Sixers Pushed to Sign Former $98 Million Big Man

Getty Anthony Davis #3 of the Los Angeles Lakers and Hassan Whiteside #21 of the Portland Trail Blazers.

It has already been a successful offseason for the Philadelphia 76ers, one hole remains to be filled. While young prospects like Paul Reed and Charles Bassey are on the roster, there is no clear backup for Joel Embiid.

In previous seasons, finding a suitable backup for the MVP runner-up was essential. Now, since Embiid has made drastic improvements in his health on conditioning, it’s become more of a non-issue. Last season, Embiid appeared in a career-high 68 games. 

Recently, the people at Bleacher Report listed potential targets for the Sixers on veteran minimum contracts. One player mentioned was former Miami Heat big man Hassan Whiteside.

Whiteside’s numbers sometimes oversell his on-court impact, as he doesn’t always set the sturdiest screens or show the greatest defensive awareness. If the Sixers are at all worried about their backup big rotation—that depends entirely on how they feel about Paul Reed and Charles Bassey—they should give Whiteside a long look.

After being a starter for most of his career, Whiteside has recently transitioned to being a backup. He spent the past year in Utah, playing behind another All-Star center in Rudy Gobert. In that time, the 33-year-old averaged 8.2 PPG, 7.6 RPG, and 1.6 BPG while playing around 18 minutes a night.

Hassan Whiteside Can Bring Similar Element as Andre Drummond

For the first half of last season, the Sixers had arguably their best backup center situation in the Joel Embiid era. Signing Andre Drummond solidified the team’s frontcourt depth and gave Doc Rivers a reliable option in games that he was without his star big man. Unfortunately, Drummond was packaged with Ben Simmons and Seth Curry in that deal that landed the Sixers James Harden.

If the Sixers were to pursue Whiteside, he could bring a similar type of element. He can easily slide into the starting lineup when Embiid is out and could anchor the defense for Doc Rivers’ second unit. In the eight games Whiteside appeared as a starter last season, he averaged 11.5 PPG, 11.3 RPG, and 1.8 BPG. 

Reed is certainly deserving of an opportunity after how he performed behind Embiid in the postseason, but if the Sixers did want to add more experience, targeting Whiteside on a minimum deal makes sense.

De’Anthony Melton Listed as Sixers Most Underrated Player

Because of all the moves Daryl Morey has made in free agency, the move he executed on draft night has seemingly gone overlooked. In return for Danny Green and a first-round pick, the Sixers landed young guard De’Anthony Melton from the Memphis Grizzlies.

While he hasn’t taken the floor for the Sixers yet, Melton was listed as the team’s most underrated player. Last season for Memphis, he averaged 10.3 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 2.7 APG, and shot 37.4% from beyond the arc.

On offense, he can create shots for himself and teammates, splash open ones from distance and, if the runway is clear, finish at the basket. On defense, the 6’2″ guard uses his near-6’9″ wingspan, instincts and motor to play bigger than his size and cause all kinds of havoc. His teams have always played better with him than without at an average of 4.4 points per 100 possessions for his career.