongside Harden, Maxey and De’Anthony Melton.

Of the Sixers’ four non-Harden free agents, Milton is perhaps the least likely to return. The Sixers have full Bird rights on him, so they’re able to re-sign him on anything up to a max deal, but something in the $4-5 million range might be his ceiling.

Unless otherwise noted, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball Reference. All salary information via Spotrac or RealGM. All odds via FanDuel Sportsbook.