3 reasons why Philadelphia 76ers waived Jacob Pullen

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PHILADELPHIA, PA – OCTOBER 04: Furkan Korkmaz #30 of the Philadelphia 76ers plays against the Memphis Grizzlies during the preseason game at the Wells Fargo Center on October 4, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /

Reason II – Someone better came along

A huge and as-yet-unaddressed issue with two-way contracts for players is that team-friendly nature. Easily severable, few guarantees, the two-way contract is a huge tool in the hands of a shrewd NBA executive. But like a chainsaw, that tool can be very effective, or it can result in a lot of bloodshed. Pullen’s two-way contract offered no retention incentives.

So when the team identified James Young‘s production with the Wisconsin Herd, that intrigued team executives to take a closer look. Young is a 6-foot-7 guard who has a solid perimeter shot, an intriguing potential fit into a tall-ball lineup, and he comes in as a very-similar-skillset to now gone for the season Furkan Korkmaz.

Korkmaz injury preciptated this move

As you recall, we discussed how the Korkmaz Lisfranc foot injury completely derailed the team’s intent on 2018 off-season decisions over the wing role for the team. The timing of that decision is imperative, as currently the team benefits from one-year contract J.J. Redick. The hope remains that the team would have opportunity to see enough of 2nd year Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot and 6-foot-7 190 pound rookie Furkan Korkmaz to learn whether they could allow Redick to test free agency once more. TLC never achieved a reliable perimeter shot, and Korkmaz’s injury anihalated his opportunity this season.

Not so coincidentally, Young arrives at that same 6-foot-7 height, shoots an average three-point accuracy of 39.2 percent for the Wisconsin Herd, and has some defensive chops. Now James Young, and not Furkan Korkmaz, will race to develop quickly enough to allow the front office to make the off-season decisions.