Former Golden State Warriors wing Kelly Oubre Jr. is headed towards free agency again, with he and the Philadelphia 76ers suffering a disastrous end to their playoff campaign against the New York Knicks on Sunday.
Facing a dire 3-0 deficit following a Game 3 loss, the 76ers had no answers for their Eastern Conference rivals who complete a dominant series sweep with a 144-114 victory at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
Former Warrior Kelly Oubre Jr. set for free agency after 76ers elimination
Oubre and his 76ers teammates were essentially on-lookers in the first-half, having been perilous to stop a bombardment of Knicks threes early in the game. New York tied an NBA record for most threes in the first-half of a playoff game, going 18-of-29 from beyond the arc to build an 81-57 lead that Philadelphia never recovered from.
After averaging the second-most points for the 76ers through the first three games, including going for 19 and 22 points respectively in Games 2 and 3, Oubre was far quieter (like many of his teammates) in going for 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting on Sunday.
The former Warrior still finished the series as Philadelphia's third-leading scorer and one of the few players that could hold their head up, averaging 15.3 points on an efficient 52.4% shooting from the floor and 42.9% from 3-point range.
Still, Oubre and Philadelphia will walk away bitterly disappointed with their performance against the Knicks, having gained some momentum with their trilling seven-game first-round series win over the Boston Celtics.
Kelly Oubre Jr. hoping for a major deal in free agency
Having now completed a two-year, $16.4 million contract with the 76ers, Oubre doesn't sound like someone keen on taking any sort of pay cut, suggesting to Derek Bodner of PHLY Sports that he's hoping a more efficient season will be rewarded.
"I've averaged 20 points in this league and still find myself barely getting any contracts...I hope I did myself a good service by being more efficient, slowing down, and playing better overall basketball," Oubre said.
In fairness to the 6'8" forward, he did lift his 3-point shooting from 31.9%, 31.1% and 29.3% in each of the last three seasons, to a far more respectable 36% this season. Will teams buy into that mark though come free agency when Oubre is just a 32.7% 3-point shooter on his career?
If they do then the 30-year-old will surely have some suitors in need of a big wing, but even though the Warriors are in need of adding depth at that position, don't expect a reunion with Oubre despite his availability.
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