Philadelphia 76ers please bring back Boban Marjanovic

Just two offseasons ago, the Philadelphia 76ers saw All-Star Jimmy Butler leave in a sign-and-trade. His departure wasn’t the only painful one seen on the roster that summer. The Sixers’ gentle giant Boban Marjanovic left in free agency for the Dallas Mavericks.

Marjanovic spent the last two seasons on the Mavericks being used in certain situations by former Dallas head coach Rick Carlisle. Now Marjanovic is set to be a free agent again and he should seriously consider returning to the 76ers this offseason. Not only should he want to return, but Philly should also want to bring him back too.

Marjanovic and the Philadelphia 76ers should re-unite.

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From Marjanovic’s perspective, there’s a level of familiarity with the Sixers. He’s played for head coach Doc Rivers before when both the player and coach were with the Los Angeles Clippers. The 7-foot-4 center averaged his second highest point per game when Rivers was coaching him at 6.4 points per game.

He’s also used to being Joel Embiid’s backup and there’s a level of mutual respect between the two 7-footers. He’s also loved by the fan base, although he’s been loved by every fan base, so maybe that’s not a uniquely Sixers’ positive.

The most important aspect from Marjanovic’s perspective is that once again he can be teammates with his best friend Tobias Harris. Both make a wonderful duo that fans genuinely enjoy watching. Don’t believe me, check out this clip of the two in Hawaii via ESPN. Happiness is hard to put a price on and he could be very happy playing with his best friend.

From the Sixers’ perspective, they would have a nice offensive option as their third center on their depth chart. I’ve written in the past that Dwight Howard could return as a third string center, but from a talent standpoint Marjanovic would be a better option at this point in their respective careers.

Marjanovic can dominate certain matchups and provides a unique size that will be hard for teams to game plan against. He’s not a primary backup as he can be a defensive liability at times and hopefully, they draft a player that could fill that void as a number two center. However, it’s not a bad thing to have a player of Marjanovic’s caliber on a contender’s depth chart.

A reunion makes sense for both sides and hopefully, the Philadelphia 76ers bring back the “Bobi and Tobi Show” this offseason.