The Sixers Bracing for some Potential Fireworks this offseason thanks to the NBA’s New Collective Bargaining Agreement

The Sixers seem to be bracing for some potential fireworks this offseason thanks to the NBA’s new collective bargaining agreement.

Sixers president Daryl Morey has been telegraphing his long-term strategy since last July.

“What we’re attempting to do is have the best team possible this year, but also have the ability that, if we get into a next-season situation, to be a very unique team with the most cap room of a team that’s as good as us,” Sixers president Daryl Morey told Anthony Gargano of 97.5 The Fanatic back then. “That’s a very unique situation to have.”

The Sixers did nothing to compromise that approach at the Feb. 8 NBA trade deadline. If anything, they only gave themselves more flexibility in that regard.

The Sixers shipped out Marcus Morris, Furkan Korkmaz, Danuel House Jr., Patrick Beverley, Jaden Springer and four second-round picks and received Buddy Hield, Cameron Payne and two second-round picks along with a distant top-55 (aka fake) second-rounder from Detroit in return. In addition, they dipped below the luxury tax for the second straight season, which reset the clock on the repeater tax for them through at least the 2026-27 season.

Depending on how the playoffs unfold, the Sixers now have the ability to create up to nearly $65 million in cap space this summer if so desired. It might be more realistic to project them in the $40-45 million range—they don’t have to renounce all of their free agents to create cap space, after all—but they’re poised to have far more flexibility than any other contender this offseason.

Prior to the Sixers’ 127-121 loss to the Atlanta Hawks earlier this month, Morey told reporters that this season was “the main focus” of the trade deadline for him and the rest of the front office. However, he added that they’re “always planning for the future” as well.

“A lot of our moves are for planning the new CBA environment, which I think is very impactful, and setting ourselves up for those big moves in the future,” Morey said.

The new CBA was seemingly designed in part to break up expensive superteams. It introduced a new second apron, currently set at $17.5 million above the luxury-tax line, which put severe roster-building restrictions on teams that go above that threshold. Starting this offseason, teams above the second apron won’t be allowed to aggregate contracts in trades, trade a first-round pick seven years in the future or give out anything aside from minimum contracts to external free agents, among other things.

As a result of these new rules, one Eastern Conference executive told Howard Beck of The Ringer that he expects a lot of player movement this offseason.

“There’s going to be some options, some high-level guys that ask to get moved,” the executive said. (It’s unclear whether said executive’s name rhymes with Carol Schmorey.)

Trae Young is already popping up in the offseason rumor mill, and either the luxury tax or the two aprons could force teams such as the Minnesota Timberwolves, Cleveland Cavaliers and New Orleans Pelicans into some difficult roster decisions. The Sixers wouldn’t be in on Young or Karl-Anthony Towns, but Brandon Ingram or Donovan Mitchell might be of more interest to them.

One benefit of having cap space is that salary-matching rules don’t apply in trades as long as the team finishes under the cap after the deal. The Sixers could create enough cap space to acquire any of those players without sending any salary back, or they could include Paul Reed and/or sign-and-trade one of their free agents in a deal.

In other words: While the free-agent class is looking increasingly barren, that isn’t the only way for the Sixers to spend their cap space this offseason. They could also run back a decent chunk of their current core and still create enough cap room to sign an impact free agent or two, particularly if Morey’s prediction from this past summer comes true.

“The new CBA next year is gonna put massive constraints downward on salaries in the league,” Morey told Gargano last July.

Even if the Sixers don’t get a star free agent like LeBron James or Paul George, they could add solid starters around Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid. Malik Monk, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Luke Kennard could all become free agents this summer, and all three might be discount 2-guards if De’Anthony Melton leaves the Sixers in free agency. Caleb Martin could be of interest if (when) he declines his $7.1 million player option for next season, too. The Sixers could pursue a reunion with Andre Drummond or Mike Muscala as well.

The Sixers may have a lot of options at their disposal at the start of free agency, but they won’t be the only team with cap space. Once their top few options start flying off the board, they might be better off running back at least some portion of their current core.

Morey sounded open to that strategy during a recent interview on the John Kincade Show.

“The one thing that cap room gives you is optionality,” he said. “If one of the top few players in the league becomes available, we can go after that player. But we have three, four, five, six players on this roster who for sure you’re like, ‘Hey, this player, we’d love to keep around because they add so much.’ People are making a little bit too much about the turnover.”

In other words: It’s wishful thinking to hope for wholesale roster changes this offseason. The Sixers hope to bring back at least some members of their current supporting cast. But beyond that, they sound open to any possibilities this offseason.