Report: Sixers Remain ‘Highly Interested’ In Kyle Korver

By Brandon Apter, Sports Talk Philly Staff 

The Philadelphia 76ers (9-6) will see their newly-acquired star, Jimmy Butler, make his debut for the team on Wednesday night, but the organization is still looking for holes to fill in the roster. Specifically, shooting. In Butler, you added a guy who can score off the dribble, something the Sixers originally drafted Markelle Fultz for. Butler can also pull-up from mid-range and three-point land. But, in losing Dario Saric and Robert Covington, you lost two of your three primary catch-and-shoot three-point guys and someone will have to fill that role. Could it be Furkan Korkmaz? Maybe.

One name that has been floating around for a while has been Kyle Korver. The 37-year-old, acquired by the Sixers on draft night 2003, is still productive at his age, shooting 45.7 percent from the floor and 38.7 percent from beyond the arc. According to Marc Stein of the New York Times, Philadelphia remains interested in the veteran.

The desperate-for-shooters Sixers remain highly interested in acquiring Cleveland's Kyle Korver. But that will be harder for Philadelphia to make happen without Jerryd Bayless' handy $8.6 million expiring contract to help facilitate a trade. 

Korver is in the second season of a three-year, $22 million deal he signed with the Cavaliers in 2017. The Sixers instead plugged Bayless into the Butler trade to help make that salary cap math work.

On Tuesday, during the Jimmy Butler press conference, general manager Elton Brand was asked about how the Sixers plan to fill their open roster spot. Although the team needs shooters, Brand said that they plan to take their time and "evaluate the landscape". 

While Korver might be a fit offensively, acquiring him outside of the buy-out market doesn't make a whole lot of sense for a Sixers team that wants to have maximum cap flexibility heading into the 2019 offseason. Korver is set to make $7.5 million next season, but only $3.44 million of that is guaranteed if he's waived before July 7, 2019. Still, it'd be hard to believe that Philadelphia would want nearly $3.5 million in dead cap heading into a big offseason, where the goal will be to re-sign Jimmy Butler and potentially add another big name to the mix.

Korver is currently sidelined with a foot injury and missed the Cavs last game against Charlotte. Cleveland is having trouble doing much of anything this season, posting an early record of 2-11. 

 

Go to top button