Sam Hinkie, you dog, you.
Despite boasting oodles of cap space in each of the last two summers, the Philadelphia 76ers haven’t been free-agency players. They’re trying to build from the ground up and from within, and not only does that mean they’re not in the market for outside talent, but they’re not in the market for win-now talent period.
But that didn’t stop them from apparently giving chase to Cleveland Cavaliers free agent J.R. Smith. Per Fox Sports’ Sam Amico:
Sixers expressed interest in free agent guard JR Smith, but that's dwindled. Cavs want to re-sign Smith, letting market determine his value.
— Sam Amico (@AmicoHoops) August 4, 2015
This feels weird because it is weird. Never mind that signing free agents isn’t the Sixers’ modus operandi under Hinkie. If and when they do break that trend, is Smith really one of of the players they would pursue?
Imagine him influencing all the young, impressionable talent on Philly’s roster. He could teach Jahlil Okafor how to take shots—both from beyond the arc and at a club. He could help Nerlens Noel up his voyeur game. He could Skype with Dario Saric and ensure the overseas prospect is fluent in American profanity.
What I’m trying to say is this makes no sense. The Sixers don’t need a shooting guard after trading for Nik Stauskas. Beyond that, handing Smith a multiyear deal to headline a reclamation project almost devoid of veteran leadership is a lot like asking JaVale McGee to mentor Joel Embiid, and we saw how quickly the Sixers put the kibosh on that experiment last season.
Still, feel free bask in the absurdity of this hypothetical dalliance. The dog days of the NBA offseason are upon us, and it’s defunct possibilities such as these that give us a reason to keep refreshing Twitter every six seconds.
Dan Favale is a firm believer in the three-pointer as well as the notion that defense doesn’t always win championships. His musings can be found at Bleacherreport.com in addition to TheHoopDoctors.com.
