NBA Rumors: Sixers Could Offer Carmelo Anthony And Kyle Korver Veteran Minimum Deal In 2020 Free Agency
Despite failing to live up to expectations of becoming a legitimate title contender in the Eastern Conference this season, the Philadelphia 76ers are still not expected to immediately give up on franchise cornerstones Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons. Instead of breaking up their young superstar duo, the Sixers could try to find ways to surround Embiid and Simmons with quality players that complement their game this summer. One of the areas that the Sixers need to improve in the 2020 NBA offseason is their perimeter shooting.
To create more space for Embiid and Simmons, Grant Hughes of Bleacher Report suggested that the Sixers could target Carmelo Anthony of the Portland Trail Blazers and Kyle Korver of the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2020 free agency. Though they are currently buried deep in the luxury tax hell, Hughes believes that the Sixers could acquire Anthony or Korver by offering them a veteran minimum deal this summer.
“Philadelphia is built, expensively, to contend. So maybe it’ll grit its teeth and use the resources it has. Alternatively, the Sixers could shop for shooting at the minimum. If that’s the approach, Kyle Korver is an obvious choice. He’s a statue on D, but the 76ers have the personnel to cover for him. Even in his age-38 season, Korver is still at 41.5 percent from deep. That’ll play. Another minimum option: Carmelo Anthony. He’ll be playing his age-36 season in 2020-21, making him a relative pup compared to Korver, and his 37.1 percent hit rate from deep could help. He also won’t be any worse than Korver on defense.”
Anthony and Korver may no longer fit the description of the legitimate NBA superstar that the Sixers dreamt of adding to their roster this summer, but they would still be great additions to Philadelphia and could help the team become more competitive in the 2020-21 NBA season. Though both players are already on the downside of their careers, Anthony and Korver still have plenty of gas left in their tanks and remain very reliable scoring options and floor-spacers. Anthony and Korver may have defensive issues, but Hughes thinks that the Sixers could easily figure out how to hide their weakness.
Aside from their perimeter shooting, Anthony and Korver would provide the Sixers veteran leadership and a positive presence in the locker room, which are vital in the team’s quest to become a legitimate title contender. If Anthony and Korver won’t receive new contracts from their respective teams, the Sixers might really have a chance of acquiring either or both veterans using the veteran minimum deal. Aside from Anthony and Korver, Hughes also mentioned Langston Galloway as a potential target for the Sixers in the 2020 NBA free agency.
