The Philadelphia 76ers have recently made an open roster spot by waiving Ignas Brazdeikis, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic. While it was a move I’ve proposed before, it’s good that the Sixers decided to make that move.
It gives the team flexibility to fill the roster out based on needs. There are at least three free agents that could help the 76ers strengthen their bench heading into the playoffs.
3 buyout free agent options: Justin Patton
Philly could look to reunite with a former player in Justin Patton who was recently waived by the Houston Rockets. Patton was the other player acquired in the Jimmy Butler trade from the Minnesota Timberwolves.
During his first Sixers tenure, Patton was recovering from a major injury for most of the time. The center spent a lot of time with the 76ers’ G-League affiliate the Delaware Blue Coats. When he did play for the 76ers, he struggled mightily and was ultimately waived for Greg Monroe.
Last year he played for the Oklahoma City Thunder before he was traded and waived by the Dallas Mavericks. This season, he played the best basketball of his career for the Houston Rockets. He showed promise as a shot-blocker and was a decent rebounder which is what Philly would need from him if he gets playing time whenever Joel Embiid misses playing time.
He’s only 23 years old and still has the potential to develop into a solid reserve center in the NBA. Having him as the third string big man wouldn’t be the worse thing for the Sixers if it’s’ between him and Mike Scott as that option on the current bench.