Nicolas Batum, Kelly Oubre and Kyle Lowry are the free agents most likely to return to the Sixers next season, a source tells Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. The three players have proven to be a good fit alongside Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, and they’re likely to be affordable, which will be an important consideration when president of basketball operations Daryl Morey tries to round out the roster after hopefully landing at least one big name on the free agent market. Batum is at the top of Philadelphia’s list of players to re-sign, according to Pompey. The versatile swingman ap ..read more

Lakers star LeBron James is the top name on a list of possible free agents compiled by Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report. Even as he nears age 40, James has the potential to shake up the league if he turns down his $51.4MM player option and decides to test the market this summer. Pincus acknowledges that James is likely to remain in L.A. no matter what he does with the option. He can either opt in and extend his contract for two more seasons or opt out and negotiate a new deal starting at $49.4MM. Either way, Pincus expects James’ next contract to run through the 2026/27 season. Sixers guard Tyre ..read more

With Klay Thompson about to enter the final month of his current contract with the Warriors, there has been “no notable movement from either side” toward a resolution, writes Anthony Slater of The Athletic. Most teams have to wait until after the NBA Finals to discuss new contracts with their pending free agents, but the Warriors and Thompson are allowed to talk now because the veteran sharpshooter is extension-eligible up until June 30. However, Slater suggests that even though Golden State has interest in retaining Thompson, the team hasn’t exactly been “beating down his door” to get a new d ..read more

Drew Gordon, a former NBA player and the older brother of Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon, has died following a car accident in Portland, Oregon, agent Calvin Andrews confirmed to Marc J. Spears of ESPN. He was 33 years old. Drew, who played his college ball at UCLA and New Mexico from 2008-12, went undrafted in ’12. The 6’9″ forward began his professional career in Serbia, Italy, and Turkey before getting a shot with the Sixers in 2014. He appeared in nine games for Philadelphia, recording 17 points and 18 rebounds in 71 total minutes. While those nine games represented Gordon’s entire NBA caree ..read more

The Sixers aren’t the only team that would be willing to give Jimmy Butler a maximum-salary extension if they could acquire him from the Heat. League sources tell Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald that two other clubs have “made it known in league circles” that they’d also be open to trading for the star forward and then signing him to a max deal. Butler remains under contract with the Heat for 2024/25 and holds a $52.4MM player option for ’25/26. A maximum extension would cover two years, replacing the ’25/26 option with a new $54.3MM starting salary and tacking on an extra year worth $58.6M ..read more

The Pelicans are expected to explore the trade market for high-scoring forward Brandon Ingram this offseason and might find a trading partner in the Hawks. New Orleans had discussions with Atlanta prior to the February trade deadline and could reengage this summer, with the Hawks reportedly considering breaking up their backcourt. If the two sides do talk, the Pelicans will likely be focusing on one guard more than the other. New Orleans seems to have more interest in Dejounte Murray than Trae Young, according to Christian Clark of the New Orleans Times-Picayune. That’s because the taller Murr ..read more

In contract negotiations with Paul George so far, the Clippers haven’t offered the star forward “a dollar more” than what they gave Kawhi Leonard earlier this year, league sources tell Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer. Like George, Leonard was eligible to receive up to $221MM over four years from Los Angeles, but Kawhi agreed to a three-year, $152MM deal. As O’Connor writes, while it’s possible that the Sixers are being used for leverage purposes to encourage Los Angeles to increase its offer, sources around the league believe Philadelphia has a legitimate chance to land George as a free agent thi ..read more

A return to the Clippers is possible for Chris Paul this summer, Marc Stein writes in his latest Substack column. Sources tell Stein that L.A. is among several teams that would be interested in the 39-year-old point guard if he becomes a free agent. Paul spent six years with the franchise and was one of the stars of the “Lob City” era. Stein previously cited the Lakers and Spurs as potential landing spots for the 12-time All-Star. Paul told reporters last month that he doesn’t plan to retire after Golden State lost in the play-in tournament, and coach Steve Kerr expressed a desire to keep him ..read more

With Joel Embiid at center and Tyrese Maxey heading up their backcourt, the Sixers will enter this offseason with significant cap room and a desire to fill the gap between their two incumbent stars with an elite two-way wing, writes Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports. According to Fischer, Philadelphia views its opportunity as something similar to the one Golden State had in 2016, when a huge single-year cap spike allowed the Warriors to create the room to add Kevin Durant to a core that already featured Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green. Whether the 76ers will be able to add a player ..read more

People around the league are convinced forward Pascal Siakam will re-sign with the Pacers in free agency, according to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, but the situation for Siakam’s former teammate OG Anunoby may not be as “cut and dried.” Executives left last week’s draft combine believing that Anunoby could end up testing his value on the open market by listening to offers from rival teams in addition to the Knicks, sources tell Fischer. Fischer acknowledges it could end up being a ploy for negotiating leverage, but the Sixers are among the teams with interest in the 3-and-D standout, who coul ..read more