Patty Mills is the kind of free agent who makes sense for the Sixers | David Murphy

I received a couple of emails this morning asking for a follow-up on today's Daily News column, in which I looked at the financial implications that a four-year max contract would have for the Sixers' future. This was specifically in regard to Kyle Lowry, whose name has been sprinkled through headlines in recent weeks. My conclusion was that the Sixers aren't at a juncture where it would be wise to give out such a deal to a 31-year-old free agent. Agree or disagree, the issue a couple of emailers raised was a valid one:

Well then, chief, what kind of free agents should they be looking at?

A logical follow-up, no doubt. I'd like to think I would've addressed it, given limitless space. Regardless, better addended than never.

So here's a name: Patty Mills.

There's been a lot of focus on Lowry's connection to Bryan Colangelo and the city of Philadelphia, but how about the ties that the Spurs' point guard/glue guy has to Brett Brown and, just as intriguing, the land Down Under.

First, here's why we should care. Heading into his 29-year-old season, Mills averaged a career-high 21.9 minutes for the Spurs this year. He's a pest of a defender, and a career .395 shooter from downtown. Yet he has averaged more than 19 minutes twice in eight NBA seasons, and never more than the 21.9 he averaged this season.

To thicken the plot, Mills sounds as if he's a personal favorite of Brown, given the way the Sixers coach speaks about him whenever his name comes up. Mills is a longtime Brown acolyte, both with the Spurs and with the Australian national team. He's quite a bit older than Ben Simmons, but it never hurts to have a teammate whose toilets rotated the same way, right?

How the Sixers proceed depends partly on how they view Jerryd Bayless' role entering next season. Bayless is kind of a forgotten man, given that he lasted just three games before injuring his wrist, but the Sixers did just sign him to a three-year, $27 million deal last summer.

Regardless, this remains true: Rather than overpaying for a 31-year-old max player, the Sixers would be better off overpaying for a younger, mid-tier free agent whom they might be able to get for fewer years at a higher annual dollar figure.

By the way, here's what Mills had to say when the Sixers hired Brown.