Getty Trevelin Queen #9 of the Philadelphia 76ers.
The Philadelphia 76ers went to work this summer reshaping a roster that desperately needed a new identity and depth. By adding PJ Tucker, Montrezl Harrell, De’Anthony Melton, and Danuel House, the Sixers hope to bolster a bench unit that finished 27th in assists and 28th in scoring last season.
While those four face an easy path to making the final Sixers roster, the same can’t be said for a few down-roster names battling it out. Charles Bassey, Julian Champagnie, Charlie Brown, Jr., Isaiah Joe, and Trevelin Queen all projected as fringe-roster pieces heading into training camp. Unfortunately, Queen was left on the outside looking on.
On Sunday, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that the Sixers were moving on from Queen.
“Im told the #Sixers have parted ways with Trevelin Queen. The roster now stands at 19 players,” Pompey tweeted.
Im told the #Sixers have parted ways with Trevelin Queen. The roster now stands at 19 players
Queen was a surprising summer signing by the Sixers after a standout season in the G-League last year. After winning the G-League and championship and MVP in 2022, Queen was signed by the Sixers to a non-guaranteed two-year deal.
Queen made his preseason debut for the Sixers last Monday against the Brooklyn Nets. But it was a short-lived affair after injury cut his playing time short.
Queen Suffered a Concussion Against the Nets
Queen was already a longshot to make Philadelphia’s regular-season roster. The former New Mexico State Aggie would have needed a few things to fall in place in order to find a full spot next season.
One such factor would have been an undeniable preseason showing. In his preseason debut against the Nets, however, Queen was a no-show. He finished 2-5 from the field with four points. But Queen’s time was limited to just five minutes after a hard hit left him with concussion-like symptoms.
Queen was unable to clear medical protocol for the Sixers’ second preseason game against the Cavaliers. As a result, he saw no playing time against Cleveland. At the same time, guys like Paul Reed and Isaiah Joe continued making strong claims to a roster spot, bypassing Queen in the process.
Per Pompey, the Sixers roster stands now at 19 players. Two of those 19 will earn a two-way spot, meaning they will split time between the Sixers’ G-League team and the professional side. But that also means two more players will have to be cut in order to get down to the regular season-maximum 15 players.
While Queen didn’t make the final cut, it’s not the first time he’s faced adversity, nor is it the first time he’s bounced around to different teams.
Queen Faced Homelessness & Uncertain Future
Over the summer, Queen opened up to Ky Carlin of Sixers Wire, sharing his long and winding path to an NBA contract.
“I was probably homeless for about a week and I was in like the rough part of Oakland. I went from like…hopes of being on a full scholarship, being comfortable playing basketball to homeless within a few days to moving to East Oakland, like in the trenches. East Oakland isn’t the prettiest city in the world, you know what I mean? So like, I’m homeless out there. It’s like crackheads, robberies, and everything going on day by day,” Queen said.
Eventually, Queen landed on the radar of New Mexico State head coach Chris Jans, who brought the then-JUCO star Queen in for a visit. That visit turned into an offer, which Queen accepted.