Sixers: Will Tony Bradley and Vincent Poirier battling for roster spot?
Do the Philadelphia 76ers have a battle at the center position between Tony Bradley and Vincent Poirier?
The news that Vincent Poirier was a late addition to the Al Horford trade, per Dereck Bodner of The Athletic, flew under the radar for most Philadelphia 76ers fans. However, it additionally makes things more complicated for the Sixers depth chart, especially at the center position.
How a Bradley/Poirier Sixers roster spot battle occurs.
Currently, the 76ers have 16 guaranteed contracts, with Justin Anderson having a partially guaranteed deal. In the NBA, teams can only have 15 players on the roster during the regular season, plus two two-way contracts.
Philly could simply just waive Anderson and have four centers on the roster. However, last season proved that keeping four true centers on the roster was unnecessary. The other aspect of it is that Anderson had a close connection with star center Joel Embiid so it seems unlikely he will get waived.
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Unless the Sixers can trade a wing like Terrance Ferguson, it seems like the club will have to trade or waive Poirier or Tony Bradley. With Embiid and Dwight Howard are virtual locks to make the roster. Then both Ben Simmons and Mike Scott can play the five spot in limited minutes as well.
Trading or waiving one of them just seems inevitable at some point during this preseason. Both players have pros and cons to consider.
Poirier is on a cheaper contract ($2.6) but is a fringe NBA player right now and at the age of 27, there’s not much room for improvement. Last season, he averaged 1.9 points and 2.0 rebounds in 5.9 minutes per game. Bradley averaged 4.9 points and 4.6 rebounds in 11.4 minutes per game last year. At 22-years-old, Bradley still has room to grow but is on the more expensive contract between the two reserve big men ($3.5 million).
Next. Which players will lead each statistical category?. dark
It comes down to if the Philadelphia 76ers want to save money or develop younger talent. It’s not an easy choice for the Sixers front office either but it’s likely coming.