The Philadelphia 76ers have presumably filled their 15th roster spot.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Philadelphia 76ers have signed Ryan Broekhoff to a one-year, non-guaranteed contract for the veteran minimum. This comes after Broekhoff signed a two-way contract to join the Sixers in the Bubble, only to back out after his wife contracted COVID.
Clearly, Broekhoff and the organization did establish a relationship, and Broekhoff will now have the opportunity to earn Philadelphia’s 15th and final roster spot — assuming Isaiah Joe is signed to a full NBA deal and Paul Reed is signed to a two-way contract.
Broekhoff, of Australian origin, spent the first several years of his professional career overseas. He moved to Dallas in 2019, where he shot 40.9 percent from deep across 42 games played. Last season, in 17 appearances for Dallas, Broekhoff shot 39.2 percent from deep on 3.0 attempts in 10.6 minutes per game.
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Daryl Morey and the Sixers front office have prioritized shooting this offseason, adding the likes of Seth Curry and Danny Green via trade. Philadelphia clearly plans to put more space around Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons — something Broekhoff can no doubt help with.
The Sixers don’t necessarily need another player with Broekhoff’s skill set. He’s a pure shooter who will invariably land behind Matisse Thybulle, Furkan Korkmaz, and Tyrese Maxey in the wing rotation. Not to mention Isaiah Joe, who buttered his bread as a high-volume 3-point shooter in college.
Broekhoff turned 30 in August and still has very limited NBA experience. He’s a weak point defensively, and his offensive contributions boil down almost entirely to shooting. That’s not to say a rangy 3-point shooter can’t help the Sixers — he can — but he lacks necessity in Philadelphia’s current wing rotation.
That said, it is essentially a training camp deal with no guarantee of a full season spent in South Philly. The Sixers can still search out point guard talent or a heavier, more defensively versatile wing, and allow them to outstrip Broekhoff for the final roster spot. There’s no risk, financial or otherwise, involved.
At worst, Broekhoff is another floor spacer — which is hard to complain about. Philadelphia lacked shooting in a big way last season, and it’s clear this is not Morey’s final variation of this roster. The Sixers plan to wait and see. Once Doc Rivers has spent time with the new roster, expect Morey to get active — probably around the trade deadline.
Of note is the Sixers’ mid-level exception, which is worth north of $5 million. It hasn’t been spent yet, and there’s a chance Philadelphia holds onto it until the buyout market strikes. It can be used on one player, or split up to lure multiple free agents to Philadelphia.