Sixers receive highest off-season grade in Eastern Conference

By Josh Liddick, Sports Talk Philly editor

Every offseason, it's interesting to see how the media ranks certain teams based off of their offseason production. This year, the Sixers pretty much outdid themselves in that category, making perhaps one of the biggest strides in the Eastern Conference.






On paper, there is no doubting that Sixers will be one of, if not the most improved team in the Eastern Conference, or even the entire NBA next season.
 
Adding Markelle Fultz with the first overall pick in the NBA Draft, and signing vets J.J. Redick and Amir Johnson are two moves that changed the landscape of the team and patched up bald spots on a team that made vast improvements from the 2015-16 season.
 
According to ESPN, and their insider page (thanks, Tim Kelly), the Sixers received an offseason grade of a 'B+' which is very good for how far they've come in recent seasons.
 
ESPN's David Pelton had surprisingly positive things to say about the Sixers, who have been the laughing-stock of the league for the last handful of years.
 
"After trading up from No. 3 to No. 1 to add Markelle Fultz to their group of potential stars, the Sixers wisely held the line on spending this summer, offering one-year deals in free agency. JJ Redick ($23 million) and Amir Johnson ($11 million) signed on at above-market rates, bolstering Philadelphia's chances at reaching the playoffs while allowing the 76ers to pursue a younger contributor next offseason."
 
Pelton went on to talk about how the Sixers' free agency plans may have differed if certain players made their original intentions known a little faster.
 
"I do wonder whether the Sixers might have changed plans had they known the Pistons would renounce Caldwell-Pope, making him an unrestricted free agent. But Philadelphia can still sign Caldwell-Pope next summer, and Bradley might be a better fit with the Sixers' young core."
 
For a while, it seemed like the Sixers wanted to get the best possible player to play the two, and a lot of people had talked about the possibility of nabbing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in free agency, but that was with the mentality of KCP still being a restricted free agent.
 
It wasn't until the Pistons renounced him, and he became an unrestricted free agent, when the Sixers already decided to move forward with signing J.J. Redick to a one-year $23 million deal.
 
The miss-out on KCP aside, the Sixers still had one of the best offseasons in the Eastern Conference, with all of the major moves they made, which led to major team improvements.
 
According to the insider article, the other two team's that received a 'B+' grade for their transactions were the Celtics and the Hornets.
 
Boston of course, added their long-coveted star in Gordon Hayward, while acquiring Marcus Morris for Avery Bradley, and drafting small forward Jayson Tatum, who looked very impressive in Summer League play.
 
The Hornets, on the other hand, traded for now journeyman center Dwight Howard, and added Michael Carter-Williams to a minimal deal to backup Kemba Walker at point guard. In the draft, Charlotte added the sharp-shooting guard from Kentucky, Malik Monk.
 
The Sixers had a pretty decent draft, with mostly draft-and-stash players on the list in Ansejs Pazecnics, Jonah Bolden, and Mathias Lessort. However, just getting Fultz, who projects out nicely to be a franchise player for years to come, and adding a veteran sharp-shooter, in J.J. Redick is plenty enough to receive a 'B+' grade.
 
For how painful it was to handle the Nerlens Noel trade, among many other moves, Bryan Colangelo really outdid himself this offseason, finally earning the Sixers the respect they deserve in the national media.
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