Chandler eager to join ‘future stars’ Simmons, Embiid

By Brandon Apter, Sports Talk Philly Staff 

The Philadelphia 76ers may have missed out on the big name free agents this offseason, but they've done a nice job of filling open holes in their roster. In addition to re-signing Amir Johnson and JJ Redick, the team signed Nemanja Bjelica to a one-year deal and acquired forward Wilson Chandler. 

Chandler will likely be one of the first players off the bench for the Sixers this upcoming season. He offers a strong two-way playing style and hits the three at a reasonable rate as well. On Tuesday, Chandler was part of a conference call with the members of the Sixers media, commenting on how he'll fit and some brief thoughts on Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid.

He went on to say that he isn't worried about starting or coming off the bench, because winning is his main focus. Chandler mentioned how glad he was to be back with a playoff team and that the Sixers should have NBA Finals expectations for 2018-19.

Chandler, 31, had a somewhat down year last season for the Nuggets, but still managed to shoot over 44 percent from the floor and 35 percent from beyond the arc. The former first-rounder from the 2007 NBA Draft is just a year removed from averaging 15.7 points and 6.5 rebounds. 

The Sixers are set to pay Chandler $12.8 million on an expiring contract. Redick, Johnson and Bjelica are all on one-year deals and Jerryd Bayless' contract is finally set to expire after the season, if he's not bought out or stretched before that. If all goes right, the Sixers will have nearly $42 million in cap space for the 2019 season, a summer that will include a free agent class headlined by Klay Thompson and Kemba Walker.

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