Philadelphia 76ers President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey had a busy day on Thursday, making an appearance on 97.5 FM, The Fanatic, and on the well-known podcast, The Rights to Ricky Sanchez (in a previously recorded episode).
During his appearance on the latter, Morey spoke about several pending free agents for the Sixers, all with player options for the 2025-2026 NBA season. When discussing the importance of continuity, Morey spoke of the future of Kelly Oubre, Andre Drummond, and Eric Gordon, seeming fairly confident about where they will play next season.
“There’s going to be theoretical continuity, which you’re pointing out, there’s going to be quite a few of the same players back. I believe Kelly, I think Drummond, I think Eric, they’re all gonna, they’re all likely to come back. I think they’ve said that themselves publicly. So there’s going to be continuity.” Morey said on the Rights to Ricky Sanchez.
The Sixers have long searched for some semblance of continuity. While Joel Embiid has been a fixture in town, and Tyrese Maxey is coming into year six with the organization, no other player has been in Philadelphia for more than two years. While continuity for its own sake is nothing to boast about, when you break down the free agents involved, the idea of reuniting this offseason, price dependent, is intriguing.
Kelly Oubre
Of all the pending free agents mentioned, the increasingly versatile Kelly Oubre could easily be argued as the most important. Oubre’s impact since coming to the Sixers has largely been overshadowed by the team’s overall lack of production, but the once polarizing player has seen a renaissance of sorts in Philadelphia and has become a crucial member of Head Coach Nick Nurse’s rotation.
It all started with a conversation during Oubre’s earliest days in which Nurse approached Oubre about his potential to become the focal point of the team’s perimeter defense. Utilizing his length, athleticism, and defensive IQ, Nurse believed Oubre was the player best poised to handle the point of attack defensively.
Oubre is far from a perfect player, but his contributions outweigh his shortcomings, especially considering the cost, which would be $8,382,150 if he accepts his player option.
Oubre addressed his future with the team during his end-of-season press conference:
“I’m a Philadelphia 76er. I’m blessed to be a part of this organization,” Oubre said definitively. Oubre stated he was taking the decision “day by day,” but also said, “This is a business, but at the end of the day, I’m happy, and I feel like I like to finish what I start, and I don’t feel complete. So you know, Godspeed.”
but also, you know, this is a business. At the end of the day, I’m happy and I feel like I like to finish what I start and I don’t feel complete. So, you know, godspeed.”
I’m here in front of you guys right now, so taking it day by day.
Andre Drummond
When he initially returned to Philadelphia, the signing of Andre Drummond was lauded, as he had proven himself far above the backup centers of the Sixers’ past. The season, unfortunately, would not progress the way that the fans, the Sixers, or Drummond expected, as he would finish having only played 40 games on frankly uninspiring basketball.
Was the losing too much for Drummond? Or was he simply losing a step or several in his age-31 season?
It should be noted that Drummond dealt with a lingering toe issue for the majority of the season. A source with access to the team described the physical appearance of the toe as “f—ked up.” That was during the heart of the season, and while the situation improved at times, the toe injury appeared to never fully heal.
During the season, ahead of their matchup against the Sacramento Kings, Nick Nurse described the injury and Drummond’s recovery.
“It’s just not good,” said Nurse. “It just seems to not be getting good enough and when we thought it was good enough, it’s been, I don’t know–it’s not really a re-injure, but it seems to have a pretty short shelf life.”
It seems easy to write off Drummond’s issues as purely due to the injury, but for a center of Drummond’s size, to not be able to push off of one’s foot sevearly limits a player’s potential impact, and that should not be overlooked. Make no mistake though, if Drummond returns, he has much to prove on the court.
Eric Gordon
Of the three players mentioned, Eric Gordon’s situation is perhaps the trickiest to read. Clearly, Gordon’s first year in Philadelphia was not what he expected. From a lack of support from the various stars around him, who succumbed to injury throughout the year, to his own streakiness and eventually his own injuries as well, Gordon’s season was anything but successful.
With a player option for the veteran minimum, would Gordon really opt to return instead of searching for a similar deal in a more secure location? Perhaps, especially as he continues to recover from wrist surgery.
