Philadelphia 76ers receive high marks for their big offseason moves

[ASFN Admin]

The Philadelphia 76ers have had a busy offseason with the additions they made in free agency and in the trade market. President of Basketball Operations Mike Gansey has been working hard to build a roster that can compete for a championship and look to make the big leap in the Eastern Conference.

The Sixers, obviously, swung the big deal to acquire Jaylen Brown from the Boston Celtics in exchange for Paul George, two first-round picks, and two second-round picks, but they also signed Dean Wade, Anfernee Simons, and Ariel Hukporti in free agency. They also selected Alabama guard Labaron Philon Jr. with the No. 22 pick in the draft to add to the roster.

ESPN graded each team's offseason and gave the Sixers an A- grade:

Regardless of Jaylen Brown's precise value, turning 36-year-old Paul George into a 29-year-old All-NBA wing is a big win for Philadelphia. The forward positions have long been a concern for the 76ers, but they're on much firmer ground now with Brown and Dean Wade, and Brown is specifically a strong fit next to Joel Embiid because of his reliability.

The 76ers' roster isn't perfect -- it lacks some shooting and is still too reliant on Embiid for its size -- but Philadelphia at least has a narrow path to the Finals now, when such a route didn't exist before this summer.

The Sixers will continue to rely on Embiid, for sure, but the presence of Brown will make life easier for everybody on the roster. When Embiid sits, and he will sit a lot of games in an effort to preserve him for the playoffs, then Brown can step in and produce on the floor enough to lead Philadelphia to wins as he did in Boston when Jayson Tatum sat.

This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Philadelphia 76ers receive high marks for their big offseason moves

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