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The Process is about to meet The Minivan. The Philadelphia 76ers signed Georges Niang to a two-year contract on Tuesday worth $6.7 million, per Ben Dowsett. The 6-foot-7 stretch forward solves a glaring need for frontcourt depth.
Niang, a second-round pick in 2016, should step into the role vacated by outgoing big man Mike Scott. The 28-year-old spent the past four seasons with the Utah Jazz where he averaged 5.5 points and 1.9 rebounds per game. More importantly, Niang has deceptively good range and shot 42.5% from deep in 2021 on 4.1 three-point attempts per game. He saw action in a career-high 72 games last season while seeing his minutes increase every year.
According to Kyle Neubeck of Philly Voice, Niang will sign as part of the Sixers’ non-taxpayer mid-level exception and the deal won’t trigger a hard cap at the apron for Philadelphia. That means that team president Daryl Morey has plenty of wiggle room left to make another (read: bigger) move in free agency.
But Niang is a nice get as he steps into a position of need, one that Sixers head coach Doc Rivers openly lobbied for at the trade deadline. He also brings arguably the best nickname to town since the “Round Mound of Rebound.” At 230 pounds, Niang is a tough object to move inside the paint and he already owns some Philly sports gear.
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Record-Setting College Career at Iowa State
Niang admitted to struggling with his weight at times – tipping 260 pounds during his sophomore year at Iowa State – but quickly committed himself to getting in shape. “They don’t pay fat people to play professional sports,” Niang said, via DefPen.
The Minivan enjoyed a record-setting career for the Cyclones and became the first player to reach four straight NCAA tournaments. He was also the first two-time All-American in program history and took home the Karl Malone Award for the country’s best power forward in 2016.
The Indiana Pacers made Niang the 50th overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft. He only played in 23 games for the Pacers before bouncing around the G League and eventually ending up in Utah. He has seen action in 229 total NBA games, including 23 playoff contests for the Jazz. He has twice hit career-highs of 24 points.
Sixers Officially Waive George Hill
The Sixers officially released George Hill around 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday following reports of the impending move earlier in the day. And the veteran point guard wasted no time in finding a new home. Hill is headed back to the Milwaukee Bucks where he spent two seasons (2018, 2019).
Hill’s departure from Milwaukee (via trade to Oklahoma City) wasn’t necessarily a happy one. He thought the organization had grown tired of his activism off the court in support of Black Lives Matter. Looking back, maybe that wasn’t the case.
“We will never know, right? It ain’t me to speak upon that if it is more,” Hill told The Undefeated. “If it’s more than basketball, then they will live with that. If it wasn’t, we’ll never know. I’m sure they won’t flat-out come out and say it. So, it doesn’t really matter.”
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