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The Philadelphia 76ers are going to be looking for a new backup center this offseason as DeAndre Jordan has officially moved on.
Once a favorite of Doc Rivers, Jordan never found a way to win over fans in Philadelphia and now he won’t have to worry about that as he signed a deal with the Denver Nuggets to backup MVP Nikola Jokic, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania.
Surprisingly, Jordan signed a deal on the opening day of free agency despite having a rough season splitting time between the Lakers and the Sixers.
At 33 years old, it’s not exactly clear what Jordan has left in the tank as he only averaged 13 minutes per game last season. In those 13 minutes, he averaged 4.3 points per game to go along with 5.5 rebounds. He can’t be relied on for long stretches, but if he comes in for a minute or so at a time, you could do worse for a backup center.
He wasn’t particularly good with the Sixers, and fans often called for Paul Reed to play over him, something that eventually happened in the playoffs.
Now the Sixers will have to be on the lookout for another backup center unless they plan on giving Reed the minutes going forward.
Drummond Off the Market
Somebody who was effective with the Sixers was Andre Drummond before he was shipped to Brooklyn in the Ben Simmons deal.
Fans were vocal about bringing him back, but he signed with the Bulls on a two-year deal. With Isaiah Hartenstein going to the Knicks on a two-year deal as well, the market is looking thin for the backup center market.
Finding a way to survive the non-Embiid minutes is crucial for the Sixers, so they’ll need to find somebody reliable to back him up.
Other Sixers Signings
P.J. Tucker, a former James Harden teammate, will be joining the Sixers next season on a three-year deal. Harden opted out of his contract to take a pay cut that allows the team to fill out the roster.
Tucker could certainly factor in as a small-ball center, but at just 6’5″, he might be a tad too small to be fully effective.
Danuel House, another former Harden teammate, has signed with the team for the next season. House is a good shooter from deep and everybody knows how important shooting is in today’s NBA.
What might be the most interesting storyline to follow for the Sixers this summer is what happens with Tobias Harris. With Harden taking the pay cut to free up cap space, moving Harris’ contract might not be as important as it once was, but he’s still somebody who’s being floated in many trade talks.
The problem with Harris isn’t his talent, but it’s that he’s being paid like he’s the number one option, but he’s effectively the fourth option in Philadelphia. If he’s moved, even more cap space would be freed up, but the question would remain of what to fill it with.
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