The Philadelphia 76ers managed to land two of the offseason’s most notable names while leaving the Golden State Warriors empty-handed, first by getting Anfernee Simons and then by beating Golden State to LeBron James.
Simons agreed to a two-year, $12.3 million deal with Philadelphia on July 2, a contract that stood out immediately as team-friendly considering he had just finished a four-year, $100 million deal. Golden State had interest, along with the Miami Heat, and could have gone higher on both money and role. Instead, the Warriors kept their options open while waiting on James.
That gamble never paid off. Three weeks later, James signed with the 76ers for the minimum, and Philadelphia had both players in hand while Golden State was left searching in a thin free-agent market.
The timing makes the whole thing sting even more for the Warriors. They apparently believed James would command at least the taxpayer mid-level exception, if not the full non-taxpayer MLE, so they held back while trying to preserve flexibility. In the end, they lost out on James and also missed their chance to land Simons at a number they likely could have matched or topped.
There’s also a real question about how Simons sees all of this now. If his only goal is chasing a title, then James joining Philadelphia makes the move look even better. But if he wants a bigger platform to boost his value and set up another payday, this may not be the ideal spot.
Simons is expected to be no higher than the sixth offensive option on a healthy Philadelphia roster, which is a sharp drop in usage for a player who has averaged nearly 19 points and 4.1 assists over the past five seasons. With Jimmy Butler sidelined for the first part of next season, he could have been in line for a much larger scoring role with Golden State. Instead, the Warriors reportedly only put a minimum offer on the table while chasing James, and that decision now looks costly.
In Other News...
Podziemski Is Already Part Of Santa Claras Next NBA Story
Allen Graves is already giving Santa Clara another reason to brag. The No. 19 pick in the NBA draft has started his pro career with a wave of congratulations from fellow Broncos Brandin Podziemski and Jalen Williams, a reminder that Santa Claras pipeline has become more than a feel-good footnote. Graves also wasted little time making an impression in summer league, showing the kind of activity that tends to travel well to the next level.
Toronto has made clear what it wants from him early: defense, hustle and the kind of effort plays that can earn trust fast. That fits the profile Graves has been building, and it is part of why the support from Podziemski and the rest of the Santa Clara network matters now. The next step is figuring out how quickly that energy turns into a defined NBA role, and the Raptors are already leaning into that question. [Read more 🡒]
Warriors Fans Have Every Right To Be Frustrated Right Now
The offseason has already started to take shape around the league, and the contrast is hard to miss for Warriors fans. The Lakers just landed Walker Kessler in a sign-and-trade with Utah, parting with two first-round picks and two pick swaps to do it, while Golden State has spent nearly a month without bringing in an external player through trade or free agency.
That silence is especially jarring because the Warriors still have draft capital to work with, and they have been connected to bigger swings without finding one. They also have not seriously gone after notable restricted free agents, leaving the roster picture largely unchanged at a time when other contenders are making moves and forcing the issue. [Read more 🡒]
Warriors May Have One Last Offseason Fix For Stephs Shrinking Window
A speculative offseason idea has the Warriors looking at one more swing to help Steph Currys shrinking window, with the front office weighing whether a major reshuffle could better balance the roster around him. The concept centers on a deal with Dallas, a team that has its own reasons to consider a reset, and it reflects the kind of aggressive thinking Golden State has leaned on when it believes the margin for error is getting thinner.
The appeal for the Warriors is obvious: add depth, size and flexibility in one move while using future draft capital to chase immediate help. But because this is only a proposal, not a reported transaction, it remains more of a roadmap for what Golden State might need than a finished answer, and the hard part is figuring out whether the price of that kind of fix is too steep for a team trying to stay competitive now and later. [Read more 🡒]