NBA free agent Kelly Oubre Jr. aims to be loved by NBA team
Former University of Kansas small forward Kelly Oubre Jr. attracted surprisingly little attention on the free-agent market last offseason after averaging a career-high 20.3 points per game for the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets in 2022-23.
In fact, it took the 6-foot-7, 28-year-old, ninth-year pro until midSeptember, right before the start of training camp, to secure a one-year, veteran minimum deal with the Philadelphia 76ers.
At $2,891,467 for the one season, the New Orleans native proved to be a wise investment for Philly — one writer called him a “steal.” Oubre averaged 15 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists per game during the regular season.
In six playoff games against the New York Knicks, he averaged 13 points and 4 rebounds while hitting 48% of his shots and converting 39% of his 3-point attempts.
He started 52 of 68 games during the regular season at 30.2 minutes per contest. During a firstround Eastern Conference playoff series, which the Knicks won 4-2, he was on the court an average of 37.3 minutes per game, starting all six.
Oubre, who turns 29 in December, has emerged as a player who figures to command top free-agent dollars — especially from the Sixers, who have come to appreciate his value alongside former KU big man Joel Embiid and former Kentucky guard Tyrese Maxey.
WHAT IS HE SEEKING?
Oubre did not mention money when asked by Sixers media what he’s seeking in free agency.
“I just want to be loved, for me,” said Oubre, who played at KU during the 2014-15 season and then entered the NBA Draft. He was selected No. 15 overall by Atlanta and then traded to Washington.
“I don’t know about the business side of it,” he told reporters after a season-ending Game 6 loss to the Knicks on May 2. “I mean, I do, but I can’t tell you what I know because I’m representing myself right now.
“At the end of the day I want to go somewhere where they respect me and they love me. It’s been nothing but love here (in Philly), of course. At the end of the day, I feel as if there’s unfinished business.”
This year’s playoffs mark the seventh consecutive season Philadelphia failed to advance past Round 2 in the Embiid era.
Philly has approximately $65 million available in cap space to give it another try with Embiid (and Maxey, who is expected to sign again with Philly as a free agent).
Embiid, league MVP in 2023, is under contract for at least two more years. He has a player option for the 2026-27 campaign.
“A lot of things (need) to be done and a lot of work to be done to get better and to get us past this point and the threshold that Sixers fans have been wanting to get past for so long,” Oubre said. “I feel I kind of failed because we didn’t get past that.
“I’ve got to reflect, talk to my family, just sit down and work on the next steps here. Today I’m going to bask in whatever we are in right now, this moment, this aura of losing this playoff series, use that fire.”
HE’S HAD HIGH-MONEY DEALS IN THE PAST
Oubre played under terms of lucrative contracts prior to inking that veteran’s-minimum deal
with Philly.
After his four-year, $9,228,550 rookie contract with the Washington Wizards expired, he signed a two-year, $30,000,000 pact with Phoenix, After that. he signed a two-year, $24,600,000 deal with Charlotte.
Oubre says he would love to continue playing for 76ers coach Nick Nurse, who has completed one season in Philadelphia after five as head coach of the Toronto Raptors.
“He’s the best coach I’ve played for, straight up. Just his savviness, he’s a rock star, for real, so I can get with that,” Oubre said. “Also, he coaches me tough. He understands what he expects of me. He expects me to do it. I have to exceed expectations. It’s what I always try to do.”
It’s been said Oubre played the best defense of his nine-year career under Nurse in Philly.
Oubre had a couple low points during the 2023-24 season. He suffered a fractured rib in November
after getting hit by a car as a pedestrian in Philly. He missed 11 games. And after Game 3 of the Knicks playoff series, he was involved in a car accident.
Of the car accident, he told reporters after the season-ending playoff game: “Everything is good. I’m OK. The people that were involved were OK, but I need to probably get a driver or something and just stay off the road ... But everything is good. I’m good. I was still able to do my job and support my family and things are great.”
Oubre didn’t miss any time the rest of the series as he was not injured in the car accident.
LAVISH PRAISE FOR OUBRE
Sixers coach Nurse is a fan of Oubre’s and has elaborated on that:
“He comes in, practices hard, plays hard, is a likable personality,” Nurse said of Oubre after the November incident. “I know that a lot of the guys reached out immediately and all those kinds of things. I talked to Kelly ... and he said the amount of love he got from the team was awesome. Yes, he’s been fun to be around, that’s for sure.”
Nurse told SI.com: “I think he really provides energy up the floor. He’s one of our top cutters. You notice that he gets that back door cut, or double team cut once or twice a game. Those are big. What he brings in overall athleticism, speed, and cutting is good.”
Nurse told USAtoday,com: “I like his shooting and a lot of things. Just his confidence and the way he’s flowing into it. He’s made 3s that were pretty heavily guarded I thought. There are a lot of guys in this league that can bolt up and hit 3s when they’re guarded, and that comes in handy sometimes when you’re searching a little bit for offense.”
Of Oubre’s season on the court, Bryan Toporek of libertyballers.com wrote: “Oubre never shied away from challenging the rim this season, no matter who stood in his path. His off-ball cutting added an element to the Sixers’ offense that they’ve lacked in recent years, and that helped Embiid set a career high with 5.6 assists per game this season. The Sixers should unquestionably want him back at the right price, and he sounds open to a reunion as well.”
Oubre averaged 9.3 points and 5 rebounds per game during his one season at Kansas (2014-15). He hit 44.0% of his shots, including 35.8% of his 3-pointers and 71.8% of his free throws. KU went 27-9 overall, winning the Big 12 title before losing to Wichita State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.