The 76ers spent the offseason making the kind of splashy moves that grab all the oxygen - LeBron James and Jaylen Brown will do that. But the signing that may end up looking smartest is the one that barely made the same noise: Anfernee Simons on a two-year, $12.3 million deal.
That’s the view of respected cap specialist Yossi Gozlan, who recently called Philadelphia’s Simons pickup maybe the biggest bargain of the 2026 offseason. On a recent episode of the Third Apron Podcast, Gozlan made the case that the 76ers landed the guard at a price well below what he expected.
"They got Anfernee Simons for the taxpayer mid-level exception. Truly one of the, maybe the biggest bargain of the offseason.
I anticipated that he was going to get a pay reduction... I thought he'd get closer to the full mid-level like $15 million.
Maybe even a little less than that like a $12 million salary and you just take like a one or two-year deal and just try to build your value up from there. He got half the $12 million valuation."
Simons came into the offseason in a tricky spot. He was productive enough to have real value, but after being traded in 2025-26, his market was far from straightforward. Philadelphia’s deal appears to have benefited from that uncertainty.
The fit in Philadelphia helps explain why the contract stands out. The 76ers’ starting five is already locked in and will soak up a major share of the minutes and touches. That makes a low-cost addition like Simons even more useful, because his value isn’t just about what he brings on the floor.
It’s also about what he could become in a trade. If the 76ers later decide they need to swing for an impact player at another position, Simons’ team-friendly contract could be a valuable piece to have.
Still, the on-court case is strong enough on its own. Simons can run the second unit and play without the ball, and he does both well. He’s a career 38.1 percent shooter from three, hit 42.9 percent of his catch-and-shoot threes in 2025-26, and connected on 42.7 percent in 2023-24.
That kind of perimeter shooting has been a constant. Simons has made at least 37.7 percent of his catch-and-shoot threes in each of the past six seasons, and he’s topped 42.7 percent in four of them.
He brings more than shooting, too. Simons has shown he can create his own offense and set others up, with career averages of 20.2 points and 4.3 assists per 36 minutes. He also shot 53.8 percent on drives in 2025-26 and 47.0 percent in 2024-25.
Whether Philadelphia keeps him for the full 2026-27 season or uses him as part of a bigger move, the numbers point to the same conclusion: the 76ers may have landed one of the offseason’s best value contracts.
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