Card II – Sign a buyout player
NBA Teams can no longer conduct trades, but many teams are now weighing the decision to cut players outright by buying out their contracts. They do so to mitigate the salary cap hit. Players do so as they can then hopefully get picked up by a playoff bound team. There are several players who may be bought out who could draw interest from the Philadelphia 76ers. Five such players are discussed in a recent FanSided article by Andrew Bernucca. One we’ve talked about too, Marco Belinelli.
We discussed the ‘plan B’ opportunity that Belinelli affords the team. And Christopher Kline agreed on a seperately written piece. When Christopher and I agree, it often results in team action. Even Owen Nelson named Belinelli as a target for the 76ers. Belinelli brings a veteran presence, a solid perimeter shooter, and a significant offensive punch off the bench. Having played for the San Antonio Spurs in 2013-2015, he already has the familiarity with Coach Brown. Although he arrived in July 2013, and Brown signed with Philadelphia in August 2013, there is enough of an overlap for both player and coach to know each other.
Belinelli buyout baby!
Marco Belinelli is finalizing a buyout agreement with the Atlanta Hawks, league sources tell ESPN. Several contenders are interested.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 9, 2018
And this one could be in the works.
There are other potential buy out players who will be looking to hook up with a playoff bound team. The fit, the skillset, the role, and the attitude will all play a huge part in any decision to be made. Tony Allen‘s name may pop into that conversation. Shabazz Muhammed could be another name to consider. Brook Lopez, despite being a center, could be in the discussion too. He’s a big man who, like Joel Embiid, shoots from the perimeter. But there is the trade off of bringing in someone new which denies opportunity to someone affiliated with the team. And that means, what about that Washington Husky guy?