Philadelphia 76ers stock up, stock down

Great outside shooting and low turnovers makes Maxey an ideal complement to Joel Embiid, as he can punish opponents for doubling Embiid near the basket. For a prolific scorer, he also doesn't need the ball in his hands. The 22-year-old is up for a contract extension this summer, though he'll play for the bargain price of $4.3 million next year regardless. 

The uncertainty about James Harden, rumored to be interested in a return to Houston, only makes Maxey more important for Philadelphia. He'd be the No. 2 scoring option, though Philadelphia would likely want to see Maxey's assist totals improve. They'd also like to see his defense become more consistent, but Maxey has the speed and athleticism to make huge plays on the defensive end.

De'Anthony Melton, SG: Melton was second in the league in steals in 2022-23, with 126 swipes. He also tied for 8th among guards in blocks, notching a career-high 41 rejections. All while, according to one metric, he had the 10th-toughest defensive assignments last year.

That should make him very popular with the Sixers' new defensive-minded head coach, Nick Nurse, who likes to play a pressure, turnover-forcing defense. Toronto's OG Anunoby led the league in steals, while teammates Fred VanVleet (4th) and Gary Trent Jr. (tied for 9th) were in the top ten. Even though he and Maxey are both 6'2" shooting guards, Nurse didn't hesitate to play VanVleet alongside Kyle Lowry in Toronto, and they're even shorter.

Melton has also turned himself into a dangerous outside shooter, hitting 39 percent of his threes last season, his third straight year shooting over 37 percent. And with the 76ers roster in flux, you can expect Melton to get plenty of opportunities to prove himself to his new coach next season.

Stock Down

Tobias Harris, F: Harris saw his scoring at shot attempts drop in 2022-23. He averaged 14.7 points and 5.7 rebounds, but only took 11.4 shots per game, his lowest total in seven years. Harris still shot over 50 percent from the field and 38.9 percent from deep, but took a decided back seat to teammates Embiid, Harden and Maxey.

Those are fine numbers for a fourth option, but most fourth options aren't making $39.3 million, Harris' salary for 2023-24. Harris has the 19th-highest salary next year, making him a definite trade candidate for Philly. As he enters his thirties, Harris seems more suited to a stretch four position than his primary position of small forward, but P.J. Tucker is entrenched at power forward.

What makes Harris look worse is that Philadelphia signed him in the summer of 2019 instead of Jimmy Butler, who just reached his second NBA Finals since leaving. Meanwhile, Philadelphia can't get out of the second round.

Whether or not a team would swap long-term salaries for Harris' expiring deal, it's becoming increasingly unlikely Harris is a Sixer this fall.

P.J. Tucker, PF: Tucker was the Sixers' biggest off-season acquisition, playing power forward and shooting corner threes. A lot of corner threes. 56.9 percent of Tucker's total attempts came from the corner, and 91.4 percent of his three-pointers. For the season, he averaged 3.4 points per game.

Tucker is undoubtedly a great team leader, motivating his teammates in big moments and demanding accountability in games and practices.

But can Philadelphia afford to start a player with so little scoring? Tucker averaged less than five points per game in the playoffs on a team whose offense regularly bogged down in the postseason. Philadelphia didn't make a field goal in the final 6:13 of Game 6 until they cleared their bench in the final seconds.

Tucker is already 38, so he's not going to develop an offensive game now. Philly may need more scoring and athleticism, and that's not going to come from Tucker.