Getty Paul Reed of the Philadelphia 76ers
Midway through this NBA season, the Philadelphia 76ers faced a glaring question with no clear answer — who would back up big man Joel Embiid in the playoffs.
Young center Paul Reed emerged as the answer. His production has seen a significant jump in the playoffs, and with Embiid sidelined with a knee injury in the pivotal Game 4 against the Brooklyn Nets, it was Reed who jumped into the starting lineup to score 10 points and grab a career-high 15 rebounds while leading his team to a sweep.
But the Sixers could have another question mark ahead, with The Athletic’s Shams Charania reporting on April 25 that Reed is likely headed to restricted free agency this summer. In an appearance on FanDuel TV, Charania said the team couldn’t reach a contract agreement with the 23-year-old and now could face the prospect of losing him.
Paul Reed Will Be ‘Valued Around the League’
Charania reported that Reed’s camp had been in discussions with the Sixers on a contract extension over the course of the regular season, but the two sides have been unable to reach a deal.
With no new contract in sight, Charania said Reed is headed to restricted free agency where he could be in high demand with other teams interested in snatching up the talented young big man.
“No extension for Paul Reed as of right now, he’s gonna go into the market it looks like as a restricted free agent… Some of the numbers that he’s putting up, it’s clear he’s gonna get some attraction in free agency”
@ShamsCharania with the latest on Paul Reed 👀
“It doesn’t look like they’re gonna reach an agreement on a new extension,” the NBA insider said. “He’s in the last year of his deal. He will be entering free agency—restricted free agency this offseason and so when you look at what he’s done in these playoffs. 7.3 points per game, seven rebounds per game, 58% shooting in only 16 minutes a game. That output that he puts in in such limited amount of time, it’s clear he’s gonna be valued around the league.”
The Sixers also face an uncertain future when it comes to star guard James Harden, who could also opt to hit free agency. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported in December that Harden has interest in returning to Houston to rejoin the Rockets.
Paul Reed Earns Praise for Playoff Performance
Reed’s standout performance in Game 4, earning some praise from his teammates. After the game, Harden gave credit to the Big man for his rebounding and revealing the advice he gave him on the court.
“He listens. He plays hard. So you got to give him credit for that,” Harden told reporters after the series-clinching win, per House of Highlights. “In the first half, he was getting really good offensive rebounds. He was just trying to go up and over to make difficult shots. I keep telling him, ‘Obviously if you have a putback layup, then take it, but if you feel like you don’t have a layup, get the ball out, we can get a better shot’. In the second half, he did a better job of that, and that generated more opportunities for our guards.”
Prior to his breakout performance in the playoffs, Reed appeared in 69 games in the regular season, starting two and averaging just 4.2 points and 3.8 rebounds in 10.9 minutes per game.