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Although big man Vincent Poirier came in as part of one of the biggest trades in recent memory for the Philadelphia 76ers, he failed to make a major impact during his brief time with the team.
Of course, the same could be said for his NBA career as a whole. Before he came to Philly last December, he had also been a garbage-time player for the Boston Celtics.
Still, his elite size, ability to roll and finish and his defensive presence could all be major plusses in the right situation with the right team. And the 27-year-old French national may have just found both.
Per a report on Friday, Poirier is set to resume his basketball career across the pond.
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Vincent Poirier Is Headed to Spain
According to a tweet from LaSexta TV’s Jose Luis Sanchez, Poirier has come to terms on a deal with ACB and EuroLeague power Real Madrid. He will reportedly finish the 2020-21 season with the club, after which he will be contracted for an additional three years.
While Poirier will be a factor as Real Madrid finishes off its ACB slate, he won’t be eligible to participate in this year’s EuroLeague playoffs.
Real Madrid has been in dire need of help in the frontcourt recently. Former NBA big man Anthony Randolph — who has been a key cog for the team since the ’16-17 campaign — was lost for the season when he suffered a complete rupture of his left Achilles tendon in December.
More recently, it was reported that combo forward Gabriel Deck would be leaving Real Madrid to sign with the Oklahoma City Thunder (as relayed by Eurohoops).
Real Madrid currently sits atop La Liga’s table with a 27-1 record. The team holds a 20-14 mark in EuroLeague competition.
Poirier’s NBA Journey
Although his run in the Association was brief, Poirier definitely got around. After starring for Baskonia, he made the jump to the U.S. in July of 2019 to sign with the Celtics. During his time with Boston, he had multiple short stints with the G League’s Maine Redclaws.
Ahead of the ’20-21 season, he was dealt to the Oklahoma City Thunder. However, he wouldn’t be with the team long. Less than three weeks later, in December of 2020, he joined Danney Green and Terrance Ferguson in moving from OKC to Philly in the Al Horford trade.
In the end, though, he failed to beat out Tony Bradley and become the club’s third center. At the March 25 NBA trade deadline, he was dealt by the Sixers to the New York Knicks as part of the three-team deal that netted Philly veteran point-man George Hill.
The Knicks would waive him just three days later, freeing the seven-footer up to return to La Liga.
Poirier Was Miffed With Doc Rivers, Sixers Over His Exit
As noted by Heavy.com’s Mike Greger, Poirier was not a fan of the way in which his Sixers run came to an end. In the wake of his trade, he opined that Sixers coach Doc Rivers handled the situation poorly.
“The coach didn’t even send me a message although I know he sent others,” he said. “I’m not asking him to give me compliments but just a message to wish me good luck.”
He continued:
“We are not commodities, we are still human beings. It’s a minimum of sending a message, to say that the situation was complicated, but thank you for your professionalism. A bogus thing, even if he doesn’t really mean it.”
In 32 career NBA games over two seasons, Poirier played a grand total of just 169 minutes, scoring a combined 49 points. However, he did average 10.4 points, 12.1 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per 36 minutes.
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