The Philadelphia 76ers have to make some decisions with their final roster spot.
The Philadelphia 76ers went 2-0 during the preseason defeating two playoff teams from last season in the Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers. Now the Sixers have some tough decisions regarding the last roster.
For those worrying about the signing of Frank Mason, per Dereck Bodner of The Athletic, don’t be. He’s signed to an Exhibit 10 which means he’ll probably be on the Delaware Blue Coats, Philly’s G-League. There are three players who are really in up for this last roster spot.
What the Sixers should do with the last roster spot?
Centers Tony Bradley and Vincent Poirier, along with wing Terrance Ferguson are on guaranteed deals, while wing Justin Anderson is only on a partially guaranteed contract. In the past, I wrote on how Bradley and Poirier were battling for a roster spot.
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It could still come down to those two big men, but if Philly wants to play it safe based on Joel Embiid’s health history, they could opt to keep both of them. In the past, it has been written on this page by Christopher Kline that Justin Anderson appears to be a lock for a roster spot, based on his history with the club and Embiid. Ferguson might be the odd man out because he barely played in the preseason.
Bradley and Anderson both played over 10 minutes total in the two preseason games, so they appear to be locks. Poirier played in both games but only played nine total preseason minutes. Ferguson only played in one preseason game and that was for only four minutes.
Ferguson or Poirier appear to be the two most likely candidates to not make the roster. The problem is each has guaranteed money on their deal, so waiving them should be the last option. Instead president of basketball operations Daryl Morey and general manager Elton Brand should look to try to trade the player who doesn’t make the team.
Both are young enough players that the Sixers could get a second round pick for and that should be the goal for the front office.
The Philadelphia 76ers have a tough choice to make regarding the last roster spot, but regardless of who is the odd man out, the franchise should try everything in their power to get draft compensation for that player.