Grading Mike Gansey’s First Free Agency

A new executive always generates buzz. During his tenure with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Mike Gansey was part of a front office that made notable additions like Dean Wade (now with the Sixers), Craig Porter and Jaylon Tyson. But you don’t truly know if an executive is the real deal until they’re in the driver’s seat.

Well, it turns out Gansey might be exactly that — the real deal. His first free agency oversaw one of the wildest offseasons in recent NBA memory: trading for Jaylen Brown and signing LeBron James to a minimum contract. And that’s just the headliners. Between the draft, trades and free agency, the Sixers brought in seven new faces.

Now that free agency has settled, how did Gansey perform in his debut? We’ll break down every new free agent addition, from the two-way contract players to LeBron himself, analyzing each one, and assigning proper grades based off of team and marketplace context.

Rayan Rupert (two-way)

Starting things off with the first two-way contract is Rupert. For those unfamiliar with him, he was the 43rd pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. Rupert spent his first three seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers where he saw very little use and playing time. He joined the Memphis Grizzlies via 10-day contract, eventually earning a two-way contract last season. There he saw an uptick in playing time. He averaged 12.2 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.6 steals on 42.2 percent shooting from the field and 33.8 percent shooting from three in 16 games (30.9 minutes per game). Solid production, albeit on a small sample size.

Rupert’s game, to this point, is mostly a hypothetical due to the low sample size and young age. But what can you actually expect when he does play? Rupert boasts a tremendous frame at 6-foot-7 with a 7-3 wingspan to pair with it. Not only does he have true wing size, but he also has a stellar motor and legitimate basketball IQ. He’s the type of player you can throw out in the regular season at the end of the quarter to get a stop. If you believe in his Memphis tape, you have the makings of a coveted two-way player if the offense can catch up.

Now, he’ll take his talents to Philly. He’ll look to join the pipeline of two-way players who get extended run and earn his way onto a fulltime contract. Despite being in the NBA for multiple seasons, Rupert is still quite young at 22 years old.

Grade: B-

You simply cannot have enough defense and length alongside Tyrese Maxey and friends, and that’s exactly what Rupert is now. Two-way contracts are as low risk as it can be. There’s evidence to suggest Rupert’s best days are ahead of him. Some of the stuff he brings now can help this team too, even for a fringe signing. We’ll wait and see if the offensive skills can develop, but this is a solid, low-risk bet.

Caleb Love (two-way)

Moving onto their next two-way is one of the bigger names currently on a two-way contract in Love. For those who don’t know Love, he was a a notable draft prospect not that long ago in the 2024 draft. He had an extensive NCAA career, playing three years at North Carolina, later transferring to Arizona. Despite one of the more decorated NCAA careers, Love went undrafted in 2024, later joining the Portland Trail Blazers via two-way contract.

Unlike most undrafted, two-way contract first year players, Love put together a stellar rookie campaign that saw some heavy usuage. The Blazers used up all of his two-way elibility, heavily featuring him in the rotation. In 49 games, including one start, he averaged 10.4 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game on 38.8 percent shooting and 31.8 percent from three.

At 6-foot-3 (without shoes) with a near 6-foot-9 wingspan, Love has good size for a guard. He’s capable of pulling up from anywhere on the court and scoring in bunches. What’ll make or break his career (and tenure here) will primarily be tied to his efficiency. The base numbers leave a lot to be desired, but if he can pull those numbers up there will be no shortage of teams that could use his floor spacing and scoring ability. The Sixers included.

Grade: A

There’s a legitimate argument Love is now the best player on a two-way contract. And if he isn’t the best, he’s for sure in the conversation. He brings a lot of skills that rookie Labaron Philon and Anfernee Simons also provide, but having a reserve guard in your back, back pocket to space the floor and provide volume shooting is fantastic work on the margins.

Ariel Hukporti

Hukporti’s arguably the most controversial add of the offseason, which says a lot about the offseason Gansey had rather than Hukporti himself. The Sixers inked him to a one-year deal relatively early in the free agency period. The controversial part wasn’t necessarily Hukporti, but rather the way they signed him. After corresponding moves, the Sixers chose to dip into their bi-annual exception to ink him to a $3.4 million deal. This exception, as the name suggests, is granted every two years after it’s used, meaning the Sixers won’t have access to it next offseason. Albeit a small exception, the Sixers used most of it on Hukporti.

Hukporti, a late second-round draft pick, has had an extensive career overseas, eventually signing with the New York Knicks and filling their third-string center role behind Mitchell Robinson and Karl-Anthony Towns. Hukporti wasn’t utilized much — in fact he played less than 500 minutes total last regular season. As expected, there were mixed results. Hukporti was efficient, rebounded at a high rate (per-36 numbers show 11.5 rebounds per game) and played within his role. However, he racked up quite a few fouls despite playing in limited time. Some of that comes from the role (teams don’t care about backup backup bigs fouling when need be), but it is a legitimate area to watch as the Sixers, presumably, deploy him into a larger role here.

The risk side of this is relatively low, but factoring in the context of the BAE is important. If this signing doesn’t pan out, the Sixers will have burned one of their limited financial resources on a signing that didn’t help. However, you can make the argument that this is exactly the type of bet they should be taking: a low number, short-term deal with a player under the age of 25. We also have to factor in the Sixers’ scouting success of the past in identifying talent in other situations. Gansey has shown he has an eye for finding diamonds in the rough, and Hukporti might not be an exception.

The back-up big market was surprisingly competitive, with several players widely considered reserve bigs inking some massive deals. There’s plenty of fluctuation in length, non/partial guarantees, etc., so I’ll keep things simple here by comparing AAV (average annual value) with Hukporti and a few names to come below:

Jusuf Nurkic: 2 years, $22 million ($11M AAV)

Day’Ron Sharpe: 2 years, $20 million ($10M AAV)

Moe Wagner: 2 years, $19 million ($9.5M AAV, mutual option in year 2)

Al Horford: 2 years, $13.9 million (~$7M AAV)

Jaxson Hayes: 2 years, $12 million ($6M AAV)

In particular, I’m a fan of Sharpe’s deal the most out of this group. While all of these players are established NBA talent, if you told me Hukporti could have a better season than a lot of these names, I don’t think it would be crazy. Nurkic and Horford are aging, and Wagner is coming off a pretty serious knee injury. Hayes has been a nightmare off the court.

Grade: C+

For now, Hukporti remains unproven, and Gansey is banking on increased opportunity and development to justify this signing. It’s a fine marginal gamble. The addition of LeBron James should help neutralize most of Hukporti’s weaknesses, allowing him to settle into a defensive-first, low-usage lob threat role. This will be an interesting one to revisit mid-season.

Dean Wade

The first and largest signing of the Sixers’ free agency period was a familiar name for Gansey: Wade, one of the players he helped grow into a surefire NBA player. Wade inked a four-year deal worth $39 million — $30 million of that is guaranteed, with most of the final year in 2029-2030 not guaranteed ($1.6 million of it is guaranteed). The average salary for this deal is just a hair under $9.7 million.

Wade, for those who aren’t familiar with him, has made a career out of embracing the “dirty work” of basketball. He frequently took the hardest perimeter assignment on the Cleveland Cavaliers. Despite the base rebounding numbers looking low, I’d argue he’s an above average rebounder, and those numbers should trend up here in Philadelphia as he’ll play a lot more of the “power forward” position (unlike Cleveland, where he was used more as a “small forward”).

Defense is where Wade has made his calling card, but he’s also very capable offensively. He shoots well from the perimeter and makes smart reads. In particular, his assist-to-turnover ratio is stellar, albeit on small usage. The stats show Wade is a capable rotation player who should be able to hang on both ends of the floor.

Wade will bring defense, length, and good decision making behind the Sixers’ plethora of offensive options. In a vacuum, it’s a good signing from a fit perspective. But how does it stack up against some of the other bigger contracts handed out to forwards in this free agency class? There’s no shortage of names to compare:

John Collins: 3 years, $51M ($17M AAV — two of his three years have guarantee triggers)

Tobias Harris: 2 years, $31M ($15.5M AAV)

Rui Hachimura: 2 years, $28M ($14M AAV)

Sandro Mamukelashvili: 4 years, $52M ($13M AAV)

While all of those players differ from Wade in a variety of what they bring and offer to a team, it sure makes Wade’s contract look good in comparison. And you can make the argument that Wade is the best defender out of that group. Factoring in the top of the talent pool, the Sixers got the best fitting forward on the lowest number — which makes this signing look very strong on paper from a production standpoint.

Grade: A-

Wade might not be as talented as the players mentioned above, but the fit is undeniable. With an abundance of top-end talent, you need guys like him who embrace the dirty work, play defense, and fill the gaps. Evidence suggests Wade should scale up nicely, and he’ll get that opportunity in Philly. Four years is a long commitment for a player like Wade, but it effectively functions as a three-year deal. So even if it doesn’t work out, the Sixers converted a good chunk of their MLE into a legitimate need. The contract is also tradeable if necessary. That said, Wade could end up playing more rotation minutes than most expect. The Sixers will need his defense and corner-three shooting ability on a nightly basis.

Anfernee Simons

Wade was one of the easier signings to predict, so we’ll take things over to Simons who was one of the bigger surprises they’ve added this offseason. Using the rest of the mid-level exception, they inked Simons to a two-year, $12.2M deal. The second year is a player option that is worth $6M.

Simons had one of the more under-the-radar seasons last year. Some of that might’ve been because of how it actually went down. Simons started the season on the Boston Celtics and played well there, averaging 14.2 points while shooting 44% from the field and 39.5% from three on high volume in 49 games for the Celtics. He was a big reason behind their early season success playing in a supercharged sixth man role. So, what happened?

Simons, on an expiring deal, was shipped out at the trade deadline for two reasons. The first of which was to get under the luxury tax. The second of which was to bulk up their center position ahead of the postseason. So the Celtics sent Simons to the Chicago Bulls for Nikola Vucevic. Simons would play out the rest of the season on the rebuilding Bulls, who to that point had a true glut of guards post-deadline. He would play a handful of games before being shut down, after re-aggrativiating a wrist injury he suffered in training camp with the Celtics. In a way, his season was forgotten cause he didn’t finish the year with a Celtics team that exceeded expectations. Make no mistake though, he was a big part of their early season success.

Simons is an intriguing add, strictly for offensive needs. He’s a gifted scorer and shooter — in fact, he’s one of the better floor spacers and high volume shooters in the NBA. His gravity metrics test strongly, and for a team that was in the basement on three point makes he’ll fill a clear need.

Defensively, I wouldn’t expect much, if anything, from Simons. His defensive numbers are some of the worst in the league. That said, he shouldn’t be asked to do too much defending here. And during his time in Boston, he did try on that end, which does count for something. It wasn’t for a lack of effort.

Comparable reserve guards who received contracts this offseason include the following:

Gary Trent Jr.: 4 years, $64 million ($16M AAV) – nothing to see here, NBA!

Quentin Grimes: 4 years, $60 million ($15M AAV)

Collin Sexton: 2 years, $19 million ($9.5M AAV)

Marcus Smart: 2 years, $13 million ($6.5M AAV)

Jose Alvarado: 3 years, $14 million ($4.7M AAV)

Some of those sure stick out… but let’s not get off track.

For a hair over $6M per season, I think the Sixers did well here. The rest of the market backs that up. In particular, it matches well with what Smart got in Houston. He’s a different player, obviously. Smart is more of a defensive minded guard than anything, and Simons is the opposite of that. But both of these guys are skilled on one end of the floor, and ended up getting almost the same amount of money. There’s an argument to make that Simons is the best player on this list, yet he’s missing an extra zero.

Grade: A-

The only thing holding me back from giving this a straight up ‘A’ would be the questionable fit alongside rookie Philon. Both fill a similar need, and have similar strengths and weaknesses. That could make this addition redundant. However, for the price point, the Sixers locked up a proven high volume shooter. He should also ease any early growing pains with the Sixers’ rookie.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has been a top theoretical Sixer for as long as I can remember, ranging from the days of balloon contract debates involving JJ Redick and himself, all the way through a few summers ago when the Sixers had an abundance of cap space. Now, KCP will actually join the Sixers, coming off a buyout with the Memphis Grizzlies. While Memphis might be paying him almost $20 million, the Sixers will only be paying him the minimum this season on a one-year deal.

So what can Sixer fans expect? KCP has built a long, successful career as a coveted 3-and-D player. The base numbers aren’t glamorous, but you’re getting a guy who knows exactly what his role is and plays within it.

After several productive years in Denver, recent memory hasn’t been kind to KCP. He signed a three-year deal with Orlando, which yielded mixed results. He underwhelmed and was shipped to Memphis the following summer in the deal that brought Desmond Bane to Orlando. With the rebuilding Grizzlies, his numbers have continued to decline. He went from 40.6 percent from three in Denver, to 34.2 percent in Orlando, to 31.6 percent in Memphis over the span of the last three seasons.

Some of that decline can be attributed to age, but I also think both environments were just offensively limited. Orlando hasn’t ranked in the top 10 offensively in years, and Memphis rarely had a consistent star or offensive gravity during KCP’s time there. The Sixers have no shortage of talent, and that gravity should open up cleaner looks for him off the catch.

It’s hard to quantify defense with any advanced metrics, but I reviewed some of his defensive film in Memphis, and the eye test looks better than I expected. That team wasn’t playing for anything apart from draft positioning, but I think KCP can still hold his own defensively and won’t get completely embarrassed on the tougher assignments the Sixers will throw his way. I don’t think he’s completely washed in that regard.

Grade: B

KCP’s best days very well might be behind him, but this is a good bet for the Sixers to take at minimum salary. He has proven success with LeBron and has been a quality player alongside elite talent elsewhere. Similar to Wade, the Sixers need low-usage defensive guys, and if KCP can hit shots at the rate we’ve seen before, it’ll be hard to keep him off the court.

LeBron James

The Sixers signing King James has marked one of the worst days of my life…

…is what I’d say if I needed more clicks on this.

In all seriousness, the Sixers made what could be the biggest free agent signing in all of our lives, signing LeBron to a veteran’s minimum contract in a 1+1 structure, with a player option and 15% trade kicker.

Despite being 41 years old, LeBron is still a very good NBA player and should fit well with this group. In particular, he should help Maxey considerably by getting him off ball much more and into catch-and-shoot situations, which statistically should elevate his averages. LeBron also fits well with the starters: Maxey, Edgecombe and Brown, all of whom ranked towards the top in transition points. The Sixers should get plenty of run-out opportunities and have no shortage of options when running. He’ll also alleviate plenty of pressure off Embiid.

There will be an adjustment period for sure, but LeBron will come here to operate in a point guard role offensively. He will make life considerably easier for Maxey and Edgecombe. There are some fit and defensive concerns with this group as a whole, but betting on talent and the Sixers’ newfound depth to fill the gaps is a good bet.

Grade: A+

There’s a case that every single contract LeBron has taken has been an underpay in terms of production, name brand, and championship pedigree. So if that’s an underpay, what does it make LeBron on a minimum contract?

This signing took the Sixers from an already great team on paper and made them surefire contenders for the upcoming NBA season. This group has to put it together, and there will be growing pains from time to time. But if LeBron wants to sign with your NBA team, let alone for a minimum contract, you do it and don’t think twice. Anything less than an A+ for this would be frankly outrageous.

The final report card

For the most part, this is the type of report card you’d want to bring home to your parents. Gansey’s additions are mostly A’s and B’s, with Hukporti representing the lone C+ you can justify.

I didn’t have high expectations for Gansey in his first year as an executive. I wanted this team to get younger and look toward the future. In a way, they did that, adding Philon through the draft, along with Hukporti, Love and Rupert, all under 25. The Sixers worked with limited resources, primarily the mid-level exception, which they converted into two proven rotation plays in Wade and Simons. Then they added LeBron James, which speaks for itself.

This was one of the strongest debut seasons we’ve seen from an NBA executive. Most front offices evaluate whether their team got better, stayed the same, or got worse. For the Sixers, the answer is unquestionably yes. They got significantly better with Brown and LeBron, but Gansey did excellent work on the margins — an area I’ve been wanting to see addressed for a long time.

The team has to execute and things have to translate on the court, but it’s clear: Gansey’s first free agency was a massive success.