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  • Phillies’ main weaknesses before trade deadline on display in a 3-1 loss to the Yankees

    Phillies’ main weaknesses before trade deadline on display in a 3-1 loss to the Yankees

    Nine days before the trade deadline, the discussions continued on the executive level of Citizens Bank Park about the Phillies’ most advisable strategy to improve the roster.

    The debate surely got more robust Saturday night.

    Go ahead and take your pick of the Phillies’ most pressing need: a back-end starting pitcher, a right-handed bat, another late-inning reliever. The answer is there aren’t any wrong answers. Not after each shortcoming was exposed again in a 3-1 loss to the Yankees.

    All-Star outfielder Brandon Marsh relegated to platoon role (for now) as the Phillies seek more production against lefty pitching

    In losing their fourth consecutive game — and falling to 2-6 since returning from the All-Star break (slumber?) — the Phillies were silenced again by a left-handed starter. They lost their 11th game in a row from the No. 5 starter spot. And struggling lefty José Alvarado gave up a late home run.

    Oh, and for good measure, they backed the statistical evidence that they’re the worst defensive team in baseball with two errors from third baseman Alec Bohm and a pivotal two-out pop fly to shallow left field that went through shortstop Trea Turner’s hands.

    “I tried getting there as best I could,” said Turner, who couldn’t come up with a back-to-the-infield basket catch that preceded Cody Bellinger’s go-ahead single. “It’s just kind of an awkward angle. You don’t want to overrun it or start judging it when it’s kind of behind you. But, yeah, I thought I had a shot. Just couldn’t come up with it.”

    Once the Phillies fell behind, they couldn’t come back. They managed only seven hits, six against Yankees lefty starter Ryan Weathers despite loading the lineup with right-handed bats.

    (Side note: The Phillies are tied for last in the majors with a .278 on-base percentage from their right-handed hitters.)

    At 56-49, the Phillies remain in position for the second National League wild card. But they have the look of a team that needs the kick-start that an active trade deadline can provide.

    Tick, tock, Dave Dombrowski.

    “Yeah, it hasn’t been our best,” Turner said. “We know that we want to play better. I think it’s just kind of going back to what Donnie [Mattingly] said early on when he got the [managerial] job: ‘It’s just three hours of competing, and don’t let your foot off the gas.’

    “I don’t think it’s a lack of effort, but I think we need to get that back a little bit.”

    It’s clear what the Phillies need at the trade deadline. Do they have the prospect capital to get it?

    The Yankees took the lead in the sixth inning against the underbelly of the Phillies’ bullpen, which followed 32-year-old righty Brian Keller after three innings as a bulk pitcher in his major league debut. (More on Keller shortly.)

    Mattingly called on lefty Kyle Backhus, just back from triple A, to face a left-handed pocket of the Yankees’ order. Backhus walked Austin Wells, then struck out Ryan McMahon and dangerous Ben Rice.

    On came Seth Johnson for a righty-on-righty matchup with Paul Goldschmidt, who hit the bloop into shallow left field.

    “When it went up, I thought it was going to be an out,” Mattingly said. “It was deeper than I thought. It’s a player making an over-the-shoulder catch, so it’s not a routine play or anything like that. I felt like Trea was there. But I think it’s a play Trea probably thinks he can make.”

    The Phillies are now 5-21 from the No. 5 spot in the rotation. In their latest attempt to solve the fifth-starter riddle, they opened with lefty Tim Mayza for two innings before bringing in Keller.

    It actually worked.

    Well, kind of.

    Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm misjudges a foul ball in the sixth inning vs. the Yankees on Saturday.Elizabeth Robertson / Staff Photographer

    Mayza retired six batters in a row, then handed over a 1-0 lead. And although Keller gave up a game-tying two-out homer to Austin Wells, he acquitted himself well by allowing just the one run on two hits in three innings.

    Keller’s story is improbable. A former 39th-round pick (the draft is only 20 rounds now), he kicked around the Yankees’ farm system for most of seven years in the minors before going to Japan, where he made only three starts before blowing out his elbow. He had Tommy John surgery, missed two seasons, and hooked on with the depth-deprived Phillies on a minor league contract in May.

    And now, this.

    “It was amazing,” Keller said. “Dream come true. You picture it over and over. You picture it going well; you picture it going poorly, unfortunately. But I’m glad it turned out all right. I was surprisingly calm out there. Yeah, just really happy.”

    If only it ended as well for the Phillies, who haven’t won a series against team with a winning record at the time since June 22-25 in Washington. Their last winning series against a team currently in playoff position was June 5-7 against the White Sox.

    At least they will have Cristopher Sánchez on the mound Sunday night to try to avoid a sweep.

    “When you hit a stretch where you’re not playing good, you’re running into some good teams and you’re not scoring, it makes it tough,” Mattingly said. “It doesn’t mean we can’t beat them, right? It just means we got to get going again.”

  • An off-duty Philly cop is a suspect in a Northampton County homicide

    An off-duty Philadelphia police officer is a suspect in a homicide in Northampton County, according to the Philadelphia Police Department.

    Police said Saturday that they are aware that the off-duty cop — identified as Kenroy Cummings — was involved in a shooting in Allen Township.

    Shortly before 2 p.m. Friday, Pennsylvania State Police responded to the report of a domestic incident on the 1200 block of Old Gate Road.

    At the scene, police discovered a 27-year-old man suffering from gunshot wounds. He soon died at a local hospital. After a brief car pursuit, the suspect returned to the scene, and surrendered to investigators.

    “The Philadelphia Police Department’s Internal Affairs Bureau has been notified and has initiated the appropriate administrative investigation,” said a department spokesperson.

    Pennsylvania State Police have not yet announced any charges in the investigation, or details on the victim. A coroner said Saturday that out of respect for the family’s privacy, the victim’s identity would not be released until after the autopsy.

  • Who’s behind the orange signs around Philly criticizing rogue developers?

    Who’s behind the orange signs around Philly criticizing rogue developers?

    In May, Passyunk resident Peter Kim found a vivid orange flyer on his door that read, “Their Profit. Your Loss!”

    The messaging on the material inveighed against shoddy and irresponsible real estate development, without naming any particular company or specific foe.

    It encouraged residents to sign the Build Fair Philly pledge and attend registered community organization (RCO) meetings, which developers have to hold in advance of large projects or a zoning change.

    Kim is a pro-housing advocate, and after checking out the website he at first thought that some new antidevelopment political organization had come to town.

    “While on the surface, the talking points sound reasonable, I think because I’ve become so conditioned to NIMBY [not in my backyard] groups finding any reason to oppose new development, I just assumed this campaign was from some NIMBY anti-housing group,” Kim said.

    But Build Fair Philly’s website lists as its address 1803 Spring Garden St., which is the Philadelphia headquarters for the Eastern Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters until its forthcoming move to the Navy Yard.

    The Carpenters, like the rest of Philadelphia’s building trades unions, are generally pro-development. After all, the more projects — especially big ones — that get built, the more their members work.

    “[I] was surprised to learn it’s the Carpenters union because, obviously, they’re not anti-housing,” Kim said.

    In recent months, conspicuous orange Build Fair Philly lawn signs have been popping up on rowhouses and lawns around Philadelphia, decrying harmful real estate development. (Another common message: “Our block! Our standards!”)

    A Build Fair Philly sign in West Philadelphia.Zoe Greenberg

    The campaign’s sponsor is not listed on its material, leaving many recipients wondering what the notices are about.

    In an interview, leaders of the Carpenters said that the Build Fair Philly campaign is an attempt to raise popular consciousness about irresponsible construction — which Philadelphia’s rowhouse neighborhoods are very familiar with.

    “We are not against development; if anything, we want more development,” said James Hocker, assistant executive secretary-treasurer with the Eastern Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters.

    “But we want more responsible development, development that’s built in a fair way that is creating opportunities,” Hocker said. “We want to see licensed contractors on these projects. We want to see contractors that are paying their workers a responsible wage.”

    The Carpenters say Build Fair Philly is an effort to give community members a way to get involved in a campaign to better regulate the construction industry, forging alliances with community groups to ensure quality building and get pro-labor laws enforced.

    The move comes amid a difficult environment for Philadelphia’s building trades unions. (The Carpenters are not part of the Philadelphia AFL-CIO or the Philadelphia Building and Construction Trades Council.)

    After interest rates spiked in 2022, construction slowed. The commercial sector, which is most likely to employ union labor, has taken a hit from the remote work-induced cessation of new office construction. That is part of why the trades fought so hard on behalf of the proposed, then abandoned, 76ers Center City arena.

    Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s $800 million housing initiative will create work for the unions. But a lot of the funding — like the signature Turn the Key program — goes into rowhouse construction and rehabilitation, which labor has largely ceded to nonunion, often immigrant, workers.

    There also are not many public works projects currently in the pipeline, and longtime fonts of trades work like the Philadelphia Housing Authority are less reliable sources of employment.

    The website Unionstats.com shows a steady downward trend in union representation in the Philadelphia metropolitan area’s private construction market since the pandemic.

    “I think it’s part of a general campaign by unions in the Northeast to reverse their declining market share,” said Stephen Jacob Smith, executive director of the Center for Building in North America.

    “Exactly what they have in mind as the mechanism, I do not know,” Smith said of the Carpenters. “They have a bunch of political levers, and I don’t know which of them they’re trying to pull with this.”

    But Hocker says the effort is not only about winning more work for the Carpenters members. It is also about holding contractors and developers accountable for not hiring in the city.

    After all, the building trades unions have been criticized for having memberships that do not represent the demographic makeup of Philadelphia. Why are developers not getting attacked if they are also not doing representative hiring?

    “We want development that’s going to create opportunities, whether it’s union or nonunion, for individuals that live in the city of Philadelphia,” Hocker said. “We feel that the development that happens in these communities should reflect what the community looks like. It shouldn’t be a bunch of out-of-state license plates.”

    Build Fair Philly’s Instagram account includes footage of a rally with City Council members, including Quetcy Lozada, Jeffery Young, and a cigar-wielding Jimmy Harrity.

    Eastern Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters senior council representative Joseph Lockley talks about Build Fair Philly outside of City Hall.Eastern Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters

    But the union leadership says that the campaign is not necessarily about passing new legislation — which many other trades have successfully won before — but about getting the city to enforce the regulations that are already on the books.

    “We’re not asking for elected officials or anybody in any kind of position to create new laws and policies,” said Joseph Lockley, senior council representative for the Carpenters. “These are laws, policies, and procedures that are already in place that are just not being pushed and enforced, or even prioritized.”

    As of early July, the Carpenters said, they had already had 10,000 people sign on to Build Fair Philly’s pledge. “I believe Philadelphia’s development should be safe, fair, and built for all of us — not just for investors and insiders,” it reads.

    They had distributed 6,536 signs and canvassed 17,537 people, knocking on doors and interacting with people on the street.

    They have also put up nine billboards attacking Post Bros., a major Philadelphia developer. (“Philly’s Worst Neighbors. Stop Post Brothers,” the signage reads.)

    A variety of contractors that work with the Carpenters are currently in a legal dispute with Post over the company’s large apartment development at Broad Street and Washington Avenue.

    The Carpenters Union’s Build Fair Philly campaign billboard across from I-95 on Richmond Street. The union hopes the campaign will rally community members to push back against shoddy development.Aidan T. Gallo / Staff Photographer

    As part of the canvassing effort for Build Fair Philly, the Carpenters have been engaging with community members to hear about their experiences of development in the city. They said they are using that information to formulate the next steps for Build Fair Philly.

    “This is also a social justice issue,” said Mungu Sanchez, deputy political director for the Carpenters.

    “This is about fairness and this is about making sure that we’re organized with other community groups who also care about growth and care about making sure that communities are able to have the same options and the same sort of resources that every American should have,” Sanchez said.

  • All-Star outfielder Brandon Marsh relegated to platoon role (for now) as the Phillies seek more production against lefty pitching

    All-Star outfielder Brandon Marsh relegated to platoon role (for now) as the Phillies seek more production against lefty pitching

    Brandon Marsh started the All-Star Game last week.

    Now, he’s longer starting every day for the Phillies.

    Marsh wasn’t in the lineup Saturday night against the Yankees, the second time this week that he sat out against a left-handed starting pitcher. It could be an uncomfortable situation, so interim manager Don Mattingly met with Marsh to explain his reasoning.

    “Honestly,” Mattingly said, “you have to look at the numbers at some point.”

    It’s clear what the Phillies need at the trade deadline. Do they have the prospect capital to get it?

    And these are Marsh’s numbers against lefties: .233 batting average, .645 OPS.

    So, Marsh insists he will do what he’s done for most of his career and set aside his ego for a manager who wants to play the matchups. In this case, it meant staying ready to replace righty-hitting Edmundo Sosa in left field or Bryan De La Cruz in right once the Yankees lifted lefty starter Ryan Weathers.

    “The way I look at it is I’m a baseball player, and I play for Don Mattingly and for the Phillies,” Marsh said. “I’ve got nothing but love and respect for him. I’ll ride for him. I’ll die for him. And if he wants De La [Cruz] to go run out there and take the nod in left field, then that’s what’s going to happen. And I hope De La Cruz hits three homers tonight.”

    Phillies outfielder Brandon Marsh played in his first All-Star Game this month.Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer

    It’s imperfect to run three platoons in the outfield. But for now, and unless the Phillies acquire a righty-hitting upgrade before the Aug. 3 trade deadline, Mattingly seems intent on mixing and matching.

    Against righties, Marsh will play left field, with rookies Justin Crawford in center and Gabriel Rincones Jr. in right. Against lefties, Mattingly is using Sosa in left, Derek Hill in center, and De La Cruz in right.

    Clearly, though, there’s room for an upgrade. Entering the weekend, the Phillies had a .302 on-base percentage against left-handed pitching, tied for 26th in the majors. Collectively, their right-handed hitters were reaching base at a majors-worst .276 clip.

    The Phillies still need a right-handed bat. Let’s take an early dive into some options before the trade deadline.

    If the Phillies can add a right-handed bat, they may be better able to tolerate Marsh’s struggles against lefties.

    “I do believe that he’s going to be a guy that can be an everyday guy,” Mattingly said. “Something we talked about is understanding how to hit lefties and what you need to do. Understanding ball movement, what do you want to hit, where does [the swing] have to start. He’s a guy that, honestly, at the big league level has really not had the opportunity to continue to do that.

    “But at some point, we’re trying to win games. We need to be better against lefties. Again, I do feel like he’s going to be that guy that could play every day, but right now, it’s just not showing up in the numbers.”

    Brandon Marsh (left) has picked Phillies teammate Kyle Schwarber’s brain about having more success as a left-handed hitter against lefty pitching.David Maialetti / Staff Photographer

    Marsh was showing some improvement against lefties early in the season. Through June 25, he was 21-for-77 (.273) and slugging .429. Since then, he’s 3-for-26 (.115) and slugging .231.

    In the ninth inning Tuesday night, he huddled with Kyle Schwarber before facing Dodgers lefty Tanner Scott. He wound up cueing a ball to third base, which led to a game-ending double play after bad baserunning by J.T. Realmuto.

    But Schwarber, who had little success against lefties earlier in his career, has been a resource for Marsh, who said he has gained a better understanding for how lefties want to attack him.

    “He’s able to relate to players like me, guys who are following his footsteps,” Marsh said. “He can tell us everything that’s going on in his head to help us out.”

    ‘Phillies Extra’ Q&A: John Middleton on All-Star Game highlights, firing Rob Thomson, and the trade deadline

    It hasn’t translated into better overall numbers, but Marsh said he’s confident that his approach against lefties is improving.

    “I feel more comfortable against them for sure, just with the reps that I’ve gotten this year and the work we do in the cage and stuff like that,” he said. “Definitely a lot more room for improvement. Really just got to keep the head down and grind, but definitely a lot better than years prior.”

    For now, though, it seems he’ll be watching most lefty starters from the bench.

    Phillies reliever Brad Keller is expected to get a second opinion on his torn elbow ligament Tuesday from orthopedic surgeon Keith Meister in Texas.Elizabeth Robertson / Staff Photographer

    Bullpen shuffle

    Although injured reliever Brad Keller will fly to Texas on Monday for a second opinion from orthopedic surgeon Keith Meister, Tommy John surgery remains the likeliest outcome.

    The Phillies will continue to seek a late-inning reliever before the deadline to replace Keller.

    In the meantime, Kyle Backhus was recalled from triple A to give Mattingly another lefty in the bullpen against the Yankees and next week in Miami and Baltimore. Hard-throwing Alex McFarlane and fellow righty Max Lazar were optioned to triple A for Backhus and righty Brian Keller, called up to make his major league debut after an opener on Saturday night.

    One-stop shopping for the Phillies at the trade deadline again? Here’s three teams that could be a fit

    Extra bases

    The Phillies placed lefty reliever Tanner Banks (forearm strain) on the 60-day injured list to clear a 40-man roster spot for Brian Keller. … The Phillies acquired lefty-hitting outfielder Kam Misner from the Royals for cash and optioned him to triple A. Misner, 28, is a .206 hitter with five homers in 253 major league at-bats. Switch-hitting outfielder Steward Berroa was designated for assignment to get Misner on the 40-man roster. … Mikal Bridges, NBA champion with the New York Knicks and notable Phillies fan, was on the field and in the clubhouse before the game. … Cristopher Sánchez (12-4, 2.71 ERA) is scheduled to start the series finale on Sunday Night Baseball against Yankees righty Will Warren (7-4, 4.00).

  • LeBron James explained why he picked the Sixers. Here are four other factors that may have helped.

    LeBron James explained why he picked the Sixers. Here are four other factors that may have helped.

    LeBron James explained in great detail his decision to join the 76ers on a two-year, $8 million deal.

    There were many layers to consider, including money, family, and legacy. James shared that he pondered retirement and thought he was “done when the season ended.” He also called this his last decision, which meant he needed to see several factors to feel like he was selecting the right team for the final years of his career.

    Picking the Sixers makes sense from that framework. Even before the news broke Friday, the Sixers were considered competitors in the Eastern Conference. Of course, James’ addition raises those expectations and the pressure is on to get the task done with him in Philly.

    So what were the things that made James so sure about the Sixers? Here’s a look at potential contributing factors to James picking them over suitors like the Golden State Warriors, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Miami Heat:

    The Tyrese Maxey relationship

    Rich Paul, Klutch Sports’ CEO and James’ agent, made it clear that Tyrese Maxey was a major reason the Sixers landed the NBA legend. Maxey, who also is a Klutch client, slipped in the 2020 draft and was drafted by the Sixers 21st overall out of Kentucky.

    Since then, the point guard has developed into an All-Star and All-NBA talent. He entered this summer as the Sixers’ unquestioned leader on and off the court and now will have company with James and Jaylen Brown, who was acquired in a trade earlier this month. And while Maxey has been described as James’ “little brother,” it didn’t hurt that he averaged 28.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 6.6 assists last season.

    Win-ready roster

    The Sixers entered this summer in dire straits. While they had advanced from the play-in to upset the Celtics before a second-round exit, the reality was that they were stuck with a top-heavy roster. With Maxey, Paul George, and Joel Embiid on max deals, the majority of their salary-cap space was dedicated to three players, which is an unenviable place to be with league’s more punitive luxury tax.

    A note to LeBron James’ skeptics. And maybe to the Sixers’.

    Then, as Paul said, “everything changed” when the Sixers traded George and acquired Brown, who is fresh off his most productive NBA season. He averaged 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 5.1 assists, while leading the Boston Celtics to the playoffs as former running mate Jayson Tatum recovered from an Achilles injury. New president of basketball operations Mike Gansey and the Sixers front office added Dean Wade and Anfernee Simons to complete a roster centered on Brown, Embiid, Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, and rookie Labaron Philon Jr.

    The Sixers were expected to compete in the East as constructed. And James pushed those expectations over the edge.

    LeBron James adds even more firepower to an already potent Sixers lineup.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer

    Trustworthy front office

    After parting ways with Daryl Morey, the Sixers changed how they approached the front office. They took on a more egalitarian approach, with Bob Myers as Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment president of sports, Mike Gansey as president of basketball operations, and Jameer Nelson as executive vice president of basketball operations.

    All three architects of the Sixers’ new-look roster have relationships with James and Paul. Gansey and James played high school basketball in Northeast Ohio in the same era and shared time in the Cavaliers organization. Myers, who ran the Golden State Warriors to four titles, was a respected rival of James’ — Golden State won three titles over his Cavaliers, while Cavs won in 2016. Myers also is friends with Paul and appeared on his Game Over podcast. Nelson, a former St. Joseph’s star, was an NBA contemporary of James. A source close to James also told The Inquirer on Friday that James has known Sixers co-owner David Blitzer for many years.

    Grading Mike Gansey’s transformational first offseason as Sixers president

    Those are deep roots. So while the Sixers might not have seemed like the obvious choice, the people in the franchise’s driver’s seat have run in the same circles as James and his confidants over the last two decades.

    Mike Gansey (center), pictured with Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment president of sports Bob Myers and Sixers managing partner Josh Harris, played high school basketball in Northeast Ohio in the same era as LeBron James.

    A new challenge

    The prevailing thought was that James would land with the Cavaliers or Heat, bookending his career with one of the teams on which he won three of his four NBA titles. But shocking free agency decisions aren’t new for James. No one expected him to leave the Cavaliers for the Heat, and his adventure in Los Angeles seemed even less likely. So this decision to join the Sixers and take on a new challenge follows a theme.

    LeBron James first played in Philly as a teen and had no interest in seeing the Liberty Bell

    There’s also the chance to make history in Philly. James led Cleveland to its first sports title in 52 years when the Cavs won in 2016. He rescued the Heat after they fell on hard times and struggled to put a team together around Dwyane Wade. And he provided the Lakers a return to glory after they had gone a decade without a title. He can do that again in Philly. The Sixers haven’t won a title since 1983 and haven’t advanced past the second round since 2001. James even said it himself.

    “I believe I can help make the Philadelphia 76ers a championship team,” James wrote, “and I am so excited to energize a new fan base and start this incredible journey one last time.”

  • Five people in a South Philly basement studio are making a whole lot of indie music

    Five people in a South Philly basement studio are making a whole lot of indie music

    Between them, artists on the Historic New Jersey record label — which, despite its name, is headquartered in South Philadelphia — have released dozens of full-length albums and EPs since the start of the decade.

    That’s a whole lot of indie music in a wide range of styles coming out of a South Philly basement studio, all demonstrating an old-school dedication to craft that prizes first-class songwriting above all else.

    And it’s all being created by a small group of close friends who moved to Philadelphia as adults. They all contribute to one another’s records and play in one another’s bands.

    The Historic NJ collective core consists of just five musicians, four of whom gathered in their subterranean studio for an interview on a recent summer day.

    Emily Moales records as Star Moles — a self-described “sci-fi DIY Wi-Fi band.” She has a new album with a cheeky title that nods to AC/DC called Highway To Hell. It’s one of the most acclaimed releases of the year.

    Kevin Basko is super prolific as Rubber Band Gun, and is the label’s founder and producer. He also teams with his housemate Moales in the brash Hot Machine, which he compares to Gorillaz, “like a fake band, something we can have a little more fun with.”

    And siblings Sam and Louise Sullivan are a folk-pop duo whose third album, Love & Devotion, released this week. It moved pop culture magazine Paste to call them “the next great family band.”

    Drummer and comedian Jem Seidel, who keeps the Historic NJ beat in the studio and onstage, is the fifth core member of the collective.

    Musician Emily Moales, who records as Star Moles, inside the Historic NJ studio in South Philadelphia on July 10.Aidan T. Gallo / Staff Photographer

    ‘The song comes first’

    Moales, 27, is a New Hampshire native who started making music with Basko — a Berklee College of Music grad who has toured as a member of indie band Foxygen — after they met online in 2017.

    Basko, 34, grew up in Monmouth County in Central Jersey, where he came up with the Historic NJ moniker.

    He was intrigued by Moales’ imaginative ‘70s style folk rock. “She reminded me of Stevie Nicks,” he says and admits he initially clicked on her Twitter profile because she used a Barbra Streisand photo as her profile picture.

    “There was an instant sense that we were on the same page,” Moales recalls. It took only a week to record their first work together, the Star Moles album Camelot, in 2018. Two weeks before the pandemic began in 2020, Moales and Basko moved to Philly, a city where he had made friends while working as a touring musician.

    The cover image to Star Moles’ album “Highway To Hell.”Historic New Jersey

    The Sullivans grew up in Portland, Ore., and New York, raised by music loving parents who schooled them in Woody Guthrie, Richard and Linda Thompson, and traditional Irish music.

    Sam Sullivan, 35, who lives in Germantown, moved to Philly in 2016 to take a job teaching English literature at Germantown Friends School, where he still works. His sister, 30, followed a few years later and has also taught at GFS, but is now focused on music and her ceramics business.

    In 2022, Basko messaged the Sullivans on Instagram after seeing a video of the siblings performing in a West Philly backyard. They soon joined the Historic NJ song-making family.

    “We all share a philosophy, you know?” said Moales, who’s worked retail and food service jobs since moving to the city, including at sustainable general store Good Buy Supply. “All of us here, we’re just truly songwriters at heart. We hold the song as holy, above everything.”

    “The vibe comes later,” Basko said. “The song comes first.”

    Once assembled, the Historic NJ crew began quietly — and quickly — making music under the radar.

    The Sullivans’ debut album Papier Mâché, which includes “Holy Philly,” an ode to their adopted hometown, came out in 2023. Star Moles’ Snack Monster, inspired by Andreas Capellanus’ 12th-century treatise Rules of Courtly Love, was released last year.

    Basko makes music at a dizzying pace. The multi-instrumentalist who cites Todd Rundgren as a “musician producer” role model has a staggering 84 releases available on his Bandcamp page. Listeners are truthfully advised: “There’s something here for everyone.”

    He’s also made music for TV shows like Walker and Superman & Lois. And he welcomes clients like Brooklyn violinist Marji Shemanski, who was due in for a session later the day of the interview.

    Kevin Basko, a multi-instrumentalist, producer, and engineer, sits with his dog Jones, 5, inside the Historic NJ studio in South Philadelphia. Basko and Moales were both collaborators for Louise and Sam Sullivan’s newest release “Love & Devotion.”Aidan T. Gallo / Staff Photographer

    People are getting hip

    “There’s all this great stuff happening, with people getting hip to what we’ve been doing, said Basko, speaking while sitting cross-legged in front of a control board with a custom made big red button that he presses to start recording sessions with dramatic flair.

    Jones, his pint-size Boston terrier, sits in his lap. The carpeted room is full of old-school analog recording equipment, with a kitschy guitar-shaped lamp illuminating posters from three Muppets movies.

    “But there’s no greater feeling when a second ago we didn’t have it, and a minute later, we do. Prince talks about that. People don’t know what they’re missing when they don’t have that experience of creation,” Basko said.

    People are definitely getting hip to Historic NJ. Highway To Hell is a unanimous best-of-2026 pick by taste-making sites like Stereogum and Brooklyn Vegan. The album, which came out in February, will be rereleased by a larger, yet-to-be-announced indie label this fall.

    “Emily’s leading the pack in terms of pure industry success,” said Basko. “I keep making the joke that she’s falling into the volcano in a ceremonial way, into an industry that isn’t always kind. It’s like [Indiana Jones and the] Temple of Doom.”

    The artwork for Sam and Louise Sullivan’s new album “Love & Devotion.”Historic New Jersey

    The spotlight is also shining on the Sullivans, who have sung together all their lives.

    “Our dad really loved music,” Louise Sullivan said. “He wanted his family to play music. They would give us a song to learn and we would sing it at the end of dinner.”

    “Like Pete Seeger songs, or the Watersons, or ‘Here We Come A-wassailing,’” said Sam.

    “Or Kirsty MacColl,” added Louise. “Sam would play mandolin and I would sing.”

    Sam Sullivan calls himself “a failed poet.” He had never written songs before moving to Philadelphia. But while planning to work on graphic arts projects, he played guitar instead and started putting words to music.

    “Sam is one of the most brilliant songwriters I’ve ever heard,” said Basko. “I’ve been trying to be a songwriter my whole life. So for Sam to be just ‘Oh I started just a few years ago’ is mind-boggling.”

    “I’m not really a musician,” said Sam Sullivan.

    Kevin Basko clicks his big red record button inside the Historic NJ studio in South Philadelphia.Aidan T. Gallo / Staff Photographer

    Last year, Jeff Tweedy of Wilco put the Sullivans’ album Sweet Enough on his 10 best list, calling it “really beautiful, well-crafted folk-pop” with “guitar parts I find really fun to learn.”

    That led to a high profile gig at Wilco’s Solid Sound Festival in North Adams, Mass., last month, which turned into a coming-out party for the collective.

    The Sullivans played a stripped-down set inside Mass MoCA, the contemporary art museum where the festival is held, as well as a crowd pleasing outdoor show, backed by their Historic NJ compadres.

    “It went great,” said Louise Sullivan. “We rocked our little hearts out,” her brother added.

    An elusive band

    Opportunities to see the Historic NJ groups perform live are scarce. In May, the whole crew banded together and played a two hour show at Johnny Brenda’s.

    Star Moles’ last solo show was on Friday, opening for Hannah Cohen at 118 North in Wayne. And the Sullivans have one gig that requires a road trip: opening for Iron & Wine in Lowell, Mass., on Aug. 7.

    The siblings would love to become a touring band, but will have to wait, probably till next year when Sam has the summer off from teaching.

    Emily Moales (center), known as Star Moles, passes a guitar to long-time collaborator Kevin Basko inside the Historic NJ studio in South Philadelphia. Louise Sullivan is on the right.Aidan T. Gallo / Staff Photographer

    Meantime, there’s music to be made.

    On a whiteboard in the Historic NJ studio, Basko and Moales worked out the track listing for the next Rubber Band Gun album, due next month. And Sam Sullivan was working up songs for another release with his sister, which they hope to release by year’s end.

    “We want to play shows,” said Louise Sullivan. “But you have to make music to play shows, and I feel like that’s the thing we love to do.”

    Everyone nods in agreement.

    “We want to make the next thing already. That’s what’s invigorating. That’s what’s going to last.”

  • A Penn professor thought she’d sell 1,000 copies of her ‘Odyssey’ translation. She sold more than a million, thanks to Christopher Nolan.

    A Penn professor thought she’d sell 1,000 copies of her ‘Odyssey’ translation. She sold more than a million, thanks to Christopher Nolan.

    Classics scholar Emily Wilson was in Greece’s Costa Navarino last year when she heard the news that would change her life: Filmmaker Christopher Nolan was planning to release a star-studded adaptation of The Odyssey, the epic poem that Wilson had spent years painstakingly translating from Homeric Greek into English.

    Nolan’s film crew, Wilson learned, had just left the Greek town where she was now staying. As she walked along the beach, the University of Pennsylvania professor imagined what scenes of adventure had been conjured on the ground where she stood.

    The seductively scary sirens calling out to Odysseus? The giant Cyclops who eats his men? (Spoiler alert: It was the latter, shot at Nestor’s Cave in nearby Messenia.)

    Professor Emily Wilson, in her office at the University of Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia, July 4, 2026.Jessica Griffin / Staff Photographer

    Nolan’s film was a thrilling prospect for the classicist who made her name penning a quick-paced and strikingly contemporary translation of the nearly 2,700-year-old story for modern audiences. While the Oppenheimer director wrote his own version for the big screen, along with partner-collaborator Emma Thomas, he has cited several translations, including Wilson’s, as references.

    “It’s great that there’s going to be a whole new wave of people who may not have thought much about The Odyssey, may not even be familiar with the narrative, who may then get excited about it, because Christopher Nolan is a big name,” said Wilson, who lives in West Philly with her partner, David Foreman, a Swarthmore College administrator, her two younger daughters, Psyche and Freya, their cats, Pumpkin and Spice, and their dog, Pepper. (Her eldest daughter, Imogen, just graduated from Temple University.)

    This image released by Universal Pictures shows, from left, Anne Hathaway as Penelope, and Tom Holland as Telemachus, in a scene from “The Odyssey.” (Melinda Sue Gordon/Universal Pictures via AP)Melinda Sue Gordon

    The Nolan bump is already in effect: The Odyssey made $263.7 million globally on opening weekend, and it has been hailed as a total triumph for the filmmaker behind Inception and Interstellar. The cast features Nolan regulars like Matt Damon (Odysseus), Anne Hathaway (Penelope), Robert Pattinson (Antinous), and Elliot Page (Sinon), as well as Tom Holland (Telemachus, son of Odysseus and Penelope), Zendaya (Athena), John Leguizamo (Eumaeus), and Lupita Nyong’o (Helen of Troy/Clytemnestra).

    But even before the red carpets and glitzy media tours, Wilson saw a surge of interest in her 2017 translation. Last year saw a significant increase in book sales following the film announcement, and those numbers have continued to rise into 2026, said Louise Brockett, head of communications at W.W. Norton & Co., Wilson’s publisher.

    Professor Emily Wilson, in her office at the University of Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia, July 4, 2026.Jessica Griffin / Staff Photographer

    As of July 2 this year, total sales reached a major milestone: “In 2026, notably, domestic sales across all formats surpassed 1,000,000 copies,” Brockett wrote in an email.

    For Wilson, the overwhelming response has been stunning to witness. Long before The Odyssey again seized the zeitgeist, she took on the project with rather low expectations of readership.

    “I remember being very much aware that most retranslations maybe sell 1,000 copies if you’re lucky … you’re going to work very, very hard on it for five years, and then maybe a tiny number of people will read it — and of course I thought it was still worthwhile,” said Wilson, who first became enamored with Greek mythology as a child growing up in Oxford, England.

    Her book was a success, lauded for its compelling storytelling and accessible, modern language; it led to her being named a prestigious MacArthur “genius” fellow. With its release, Wilson also earned special recognition that initially surprised her: She was the first woman to publish an English translation of The Odyssey.

    This image released by Universal Pictures shows director Christopher Nolan on set of “The Odyssey.” (Melinda Sue Gordon/Universal Pictures via AP)Melinda Sue Gordon

    “I used lots of translations of Homer in my teaching, and it hadn’t actually occurred to me that they were all by men. It was only once that became the headline about my translation that I then looked back at it, and realized how there is a pattern here,” she said.

    But that distinction does not quite resonate with her. While classical studies still tend to be male-dominated, Wilson said, literary studies feature many women scholars in classics who have made major strides in scholarship across generations before her.

    “So I guess I partly want to push back against the idea that it’s completely unique to be a woman in classics, because it certainly isn’t,” she said. “There are many other women classicists, and I don’t want the headlines to serve as a way of erasing their work. It makes me really uncomfortable.”

    Professor Emily Wilson, at the University of Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia, July 4, 2026.Jessica Griffin / Staff Photographer

    She doesn’t think her translation is inherently feminist because she has earned the title of “first.” A better example of a feminist retelling, for her, is Circe, Madeline Miller’s popular fantasy novel adaptation of several Greek myths, including The Odyssey. (Miller’s book focuses on the perspective of the eponymous witch who turns men into animals, played by a chilling Samantha Morton in the Nolan film.)

    Still, Wilson’s translation provided new language that stripped away some of the previous translators’ gendered biases: For instance, when the poem mentions the servant women in Ithaca who cater to Penelope’s suitors, other translators called them “sluts” and “whores,” but Wilson eschewed those derogatory terms and instead opted for “slaves” and “house girls.”

    That nuance, however, was lost when Nolan’s Odyssey became a proxy for culture wars on the internet. Scores of mostly male critics decried Nolan’s casting decisions as inaccurate for racist and transphobic reasons (many claim Helen of Troy, portrayed by Nyong’o, cannot be a Black woman).

    Director Christopher Nolan, left, and Emma Thomas pose for photographers upon arrival at the premiere of the film ‘The Odyssey’ on Monday, July 6, 2026, in London. (Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)Scott A Garfitt

    Wilson herself has become a target for much of the outrage, too — so much so that she added a contact form to her website specifically marked for “misogynistic trolling” alongside the other button for “kind words and praise.”

    She has brushed off the noise, though, and kept working at her craft with little regard for the haters who believe The Odyssey is meant to portray only one demographic.

    From more than two decades of teaching, she knows they are simply wrong because these myths hold universal power.

    “It is really exciting to see just how many young people, especially young women, are fired up about ancient literature and classics in a new way,” she said. “It’s a whole wave of current classical scholarship and books for the general public that are showing that these texts are not just for men, not just for white people, not just for any particular modern demographic. … This is a subject that anyone from any background can engage with.”

    Wilson’s teen daughters have been swept up in the Nolan excitement, too. After Zendaya was pictured holding her book, Wilson’s daughters were thrilled.

    “There’s nobody cooler than Zendaya, obviously, so now I’ve made it,” she said, laughing.

    Beyond all the film news, Wilson is now hard at work on another translation of The Odyssey with different parameters than her first; primarily that it will be longer. Maybe Nolan’s film will spark some new ideas.

    Her next release, Crossing the Wine-Dark Sea: Journeys Through Ancient Literature, comes out this fall. It is a series of essays about her translation process and the work of connecting modern audiences with ancient literature.

    It can serve as a blueprint for anyone else eager, like her and Nolan, to take on an epic challenge.

    The headline and the article were updated to reflect updated information from the publishing house. The book’s all-time sales surpassed 1 million in 2026.

  • Once forgotten, Franklin Square is celebrating 20 years as a revitalized hub for Philly’s families and fun

    Once forgotten, Franklin Square is celebrating 20 years as a revitalized hub for Philly’s families and fun

    Birthday hats. Bubbles. Birds. Butterscotch Krimpets. A Benjamin Franklin reenactor singing “Happy Birthday.”

    That was the fanfare Saturday morning as Franklin Square, the once-forgotten green space at Sixth and Race Streets, celebrated a milestone: This July marks 20 years since the square’s dramatic revitalization, which transformed it from a dusty and dim outpost to a destination for family-friendly fun.

    The pomp and hordes of young children playing with sidewalk chalk, kazoos, and streamers amid the daylight remnants of the annual Philadelphia Chinese Lantern Festival were far removed from the Franklin Square of yore, when it was publicly described as part of the city’s “skid row.”

    “It did not look good,” Amy Needle, president and CEO of Historic Philadelphia Inc., said of Franklin Square’s image in the early aughts. “It was really neglected. … There was no reason to go there.

    “And I think we all saw the potential.”

    Franklin Square (originally dubbed North East Publick Square and later renamed in honor of Benjamin Franklin) dates back to 1682, when William Penn designed Philadelphia. Penn anchored the city around a quintet of parks that would become Franklin Square, Washington Square, Rittenhouse Square, Logan Square, and Centre Square (City Hall).

    An undated watercolor of Franklin Square.Courtesy of Historic Philadelphia, Inc.

    While Franklin Square’s 7½ acres may have been heavily used by Philly’s earliest settlers because of its proximity to the Delaware River, its condition started to decline in the early 20th century, when broad swaths of homes on the park’s perimeter were razed to make way for the on-ramps to the Ben Franklin Bridge and, later, the Vine Street Expressway and I-95 feeder, according to The Inquirer’s archives. The park’s greenery was replaced by a brick desert, and the isolation and inaccessibility led to disarray.

    Famed urban theorist Jane Jacobs said of Franklin Square: It was “where the homeless, the unemployed and the people of indigent leisure gather amid the flophouses, cheap hotels, missions, [and] second-hand clothing stores.” Occasionally, tai chi groups and area daycares used the expansive lawns and shady respite, after brushing away debris and drug paraphernalia, according to Needle.

    Franklin Square is getting a $7.8M upgrade with new playground, zip line, restrooms, and bike lanes

    “It was a dump,” recalled Keith Owens, 69, of Cherry Hill, who was visiting Saturday with his family. “I just remember it was not a place you went to.”

    By the early 2000s, a movement to reinvent the square gained traction, coinciding with the opening of the National Constitution Center, a new flood of tourists to the long-vacant “third block” of Independence Mall between Arch and Race Streets, and a residential housing boom. The effort, led by Historic Philadelphia and then-Gov. Ed Rendell, sought to to revamp Center City’s “most underutilized” square footage and enhance tourists’ trips between Old City destinations, The Inquirer wrote at the time.

    The rehab included fixing the 1800s fountain and installing lighting, new playground equipment, a carousel, and an 18-hole miniature golf course featuring Philadelphia iconography — landmarks that set Franklin Square apart from other, “passive” parks like Rittenhouse or Washington, according to Needle. Although the park is owned by the city, it is operated and maintained by Needle’s group.

    “We had to have attractions there and give people a reason to go there,” she said. “We wanted to create experiences.”

    Union mason (Local 592) Ronald Valenciano of Upper Darby works on fresh concrete around the new fountain being restored in Franklin Square on July 10, 2006, even as the brand-new Philadelphia Park Liberty Carousel (rear) is unveiled to the press. The fountain and carousel were two of the highlights of the renovated park, which will opening later this summer. Once the carousel-making capital of the world, Philadelphia will once again have working Merry-go-Round within city limits. The Philadelphia Park Liberty Carousel is one of the highlights of the new Franklin Square, which reopened later that summer.Tom Gralish / Staff Photographer

    In the years since, the square has added the cherished Chinese Lantern Festival and a Square Burger eatery; meanwhile, the adjacent PATCO station reopened after nearly 50 years, new apartment complexes are being erected, and the restrooms were renovated for the first time since the Bicentennial in 1976. Now, Historic Philadelphia is raising funds to redo the playground and recently received a $1 million boost from the state to do so.

    “I just feel like it’s exploding — every time we come back, there’s more stuff here,” attendee Brooke Duane said.

    “And the bathrooms, which are great.”

    Despite living in Chester County, Duane — who said she staged her maternity photos at the square and celebrated her nephew’s birthday there — finds herself routinely coming back.

    For 22-year-old Sabrina Owens, Franklin Square stands as a testament to the importance of investing in public spaces: “With so many diminishing third spaces … to know that this is here, and it’s such a revamped space, and it’s very welcoming, is very encouraging.

    “It’s a good sign for the city.”

    When asked about the Franklin Square of the future, Needle said she hopes it “continues to be a wonderful public space for people.”

  • Grading Mike Gansey’s transformational first offseason as Sixers president

    Grading Mike Gansey’s transformational first offseason as Sixers president

    The 76ers became the talk of the sports world Friday, when LeBron James announced he would sign with the team to finish out his illustrious NBA career.

    Some final roster tinkering still must occur before training camp begins in late September. The Sixers need to waive one player — likely Dalen Terry or Jabari Walker, who are on nonguaranteed contracts — to get under the first apron hard cap to sign James. Chris Haynes also reported that veteran guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope intends to reunite with James in Philly upon reaching a buyout agreement with the Memphis Grizzlies, which would require another Sixer to be waived or traded. They also have one more two-way contract slot available.

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    But James’ addition means the bulk of business is finished. In short, it has been a heck of a first offseason for new president of basketball operations Mike Gansey. Entering the summer, the Sixers appeared to be locked into their top-heavy roster, given that Joel Embiid and Paul George’s max contracts were viewed as difficult to trade. Instead, the front office executed a blockbuster deal for an All-NBA wing, secured an all-time great on a veteran minimum deal, and added role players who now put the Sixers in the contender tier.

    How does it all grade out, player-by-player? Here is a breakdown:

    LeBron James: A

    James, arguably the best player of all time, decided to join the Sixers because he believes in the title potential of the roster already in place.

    Though the 41-year-old will play more of a complementary role here than when he was a perennial MVP candidate in his prime, he still has All-Star capabilities after averaging 20.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 7.2 assists in 60 games last season with the Los Angeles Lakers.

    LeBron James picked the Sixers over a number of suitors, including the Golden State Warriors, Miami Heat, and Cleveland Cavaliers. Yong Kim / Staff Photographer

    The Sixers will most value his playmaking, basketball IQ, and experience building a championship culture with all of his three former teams in the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat, and Lakers.

    To call landing James on two-year, $8 million contract a “steal” — especially when his two former NBA stops were options as sentimental career-enders — is the understatement of understatements.

    Jaylen Brown: A+

    Even before adding James, the Sixers already had pulled off a stunner when they acquired Brown from the Boston Celtics for George and four draft picks.

    Brown is coming off his best individual NBA season, averaging 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 5.1 assists and finishing sixth in MVP voting while fellow star wing Jayson Tatum was sidelined for months following Achilles surgery. Brown also is a strong perimeter defender. But how will he readjust to being one of multiple premier scoring options, joining James, Tyrese Maxey, and Embiid?

    Brown does come with a massive contract — and will be eligible for a one-year extension Sunday — which keeps the Sixers’ cap sheet top-heavy for the foreseeable future. But that the Sixers could turn George’s deal — which was even more of an albatross, given his age and injury history — into Brown shocked the NBA.

    Dean Wade: A

    Remember when it looked like Wade would be the Sixers’ primary free-agency addition? He was the team’s primary target entering June 30, before things turned wild.

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    The 6-foot-9 Wade is a quintessential role player — especially on this team — as a stout defender who can space the floor but does not need the ball in his hands. He initially was projected as the Sixers’ starting power forward before James joined, but now he’ll bolster a bench unit that needs it.

    Anfernee Simons: B

    Getting Simons on a more-than-reasonable two-year, $12.5 million contract with a player option also was a shrewd move.

    The 27-year-old guard is a dynamite high-volume three-point shooter who fits the “instant offense” off-the-bench archetype. His smaller 6-foot-3 frame does make him a defensive liability, particularly in potential lineups with Maxey or rookie Labaron Philon Jr. Simons also was a teammate of Brown’s for part of last season with the Boston Celtics.

    Ariel Hukporti: C

    Hukporti’s NBA potential largely is unknown — or at least untapped.

    The athletic 7-footer was the New York Knicks’ third-string center behind Karl-Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson, and averaged only 9.1 minutes in 79 games across two seasons.

    LeBron chose the hard, dramatic path when he picked the Sixers. Get ready for a wild ride, Philly.

    Backup center remains the Sixers’ biggest positional weakness, with Hukporti, Adem Bona, and Johni Broome the options to fill that role after the departure of veteran Andre Drummond. And though Embiid is optimistic he has figured out how to manage his surgically repaired left knee, one still must assume he will miss a chunk of games. That means one of those reserves will need to reliably slide into the starting spot.

    Labaron Philon Jr.: B+

    Perhaps Philon slipping to the Sixers at No. 22 in the NBA draft was the first sign of the buzzy offseason to come.

    Many evaluators projected the former Alabama guard as a lottery pick, and ESPN expert and longtime coach Fran Fraschilla said Philon had the potential to be the best point guard in a deep draft class at that position.

    Philon flashed that gutsy shotmaking, crafty ballhandling, and ability to distribute during Las Vegas Summer League. And now he will have more ability to develop on this star-studded roster.

    Caleb Love and Rayan Rupert: B

    Both players will begin the season on two-way contracts, designed to split time between the Sixers and the G League’s Delaware Blue Coats.

    Love is an aggressive — and streaky — scorer coming off his rookie season with the Portland Trail Blazers. Rupert boasts an impressive 7-foot-2 wingspan, but has rarely gotten meaningful minutes in three NBA seasons spent with the Blazers and Grizzlies.

    The Sixers have a history of identifying talent with two-way deals. Walker, Terry, and Dominick Barlow were converted to standard contracts last season.

  • Kentavious Caldwell-Pope reportedly to join Sixers on one-year deal, team up with LeBron James after buyout

    Kentavious Caldwell-Pope reportedly to join Sixers on one-year deal, team up with LeBron James after buyout

    As if LeBron James’ decision to join the 76ers wasn’t enough, the franchise is now adding further reinforcements.

    Kentavious Caldwell-Pope reportedly has negotiated a buyout with the Memphis Grizzlies with the intention of joining the Sixers on a one-year, $3.9 million deal and team up with James, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. The pair won a title together in 2020 as members of the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA’s COVID-19 bubble.

    Caldwell-Pope averaged 8.4 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 2.7 assists for the Grizzlies last season. The shooting guard originally joined the franchise via trade to help stars Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. compete in the Western Conference. But the team has entered a rebuild, and Morant and Jackson were traded to the Portland Trail Blazers and Utah Jazz, respectively, within the past five months.

    Caldwell-Pope, 33, will join a win-now team as he enters the latter years of his NBA career. The Sixers have become a legitimate title contender this summer after adding James and completing a blockbuster trade to land All-NBA wing Jaylen Brown from the Boston Celtics, teaming them him with the preexisting core of Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid, and VJ Edgecombe.

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    Caldwell-Pope played some of his best basketball alongside James and averaged 11.1 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.7 assists in four seasons (2017-18 to 2020-21) in Los Angeles, three of which (2018-19 to 2020-21) overlapped with James. He took his game to another level in the 2020 postseason and played key defense vs. former Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler while averaging 12.8 points in the NBA Finals.

    Caldwell-Pope, who also won a championship with the Denver Nuggets in 2022-23 while averaging 10.8 points in 76 games (all starts), would bring instant credibility and defensive presence to the Sixers’ bench rotation. He also shot better than 40% from three-point range three times since 2020-21, which would help a Sixers team on which spacing will be at a premium as they strive to create offense for James, Maxey, Brown, and Embiid.

    One of the original three-and-D prototypes, Caldwell-Pope is a 36.5% career three-point shooter, though his numbers have dipped slightly in recent years. He’s averaged 11 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.9 assists in 13 seasons with the Grizzlies, Orlando Magic, Nuggets, Washington Wizards, Lakers, and Detroit Pistons.