76ers get perfect grade for savvy $12.3 million free agency signing

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The Philadelphia 76ers have been the stars of NBA free agency so far.

Obviously, the biggest news was the team pulling off a heist for Jaylen Brown. Somehow, the team was able to get one of the best players in the NBA for just some picks and Paul George. That clearly makes the 76ers a big winner, but one of their recent signings was also a great move.

The 76ers inked guard Anfernee Simons to a two-year deal worth $12.3 million. That move won't make the most headlines, but it could end up paying huge dividends.

76ers given A+ for signing Simons

Bleacher Report's NBA staff is giving out instant grades for every deal of NBA free agency. Regarding the Simons deal, the BR staff gave the 76ers an A+. The following analysis was offered:

The Philadelphia 76ers are signing Anfernee Simons to a two-year, $12.3 million deal, according to ESPN's Shams Charania. That is a friggin' steal.

Simons profiles as a fantastic fit on a roster that currently counts Tyrese Maxey as its only lights-out shooter. The 27-year-old saw his efficiency dip after being traded from Boston to Chicago, but he promises both away-from-the-ball spacing and another layer of off-the-bounce jump-shooting.

As they mentioned, this deal is clearly a steal. Simons has averaged 20+ points in multiple different seasons and he's a career 38% shooter from three.

Sure, Simons had a down 2025-26, but he's entering a perfect situation in Philadelphia. With a starting lineup featuring Tyrese Maxey, Jaylen Brown, and Joel Embiid, Simons can be a perfect sparkplug off the bench.

The BR staff added the following:

Even with his cold finish on the Bulls factored into the equation, Simons ended the season in the 96th percentile of catch-and-shoot efficiency on treys and 90th percentile of pull-up three-point efficiency, according to BBall Index. Adding that kind of offensive punch for what amounts to less than the mini MLE is bonkers value.

Even during a down season, Simons was among the most efficient shooters in the league. To get that for $6 million annually is just incredible value. A move like this became even more necessary after the Sixers lost Kelly Oubre to the Indiana Pacers.

76ers going for it all in 2026-27

Nobody expected Jaylen Brown to be on this team. It seemed like the Sixers were going to just run it back and hope for an improvement from Paul George and a healthy season from Embiid.

Instead, the Sixers will now trot out one of the best trios in the league. Plus, the Sixers are rumored to be in the running for LeBron James as well, which would be even more bonkers.