Philadelphia 76ers: Jerryd Bayless should be moved to increase wing depth

The Philadelphia 76ers should look to rid themselves of Jerryd Bayless so that they may find a way to replace Zhaire Smith in the rotation.

With the news that rookie Zhaire Smith could miss a couple of months due the Jones fracture in his foot, the Philadelphia 76ers are left with void in their bench rotation. While the Sixers certainly have the depth of players to help fill a void, adding extra depth on the wing before the season would benefit the franchise.

However, the team is already at it’s maximum of 15 players, as well as having both spots for two-way contracts filled. Co-Site Expert Christopher Kline of The Sixer Sense had suggested that adding a replacement would mean that combo guard Jerryd Bayless would have to leave the team either by being traded or being waived.

If the Sixers were to trade the veteran, one trade comes to mind that would make sense for both parties involved.

The Orlando Magic get another solid playmaker and 3-point shooter at the guard position, while also cutting down on their over abundance of wings. Getting a future second round pick and minor salary cap relief isn’t a bad throw in as well.

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The 76ers in turn receive a very solid offensive wing in Terrence Ross. Ross would be an ideal reserve with his ability to slash and has shown the ability to hit 3-point shots, with this last season and his rookie seasons being the exceptions. Assuming he bounces back after being injured most of last season, Ross would be a solid addition to the Sixers bench.

However, if Philadelphia decides to waive Bayless, the club still has a $4.4 million exception that they could use in free agency, as Kline pointed out in his article. Two free agents that could be solid options for the club are Corey Brewer and Shabazz Muhammad.

Brewer is a seasoned veteran that is a solid defender with the ability to slash to the rim. He has an average of 8.9 points and 1.3 steals throughout his 11 years in the NBA. Muhammad is instant offense off the bench and has a career average of 9.0 points while shooting 47.3 percent from the floor. Both players would strengthen Philly’s bench in different ways and both would be solid additions.

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Smith’s injury should give the Philadelphia 76ers extra incentive to move Bayless in one form or the other. Bayless is just taking up space on the Sixer’s roster and moving him soon would allow whoever fills his roster spot more time to adjust to their new team.