Richaun Holmes is Likely to be Used as Trade Pawn

The Philadelphia 76ers second round draftee Richaun Holmes is likely to be used as a trade pawn at some point in the next season.

Richaun Holmes was largely overlooked not only by general NBA fans, but Philadelphia 76ers fans as well. Brought in with the 37th pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, the second round draftee was largely overshadowed by the Sixers’ selection in the first round, Jahlil Okafor.

Holmes, who attended school at Bowling Green University, played a similar style to Jahlil Okafor, a more traditional big man, and because of that, wasn’t expected to get a whole lot of playing time in his first season with the Sixers. That assumption ended up being true, as Holmes played just 13.8 minutes per game throughout the season.

Although he does play an overall similar style to Okafor, he did come in with more of a resume beyond the 10-foot mark an on NBA court. Holmes hit 30 3-pointers in his 3 seasons at Bowling Green, where Okafor didn’t make or attempt any 3-pointers in his sole season at Duke University.

More from The Sixer Sense

Okafor missed the final 22 games of the year in his rookie season with the Sixers due to a partial tear in his MCL, but Holmes did not have his minutes increased very much due to injuries of his own. Holmes only appeared in 8 of those 22 games that Okafor missed.

Over the course of the season, Holmes averaged 5.6 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 0.6 assists. Per 36 minutes Holmes averaged 14.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.0 steal, and 1.7 blocks.

The Sixers ran a large variety of lineups throughout the season. Part of that was due to a large amount of injuries sustained throughout the year, and part of it was just trying to work everyone into the games and utilize everyone’s skill sets. The frontcourt was an especially difficult area for head coach Brett Brown to work out. From trying to get Jahlil Okafor and Nerlens Noel to both play power forward at different points during the season, to working in Richaun Holmes, Christian Wood, and Elton Brand, things were not easy.

Unfortunately, they won’t be getting easier.

The future of the frontcourt is an incredibly questionable one. There has been little dictation set by either Sam Hinkie or Bryan Colangelo as far as who will return for the future of the team, and who will be used in a trade. Looking at the large amount of players in the frontcourt, it’s apparent that someone, and likely more than one person has to be moved, or even cut.

Elton Brand is likely done as a player (but may come back as a coach), and Christian Wood will probably be stashed in the D-League to start next season just as he was several times throughout last season.

Even with those two out, the Sixers have Jahlil Okafor, Nerlens Noel, Dario Saric, Richaun Holmes, and hopefully Joel Embiid to work with. Out of this crew, I see either Noel or Okafor having to be moved as part of a trade at some point. That notion has been obvious since mid-season, when it was clear the two could not co-exist in the same lineup.

What many people seem to be ignoring, however, is the idea that Holmes probably has little future with this team. Sure, the Sixers could stuff him on the very end of the bench to use him 2-5 minutes per game in garbage time, but that’s of little use to them, and quite frankly, a waste of a roster spot.

Although in a few years from now, when the team is less overstocked in the frontcourt, he could serve as a solid off-the-bench player with 15 minutes or so a game, that would mean the Sixers would have to keep him on the team for at least a season, taking up a roster spot that they could probably use for more depth in other positions. The only upside to keeping him around is that the Sixers have Holmes on a rookie contract through the 2019 season.

The most likely scenario in regards to Holmes’s future is that he is used as a trade at some point. The Sixers have other needs, and will utilize the little need they have for Holmes to achieve more relevant success. Although Holmes showed great flashes of skill throughout the season, he also showed a great rebounding deficiency during the year, and didn’t capitalize on the 3-point expectancy we had for him going into the season. He shot just 18.2 percent from beyond the arc this season.

Teams will not accept a trade with Holmes as the centerpiece. There is no big deal to be made with Holmes. If he were the biggest selling point for the Sixers in a deal, all they would get back is a second-round draft pick, which doesn’t help them moving forward.

Next: Scenarios Where Sixers Should Trade For Lakers Pick

Instead, Holmes will unfortunately be an add-on in a trade, that is if he’s not cut by the team in preseason this year. Holmes, although a fan favorite for much of this season, will go down as a forgotten Sixer in the history books, and will have higher success when he is ultimately moved elsewhere.