NBA free agency: Sixers closing in on Paul George; Philly adds two veterans; Klay Thompson in the mix

Eric Gordon has agreed to a veteran minimum deal with the 76ers, a league source confirmed to The Inquirer Sunday night.

Gordon is a career 37.1% three-point shooter, a skill valued while playing with Joel Embiid and in coach Nick Nurse’s offensive system. He averaged 11 points per game for the Phoenix Suns last season, before declining his $3.4 million player option for 2024-25 to become an unrestricted free agent.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who was regarded as one of the Sixers’ next-tier options if they did not land Paul George in free agency, is reportedly off the board. He has agreed to a three-year, $66 million deal with the Orlando Magic, according to multiple reports.

Caldwell-Pope, a versatile 3-and-D wing who recently helped the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Lakers win NBA titles, declined his $15.4 million player option with Denver earlier this week to become an unrestricted free agent. He averaged 10.1 points on 40.6% shooting from three-point range, 2.4 rebounds, and 2.4 assists for the Nuggets last season.

Andre Drummond broke his own news Sunday evening, posting “I’m in the mood for a Philly cheesesteak” on X (formerly Twitter).

The veteran center will soon have plenty of options at his disposal — again. Drummond, whom Joel Embiid once called the best backup the 2023 NBA Most Valuable Player has had in his career, has agreed to a two-year, $10-plus million deal to return to the 76ers, a source confirmed to The Inquirer. The second year is a player option.

Can Klay Thompson do the things that made him Klay Thompson? Or, has he entered a stage that often awaits superstars of his age as the bounce in their legs begins to go, more complementary role player than 34-minute-a-night two-way force?

It’s hard to have an opinion on the Sixers’ interest in the future Hall of Famer without knowing what kind of role they envision him filling, and what kind of financial investment it would entail. Thompson is clearly still a player who can play a role on a championship team. He averaged 29.1 points per 100 possessions last season, which is more or less in line with his career average (29.3). While his .387 three-point percentage was significantly lower than the .423 he posted in the five seasons before his Achilles injury, it still ranked in the top 40 percent of qualified NBA players.

Nico Batum will not return to the 76ers, per a report from The Athletic’s Kelly Iko.

Batum’s departure would mean the Sixers lose a valued veteran wing. The 35-year-old provided outside shooting, defensive versatility, reliable under-the-radar skills such as post-entry and inbounds passing, and a calm demeanor. He averaged 5.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 2.1 assists in 60 games for the Sixers last season.

Klay Thompson has long been viewed as a next-tier option for the Sixers, should Paul George choose to return to the Los Angeles Clippers or sign with the Orlando Magic (or any other team).

Just after free agency opened Sunday evening, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Thompson plans to have formal discussions in the opening hours with the Sixers, Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas Mavericks, and Los Angeles Clippers.

Tobias Harris set up with interviews with four teams in Southern California now that free agency is underway.

The Detroit Pistons, Utah Jazz, San Antonio Spurs, and Dallas Mavericks were among the teams expressing expressing interest in the 13-year veteran, according to a source. The Mavs would have to land Harris via a sign-and-trade.

James Harden will not be causing any offseason contract drama this summer, as he reportedly has agreed to return to the Los Angeles Clippers on a two-year, $70 million deal.

Last summer, Harden exercised his $35.6 million player option for the 2023-24 season, and subsequently demanded a trade from the Sixers. When asked in March why he chose that path, Harden said, “I wanted to get paid. They weren’t talking.” Those comments came after Harden called Sixers president of basketball operations a “liar” and vowed to never play for him again while on a trip to China. The Sixers traded Harden to the Clippers on Nov. 1.

The NBA has officially set its salary-cap threshold for the 2024-25 season at $140.588 million, slightly below the previously reported number of $141 million.

That will help inform the Sixers' decisions over the next week as they fill out a roster that only has three players signed for next season: Joel Embiid, Ricky Council IV, and Paul Reed.

Had Paul George exercised his player option for the 2024-25 season, it almost certainly would have been to subsequently request a trade — a la James Harden last year.

The most likely destination? The Golden State Warriors. Per The Athletic’s Tim Kawakami, the Warriors had put together a package that included some combination of former All-Star Andrew Wiggins, young standouts Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody, former Clipper great Chris Paul (and most importantly, his $30 million that becomes guaranteed on Sunday’s start of free agency), and a first-round draft pick.

The 76ers will not extend a qualifying offer to Terquavion Smith, a league source confirmed Sunday. As a result, the 6-foot-4 guard becomes an unrestricted free agent. Liberty Ballers was first to report this news.

This comes one day after the Sixers did not pick up Jeff Dowtin Jr.’s club option for next season. These moves aren’t surprising as the team has prioritized clearing up cap space for free agency.

As NBA free agency gets underway starting Sunday, the 76ers will be at the center of everything. That’s what happens when only a handful of your players are under contract for next season — and, relatedly, when you lead the NBA in practical salary-cap space to spend this offseason.

Some moves are obvious for Daryl Morey and his front office: Restricted free agent Tyrese Maxey is coming back on a max deal once all of the other moves are complete, a formality on hold simply because of the intricacies of the NBA’s salary cap rules. But beyond that, there’s a whole universe of possibilities involving players returning from the 2023-24 roster and new names from the free-agent market.

Can the 76ers get their man?

Can they turn skepticism into elation by nabbing their biggest free-agent acquisition in some time?

If Paul George returns to the Clippers or signs elsewhere, the remaining options for the Sixers have dwindled in recent days.

Brandon Ingram is still a star-level trade possibility, especially after the New Orleans Pelicans did not include him in their deal to acquire Atlanta Hawks guard Dejounte Murray Friday night. Versatile wing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has declined his player option with the Denver Nuggets, putting him on the open market. Longtime-yet-aging All-Stars Klay Thompson and DeMar DeRozan are still free-agents-to-be, with a report from The Athletic’s Anthony Slater surfacing Saturday evening that the Warriors are “preparing” to lose Thompson. Bruce Brown, who had his option picked up by the Toronto Raptors to make him a trade chip, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker, who is on a Minnesota Timberwolves roster that is about to become expensive, could also be attractive.

These lists are going to change quickly — and not everyone here is an option for the Sixers — but just to give you a picture of who is available, here's a look at where we stand as of Sunday morning, approximately eight hours from free agency's soft opening.

You can check out a full list here.

This offseason is setting up to be one of the busiest imaginable for the Sixers, who currently have just one starter under contract for next season, Joel Embiid, and only two other players under contract. In other words, Daryl Morey has some work to do.

With free agency about to start, we’ve identified more than 50 players, from the top available names to potential trade options, and assigned an estimated value to each.

The 76ers declined Jeff Dowtin Jr.’s team option for the 2024-25 season ahead of Saturday night’s deadline, according to a league source. As a result, the point guard will become an unrestricted free agent.

The 6-foot-3, 185-pounder averaged 4.3 points and 2.3 assists in 12 games last season. His best game of the season came in a road loss to the Phoenix Suns on March 20. He finished with a career-high 12 points on 4-for-5 shooting to go along with five assists.