Free agency is set to begin in the NBA on June 30 and now is the time to look back at some free-agent history for the Philadelphia 76ers.
Every time makes some type of move in free agency every season. When a team brings in a fresh face to the roster, they believe that their signing will help push them over the top.
However, there are good signings and then there are bad signings that just do not work out at all and that is what this edition is going to focus on with the 2022 period right around the corner.
The list will be based on money received combined with lack of impact and how things transpired on the court during that player’s time in Philadelphia. With that being said, let’s get into the list:
Dishonorable mentions
Brian Skinner – 2004 offseason
Skinner had a solid 2002-03 season with the Sixers helping them reach the playoffs. After a season with the Milwaukee Bucks, Skinner returned to Philadelphia on a 5-year $25 million deal. He averaged 2.0 points and 2.6 rebounds in 24 games before being moved to the Sacramento Kings for Chris Webber.
Kenny Thomas – 2003 offseason
The Sixers acquired Thomas from the Houston Rockets in December of 2002 and he averaged 10.2 points and 8.5 rebounds, but Philadelphia then re-signed him for seven years and $50 million. That is far too big of a commitment for him and he was then moved to the Kings with Skinner in the Webber deal.
No. 5 Kwame Brown
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Brown signed a 2-year $5.7 million deal in the 2012 offseason and he played a grand total of 22 games. He averaged 1.9 points and 3.4 rebounds in those games and he never played another NBA game again. He later became the 5th overall pick of the Big3.
No. 4 Scott Williams
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The Sixers liked Williams because then-GM and coach John Lucas liked that he knew how to win. Therefore, the Sixers signed him to a 7-year deal to help push them forward. However, he wasn’t able to bring any of the lessons he learned with Michael Jordan and he played only 212 games in Philadelphia averaging 5.3 points and 5.4 rebounds per game before he was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks and faced the Sixers in the 2001 Eastern Conference finals.
No. 3 Elton Brand
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Before Brand joined the Sixers, he was one of the best big men in the league. He averaged 20.3 points and 10.3 rebounds across seven seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers and he was a 2-time All-Star. Philadelphia signed him to the “Philly max” deal of 5-years and $182 million and he just wasn’t the same player anymore. He averaged 13.3 points and 7.4 rebounds in four seasons before he was released before the final year of his contract.
No. 2 Matt Geiger
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Geiger signed a 6-year $48 million deal in the 1998 offseason and he did have some bright spots. He averaged 13.5 points and 7.2 rebounds in the first season of the deal, but after that? His numbers declined every season and he only played four games in the 2001-02 season, his final one.
Perhaps the highlight of Geiger’s time in Philadelphia was him refusing to waive his trade kicker in 2001 in a deal that would have sent him and Allen Iverson to the Detroit Pistons. That kept Iverson in Philadelphia and the rest is history with that moment.
No. 1 Al Horford
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The Horford signing was always questionable after he signed for 4-years and $109 million, but the on-court fit was more of a disaster than anyone anticipated. The Sixers were hoping to team him up with Embiid and play smashmouth basketball while also having a very reliable backup to the big fella, but Horford could not mesh with Embiid nor Ben Simmons and it was dysfunctional basketball.
Combine that with them losing Jimmy Butler in that same offseason and Butler leading the Miami Heat to the NBA Finals in 2020 and then trading Horford after just one season, and the deal just looks downright awful.