By Josh Liddick, Sports Talk Philly editor
Let's face it, the Sixers are in dire need of veteran leadership and who could fit the Sixers' offensive pattern better than Ersan Ilyasova?
The Sixers traded Ilyasova back in February before the trade deadline to the Hawks for pretty much just Tiago Splitter with the addition of two second round picks.
Before the trade, Ilyasova was putting up incredible numbers and really helped control the ball in certain situations and was a perfect fit when Joel Embiid was on the floor. Ersan also showcased his offensive prowess by leading the team in scoring while he was there.
Ilyasova provided great numbers for the Sixers since he was traded from Oklahoma City for Jerami Grant. He averaged 15 points per game, and added six boards and two assists in just a little over 27 minutes on the floor.
The Sixers are definitely in need for a veteran presence to help out the younger players a little more, and if the price is right, it would be a completely logical deal.
Free Agency in the NBA opens up on Saturday with the new league-year starting up. The Sixers have already been connected to players such as J.J. Redick and Andre Iguodala, but it seems that they might be a little out of their price range.
It's certain that the Sixers have $50 million to spend in cap room, and they need to spend that money in order to meet the cap room floor of around $90 million. So, with that mindset, the Sixers could literally sign whoever they want and not have to worry about the money because they need to get rid of it anyway.
In terms of costly free agents, Ersan Ilyasova would be near the least of the Sixers' concerns. He's definitely not as pricey as Redick and Iguodala, where he'll more than likely command around 12 or $13 million and the team already knows he can fit on their team because of the way he played in the first half of last season.
Of course, the Sixers will have to decide on a lot of things heading into the Free Agency period on Saturday, but signing Ersan Ilyasova might be the safest, most affordable, best option for the team at this point.
