PHILADELPHIA - The Sixers are a very balanced and deep team, searching for a top-tier scorer and an inside, defensive presence.
Philadelphia returned to the postseason in 2010-11 without anyone on the club averaging more than 15 points per game and was one of the NBA's better defensive clubs despite the lack of a real shot-blocking threat on the weakside.
Doug Collins did a spectacular job in his first year as the head coach building an unselfish team that had six players averaging in double-figure scoring, including bench players Lou Williams and Thaddeus Young, a restricted free agent that must be re-signed.
With Jrue Holiday and Evan Turner showing solid upsides, the Sixers seem intent on dealing their best player, Andre Iguodala and rumors have surfaced involving both Golden State high-scoring guard Monta Ellis and Chris Kaman, the oft-injured former All-Star center with the Los Angeles Clippers.
Philadelphia currently owns the 16th overall pick and will probably be looking for the best big man available.
Players under contract: G: Jrue Holiday; G: Jodie Meeks; G: Louis Williams; G/F: Evan Turner; G/F: Andre Iguodala; F: Craig Brackins; F: Elton Brand; F: Andres Nocioni; F/C: Marreese Speights
Free Agents: G: Antonio Daniels; G/F: Jason Kapono; F: Darius Songaila; F: Thaddeus Young (Restricted); F/C: Tony Battie; C: Spencer Hawes (Restricted)
Draft picks: 1st round (16th overall), 2nd round (50th overall)
Players the Sixers have had in for workouts: Lavoy Allen (Temple); Rick Jackson (Syracuse); Delvon Johnson (Arkansas); Vernon Macklin (Florida); Greg Smith (Fresno State); Tomislav Zubcic (Croatia); Joffrey Lauvergne (France); Antonio Pena (Villanova); Lester Prosper (SUNY-Old Westbury); Willie Reed (St. Louis); Trey Thompkins (Georgia); Keith Benson (Oakland); Justin Harper (Richmond); Nikola Vucevic (USC); Jordan Williams (Maryland); Jordan Hamilton (Texas); Scotty Hopson (Tennessee); Malcolm Lee (UCLA); Josh Selby (Kansas); Chris Singleton (Florida State); Tyler Honeycutt (UCLA); Markieff Morris (Kansas); Eniel Polynice (Seton Hall); Xavier Silas (Northern Illinois).
Working out on Thursday: Corey Fisher (Villanova), Bengaly Fofana (France), Justin Hurtt (Tulsa), Charles Okwandu (Connecticut), Corey Stokes (Villanova).
Of the names brought in so far, the options at No. 16, at least talent-wide, would be Thompkins, Williams, Hamilton, Singleton, Honeycutt and Morris.
Thompkins of Georgia is a huge 6-foot-10, 247-pound power forward that is actually quite graceful on the court but lacks a big-time work ethic that will have him sliding a bit.
Maryland's Williams (6-foot-10, 260) is a massive player that could certainly help the Sixers down low, while Hamilton of Texas is a swingman that could be a little undervalued after a spotty career at Texas.
Singleton, a 6-foot-9, 225-pound combo forward out of Florida State may have been the most dominant college defender and would be a tailor-made fit for a club in desperate need of interior defense and shot- blocking ability.
Honeycutt of UCLA (6-foot-8, 185) is a versatile, slight player that can swing between two guard and small forward positions, while Morris, the Philly native out of Kansas is a muscular 6-foot-10 player with an NBA-ready body that would love to play for his hometown team.
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