Dario Saric

4 Players Who Will Be Expendable Next Season

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 8:55 p.m. ET

Fansided, Tunmise Odufuye/FanSided via The Sixer Sense

The Philadelphia 76ers will need to let go of some players in order to grow for the future next season.

Roster moves will be crucial to the growth of the Philadelphia 76ers this offseason. With the hope of improving and becoming a steady franchise, some Sixers will have to say sayonara to the City of Brotherly Love.

The Sixers organization hopes that Ben Simmons’ rehab goes well, clearing the first overall pick of the 2016 NBA Draft to take the floor sometime this season. Reportedly, it could be February when Simmons sees the floor.

If Simmons plays this season, it would essentially effect the make-up of the Sixers going forward, as Simmons will most likely be the focal point of the offense. This would influence what roster moves the Sixers decide to make during the upcoming offseason.

Given that the Sixers have a potential of two draft picks in 2017 (both a shot at being lottery picks, if the protected Los Angeles Lakers pick conveys), space will need to be made for the newcomers to make an impact.

This is not even counting the bevy of options the Sixers will look at come free agency. Key veterans that could launch the team into becoming playoff contenders will be available and the Sixers will have the money to go after a few of them.

This leads many of us to believe that some current players on the roster today will no longer call themselves Sixers at the start of next season (if they are not traded by this season’s deadline). Here are some names to look at.

Nov 23, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Robert Covington (33) moves toward the net during the fourth quarter of the game against the Memphis Grizzlies at the Wells Fargo Center. The Memphis Grizzlies won 104-99 in double overtime. Mandatory Credit: John Geliebter-USA TODAY Sports

Robert Covington

If possible, Robert Covington would be on this list twice.

His overall production this season has declined compared to last season (although he has had himself a wonderful December at 14.3 points in eight games). He has dipped nearly 3 points per game from 12.8 last season to 10.2 this season.

Where Covington’s lack of production is clearly evident is where his specialty was in year’s past: 3-point shooting.

Covington is shooting 29.5 percent from beyond the arc, down from his 35.3 percent average last season. What’s even more glaring is his 3-point production at home vs. on the road.

He’s shooting better on the road (34.4 percent) than at Wells Fargo Center (26.3 percent).

Covington could also add real value to a team looking for 3-point shooting off the bench. This could come in handy for the Sixers if they look to trade Covington in a package deal with Nerlens Noel or Jahlil Okafor (if that trade ever materializes).

The Sixers have a team option on Covington’s contract in the 2017-2018 season, so the organization has a few ways it could depart from the Covington saga, even if it’s not via a trade.

Dec 18, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Hollis Thompson (31) passes during the second quarter of the game against the Brooklyn Nets at the Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: John Geliebter-USA TODAY Sports

Hollis Thompson

Hollis Thompson is a bit of a head scratch.

When talking basketball and his name comes up (if it ever does), he can only be remembered as a player in NBA 2K when someone faces the Sixers in Play Game mode.

It’s not very clear what type of player Thompson actually is, even though he is listed as a shooting guard. He doesn’t do a whole lot on the floor, and isn’t given many minutes to prove himself, so it’s really hard to put a label on him.

Thompson does have a nice jump shot, which he displayed during the third game of the season against the Orlando Magic at home in November when he scored 22 points in 28 minutes going 8-10 from the field.

Where Thompson could improve immensely is his ball handling ability.

Most of Thompson’s field goals have been assisted (88.5 percent of them, in fact). Granted, this does mean the ball moves when he is in the game, it points out that Thompson doesn’t really look to put the ball on the floor.

Because of the Sixers poor spacing and inability to screen for shooters off the dribble, it makes someone like Thompson, who relies on the assist to score, ineffective.

Dec 20, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Nerlens Noel (4) warms up before a game against the New Orleans Pelicans at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Nerlens Noel

The story of Nerlens Noel’s disdain for the direction the Sixers are going with (or without) him is nothing new. It’s quite clear he wants a change in scenery and lucky for him, he’s that valuable to get it.

There have been as much trade rumors about Noel than our fingers can count. From destinations like the Toronto Raptors to the Houston Rockets, it’s safe to say that Noel should probably start taking pictures of his residence and posting them on Zillow.com.

The reality is that Noel is a good player, but continues to get injured, putting pressure on the coaching staff to implement a steady game plan that involves him flourishing.

It can be said that Noel is easily the best defender the Sixers have. He does a great job rim protecting and his footwork for a big man that has had constant knee problems is actually impressive.

Where Noel could improve is his midrange game.

Since entering the league, he has gone 69-247 from the midrange area, or 27.9 percent. In a league where big men are almost required to spread the floor with midrange shooting, it’s hard to deny that Noel’s value does fall because he lacks a steady jump-shot.

Dec 3, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Jahlil Okafor (8) reacts against the Boston Celtics during the fourth quarter at Wells Fargo Center. The Celtics defeated the 76ers 107-106. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Jahlil Okafor

This one is tough. Jahlil Okafor can really be something in this league if he gets his conditioning together, works on his footwork and his rebounding.

His offensive game is solid and he has great touch on the ball around the basket. He’s quite frankly a bully when it comes to the post but his footwork and balance near the rim have hurt him once it’s time to get the ball in the basket.

Trading Okafor would be the best option for the Sixers. Playing him, Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, and Dario Saric together would be a spacing disaster as none of them are great shooters or masters of the pick and roll.

Packaging a deal with Noel and Okafor could serve the Sixers well as these two have potential but not on a team that doesn’t really know how to utilize either player.

Trading him and the previous three players mentioned during the NBA 2017 Draft could help the Sixers rebuild in the right direction and finally grasp an identity instead of searching for one again.