5 possible buyout targets for the Sixers

Now that the Sixers have more flexibility on the buyout market, who (if anyone) might make sense for them?

The only silver lining of the Sixers’ otherwise egregious KJ Martin salary dump is that it got them far enough below the first apron to give them more flexibility on the buyout market.

Teams above the first apron aren’t allowed to sign players who were previously earning more than the non-taxpayer mid-level exception ($12.8 million this season) before they got bought out. Teams below the first apron are allowed to sign those players, which gives the Sixers a leg up on title hopefuls such as the Boston Celtics, New York Knicks and Milwaukee Bucks.

With that said, they likely won’t be at the front of the line in the buyout market. After all, they’re 10 games under .500, Joel Embiid has been chronically injured this year, and Paul George recently revealed that he has a torn tendon in his finger. The Sixers aren’t even guaranteed to make the play-in tournament, yet alone the playoffs. And because they spent their entire room mid-level exception to re-sign Kelly Oubre Jr. this past offseason, they can only offer minimum-salary contracts to any buyout target, which get prorated based on how many days are left in the regular season. (They’re already down below $750,000.)

Other contenders can offer both more money and a better playoff outlook. For instance, the Cleveland Cavaliers have two open roster spots and still have yet to touch their NTMLE. They’re only $1.6 million below the luxury tax, so they likely won’t want to cross that line, but they can still offer more money to any buyout target. The Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder are also well below the tax line and have their full MLEs at their disposal, although they don’t have open roster spots for now.

With that caveat in mind, the following players may be more pipe dreams than realistic buyout targets. But since this is how the Sixers will justify the KJ Martin trade — instead of admitting that it was a shameless way to duck the tax for the third straight season — let’s walk through the top candidates just in case.

Bruce Brown Jr.

Salary: $23,000,000

If the New Orleans Pelicans agree to buy him out, Bruce Brown Jr. might be the top target on the market for below-the-apron teams. He played sparingly for the Toronto Raptors this season, but he was a key reserve for the Denver Nuggets when they won the championship in 2022-23.

The 28-year-old is a jack-of-all-trades rather than a specialist. He’s a career 33.5 percent three-point shooter, so he wouldn’t help the spacing around the Sixers’ Big 3. However, he does have some secondary creation chops that would make him a useful addition despite his limitations as a shooter.

The Nuggets weren’t able to dump salary at the trade deadline, so they’re still over the first apron, which rules out a reunion with Brown this season. However, he’ll likely have plenty of other suitors if he does get bought out. The Sixers’ main selling point would be his projected role, although he’d still be joining a crowded backcourt between Maxey, Eric Gordon, Quentin Grimes, Kyle Lowry and Jared Butler.

Malcolm Brogdon

Salary: $22,500,000

The Washington Wizards are engaged in perhaps the most shameless tank since the heyday of the Process Sixers. They shipped Kyle Kuzma and Patrick Baldwin Jr. to the Milwaukee Bucks at the trade deadline for Khris Middleton and AJ Johnson, although Middleton’s $34.0 million player option for the 2025-26 season will likely prevent him from hitting the buyout market.

The same might not be true for Malcolm Brogdon, who’s set to become a free agent this offseason. The 32-year-old clearly does not factor into the Wizards’ long-term strategy, but keeping him around might help them accidentally win more games than desired. (Don’t look now, but they’re on a three-game winning streak. Break up the Wizards!)

Brogdon is playing a career-low 24.1 minutes per game this season and shooting a career-worst 31.4 percent from deep, although he shot above 40 percent from three-point range in each of the previous two seasons. He’d be worth a flier as a sharpshooter and secondary ball-handler off the bench, but much like with Brown, the Sixers might run into the same issues with regard to his projected minutes and role.

Larry Nance Jr.

Salary: $11,205,000

The Atlanta Hawks had a confusing trade deadline. Despite not having control over each of their next three first-round picks — and despite sitting ninth in the East, 2.5 games ahead of the Sixers — they went into pure seller mode, shipping out both De’Andre Hunter and Bogdan Bogdanović.

Again, the Hawks have zero incentive to tank this season. They owe their fully unprotected 2025 first-round pick to the San Antonio Spurs, along with a pick swap in 2026 and another fully unprotected pick in 2027. But if they’re pivoting into a youth movement like the Sixers, perhaps they’d be willing to part ways with Larry Nance Jr.

Nance recently missed a month with a broken bone in his right hand, although he returned to action at the end of January. He’d give the Sixers another small-ball center option behind Guerschon Yabusele if they aren’t confident that Andre Drummond will return soon. Nance is also shooting a career-high 44.6 percent from three this year on 3.1 attempts per game.

However, Nance is making less than the non-taxpayer MLE this year, which means any team — including those over the apron — could sign him off the buyout market. That could stiffen the Sixers’ competition for him if the Hawks do wind up buying him out.

Bojan Bogdanović

Salary: $19,032,850

Bojan Bogdanović has yet to play this season after undergoing wrist and foot surgeries last spring. However, he did recently resume on-court activities for the Brooklyn Nets, according to Brian Lewis of the New York Post.

Much like the Wizards, the Nets are not-so-secretly vying to improve their lottery odds, which could make Bogdanović a buyout candidate. The 35-year-old could provide some shooting punch to the Sixers’ lineup, as he’s a career 39.4 percent shooter from deep.

Bogdanović started 27 games for the Detroit Pistons last year and averaged 20.2 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 32.9 minutes per outing before a midseason trade to the New York Knicks. He played far more sparingly in the Big Apple, although he still managed to pour in 10.4 points in only 19.2 minutes per game.

If Bogdanović is fully recovered from his surgeries, he’d be an intriguing addition to the Sixers’ rotation. But considering how besieged they’ve been with injuries this year, it’d be a real gamble to spend a roster spot on a 35-year-old who has yet to play this season.

P.J. Tucker

Salary: $11,539,000

On Friday, Sixers president Daryl Morey told reporters that they intentionally sought to get younger and more forward-looking at the trade deadline. Signing 39-year-old P.J. Tucker would be the exact opposite of that.

Tucker did spend the 2022-23 campaign with the Sixers, where he started all 75 games in which he appeared. He was overtaxed in that role, but he could still potentially serve a purpose as a third-string small-ball center behind Yabusele. If nothing else, he could help set a positive example in the locker room amidst a trying season.

With that said, the Sixers would be far better off churning through younger options on 10-day and two-way contracts to see if they can find a diamond in the rough that way.

Not happening: Ben Simmons

Salary: $40,338,144

Simmons has already begun negotiating a buyout with the Brooklyn Nets, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania, but a Sixers reunion does not seem to be in the cards.

Charania mentioned the Los Angeles Clippers and Cleveland Cavaliers as being among the potential landing spots for him.

As Law Murray of The Athletic noted, both options are fairly hilarious.

Unless otherwise noted, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball Reference. All salary information via Salary Swish and salary-cap information via RealGM.

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