Kyle Lowry headlines Sixers’ buyout-market candidates following trade deadline

WASHINGTON — An active trade deadline is over for the 76ers, who added sharpshooter Buddy Hield and reserve guard Cameron Payne Thursday while parting ways with Patrick Beverley, Marcus Morris Sr., Danuel House Jr., Furkan Korkmaz, and Jaden Springer.

But that does not mean the Sixers are done shaping this season’s roster, which on Friday president of basketball operations Daryl Morey re-emphasized is being built for the present because the organization is “hopeful” reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Joel Embiid can return from knee surgery.

Up next: the buyout market.

Thursday’s moves mean the Sixers now have three open roster spots. An injury- and illness-riddled group remains in need of immediate help, after losing eight of their past nine games dating to Jan. 25. And they are in position to benefit from a new rule in the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement. Teams in the “first apron” over the luxury tax — this year the Los Angeles Clippers, Phoenix Suns, Milwaukee Bucks, Denver Nuggets, Golden State Warriors, and Miami Heat — are prohibited from signing waived players who had a pre-existing salary over $12.4 million.

This year’s buyout market was already in motion Friday, when shot-making wing Spencer Dinwiddie was spotted sitting with Los Angeles Lakers lead executive Rob Pelinka at his team’s game against the Dallas Mavericks. By Saturday morning, The Athletic reported that Dinwiddie had agreed to join the Lakers.

Yet adding such players at this season’s juncture can be a crapshoot.

» READ MORE: Inside the ‘wild’ 36 hours that turned Buddy Hield and Cameron Payne into Sixers starters

Though Sixers supporters may fondly remember how Erson Ilyasova and Marco Belinelli contributed to a 2018 playoff push, Deandre Jordan was a disastrous backup center replacement in 2022 after Andre Drummond was included in the Ben Simmons-James Harden blockbuster trade with the Brooklyn Nets.

Two players other contenders might look to sign this year are Morris and House, whom the Sixers deemed dispensable on Thursday. And Morey did not commit to filling all three roster spots, saying those openings also offer more long-term flexibility entering a summer when the Sixers are expected to have max salary-cap space.

“A lot of our moves are for planning the new CBA environment, which I think is very impactful,” Morey said, “and setting ourselves up for those big moves in the future. I think the [rule] you’re referencing [about buyout restrictions] is pretty minor. There’s only a few players affected, but some key ones even this [year].

“All these new rules coming in limits your draft picks, limits your ability in free agency. All these things are coming. We’re the best set up of any of those teams that are contenders, by a good margin.”

Still, here are some potential buyout targets for the Sixers.

Perhaps it’s a stretch to call Lowry to the Sixers a foregone conclusion. But it’s easy to connect the dots following the Beverley trade to the Bucks.

Lowry has the Philly roots. He plays a position the Sixers now need. He has history with Morey from when he played for the Houston Rockets from 2009-12, and with coach Nick Nurse from his celebrated Raptors tenure — including the 2018-19 NBA title season.

Lowry was believed to be a Sixers trade target at the 2021 deadline, before he joined the Miami Heat and helped them reach the NBA Finals last summer. And some outsiders may conclude it’s now too late for the soon-to-be 38-year-old, whose numbers have dipped this season. His scoring average of 8.2 points is his lowest since 2008-09. But he still shoots 38.5% from three-point range, and is averaging four assists and 3.5 rebounds per game.

Still, the Heat considered Terry Rozier an upgrade over Lowry, pulling off a trade with the Charlotte Hornets less than two weeks ago. Yet the Sixers do not need Lowry to be an All-Star-caliber player, or even a starter, during the stretch run. He would be asked to organize the offense in reserve minutes, and bring his “Bulldog” toughness, savvy championship experience, and veteran mentorship for Tyrese Maxey.

Morey acknowledged that he entered the deadline hoping to “shore up” the frontcourt depth for this period without Embiid. The executive also said he was “shocked” that there were “really no bigs traded.”

Kelly Olynyk was moved from the Utah Jazz to the Toronto Raptors, while Daniel Gafford went from the Washington Wizards to the Dallas Mavericks, and Xavier Tillman was dealt from the Memphis Grizzlies to the Boston Celtics. But Drummond, perhaps the most coveted target for the Sixers and other teams in search of traditional rebounding and rim protection, remained with the Chicago Bulls.

“We were aggressive to do that,” Morey said of trying to add a backup center. “But they just weren’t available, so it didn’t happen.”

» READ MORE: Daryl Morey says the Sixers ‘got the best player’ traded at the deadline in Buddy Hield

Morey also described center a traditionally “lighter” position on the buyout market. Evidence: after the Oklahoma City Thunder reportedly agreed to sign Bismack Biyombo Saturday, Robin Lopez might be the most prominent name available. Lopez was traded from the Bucks to the Sacramento Kings just before Thursday’s deadline.

Though Lopez boasts quintessential size, he only played in 16 games (and averaged 4.1 minutes in those appearances) for Milwaukee this season. Perhaps he could at least provide some reading recommendations to the next locker room he joins, after hilariously popping open a book during the Bucks’ game following Thursday’s trade.

The next-best center option is … former Sixer Thad Young? Or Harry Giles III? That is why Morey hinted Friday that it will be more likely that Nurse will need to “get creative” with schemes and personnel, with Paul Reed and Mo Bamba remaining the primary center options.

By adding Hield, the Sixers have addressed their need for more three-point shooting. But if something shifts with the (presumed) Lowry plan, another complementary ballhandling option could be Curry.

Curry signed with the Dallas Mavericks this past summer but had fallen out of the rotation, before being traded to the Charlotte Hornets as part of the P.J. Washington-Grant Williams deal. He was shooting an uncharacteristic 37.2% from the floor in 36 games before the trade.

Such a move, of course, would also be a reunion for Curry, who played for the Sixers for parts of two seasons from 2020-22 before being included in the Harden-Simmons deal. He established great two-man chemistry with Embiid, helping him shoot 42.6% from long range during his Sixers tenure. He averaged four assists in 45 games with the Sixers during the 2021-22 season, while sharing the backcourt with Maxey as he began his rise. And Curry has demonstrated his fill-it-up scoring ability in Philly, averaging 13.6 points per game during his stint.

Other ballhandling options could include Delon Wright, Corey Joseph and … Killian Hays? Or if the Sixers think they still need even more shooting and floor-spacing, Cedi Osman, Davis Bertans, Danilo Gallinari, or Joe Harris could be among those available.