June 14, 2016
While much of the focus Monday at PCOM was on a couple of players who might be drafted by the Sixers, Bryan Colangelo provided updates on two 2014 first-round picks that have yet to suit up for a game in Philadelphia.
Dario Saric has been plying his trade in Turkey. Colangelo and Brett Brown went over to Istanbul last week to take the 6’10” Croatian forward’s temperature about potentially playing for the Sixers in 2016. Unfortunately, it sounds like the thermometer is broken.
“I would tell you that, despite some things I read after coming out of there, I think I was pretty clear I wasn't pessimistic, I wasn't optimistic, I was somewhat neutral as to whether or not I felt he would be coming over, and I still feel that way,” Colangelo said.
Thre have been tons of Saric rumors and reports, and his decision has been talked about ad nauseam: Come this year and play under the rookie scale or wait until next year and negotiate outside of it. With the salary cap set to skyrocket again, it’s a no-brainer for Saric to stay in Europe and start playing for the Sixers in 2017-18 from a financial perspective.
But there can certainly be other factors besides the money.
“I'd like to think our objectives are aligned and what we'd like to do is get him in to play for us next year,” Colangelo said. “How things work out with him and the actual buyout negotiations with the team that have to be undertaken with the player and the team are entirely different than what our objectives are.
Playing time is another major consideration. Colangelo and Brown talked with Saric about how drafting “one of two players” (Ben Simmons or Brandon Ingram) would affect the Anadolu Efes star. He surprisingly said that Saric, despite playing the exact same position as Simmons, was encouraged by recent developments. Colangelo felt that either player could fit with Saric because of their versatility.
Before he was in charge of the Sixers, Colangelo made a scouting trip over to Europe last November and saw Saric play. He noticed major improvements in Saric’s game from three to four years ago (especially Saric's shooting stats), when he was scouting him as the Raptors personnel boss.
“He’s gotten physically bigger, physically stronger,” Colangelo said. “He runs the floor very well, he does a lot of things. He’s highly skilled with the ball. He’s creating shots for himself with step-back dribbles, crossover dribbles, etc. And he’s shooting the ball much, much better than I remember.”
According to Colangelo, the latest that Saric can let Efes know about his intentions to buy out the final year of his contract is July 17th.
Joel Embiid is working out as well today. pic.twitter.com/E7DRTmWoa7
— Rich Hofmann (@rich_hofmann) June 13, 2016
Despite this workout and playing some 2-on-2 and 3-on-3, Joel Embiid will not be participating in summer league, Colangelo confirmed.
“It’s the question of the day, so let me just put it to rest: He will not play summer league basketball,” Colangelo said. “But what he will do is join the team in Las Vegas, be with our coaches, be around that team environment again.”
“He’ll do some controlled scrimmaging, some controlled situations, drill work with everybody in Las Vegas.”
With the bright lights of Los Angeles waiting at the second overall pick in the upcoming NBA Draft, there was a school of thought that Ben Simmons and his agent Rich Paul would try to force their way to the Lakers. From the looks of it, this was all mostly speculation.
Colangelo mentioned yesterday that he was under the impression that Simmons wanted to be picked first overall in the NBA Draft. If a recent Simmons appearance on Australian radio is to be believed, Colangelo seems to be right on the mark.
Appearing on “The Grill Team” (lol), Simmons was asked point blank if he would look to negotiate a trade away from the Sixers.
“For me, I just want to be the number one player,” Simmons said. “It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity to go first. So if I go first, it’s awesome. I’ve worked so hard to be that guy and go to a team like that, so wherever I go, I’ll be lucky to be picked up.”
Overshadowed by a virtuoso finals performance by Kyrie Irving and LeBron James, ESPN’s Marc Stein and Chad Ford had a juicy trade rumor that seems like a pipe dream on the surface:
The Minnesota Timberwolves are prepared to part with the No. 5 overall pick in this month's draft, as the centerpiece of a trade package, if they can use it to construct a deal for Chicago Bulls star swingman Jimmy Butler, according to league sources.
Sources told ESPN.com that the Wolves, in these early days of the Tom Thibodeau era, have made it known to the Bulls that they are strongly interested in dealing for Butler should Chicago elect to make him available.
Later in the report, Stein and Ford touched on the obvious: If the fifth pick in this draft is the best thing in the trade package, you aren’t getting Jimmy Butler. He will be 27 years old at the beginning of this season, is a high-level player at a shallow position around the league, and is on an incredible contract.
That said, if the Bulls were looking to deal Butler, the Sixers can outbid the Timberwolves assuming Messrs. Towns and Wiggins are staying put. There would be competition from teams like Boston, but is Butler the type of player that the Sixers should go after in the first place?
Maybe, but it would depend on the price for me. Butler is a fantastic two-way player, and I imagine he’ll be an All-Star for at least a few more years. He would also fill a major position of need for the Sixers at an excellent price. The question here is if his best years would happen before the Sixers were truly ready to win big. Remember that Tom Thibodeau and Fred Hoiberg have essentially ran him into the ground and that there were some chemistry issues.
Butler is really good, though. If he’s actually on the block, Colangelo will definitely get in touch with John Paxson.
Follow Rich on Twitter: @rich_hofmann
