According to ESPN.com, the 76ers will make a “strong push” to sign Barnes when free agency opens Friday. Barnes was just selected to the 2016 Rio Olympic team, and he has been to the NBA Finals each of the last two seasons.
Because Barnes is a restricted free agent, the Warriors have the ability to match any offer another team puts on the table. Golden State may just do that if they can’t lure Kevin Durant to the West Coast.
If the 76ers do sign Barnes, they will be better able to trade Noel and play Simmons at power forward with Barnes on the wing.
With the moves the Sixers are making this offseason, it wouldn’t be surprising to see them further up the standings in the Eastern conference, and will almost certainly finish with more than the 10 wins they had last year.