The Philadelphia 76ers are now in the mode of adding talent via the buyout market. I’ve already written about three point guards the Sixers should target in the buyout market. However, the point guard isn’t the only position of need on this roster.
Despite having Joel Embiid who should be the frontrunner for MVP on the roster, the depth behind has become questionable. The main reason why is due to Andre Drummond being part of the James Harden trade that sent one of Embiid’s best backups to the Brooklyn Nets.
Now the team has only two Paul Reed, Charles Bassey, and Paul Millsap to rely on. Reed and Bassey are two unproven big men and in the two games since the trade Reed has gotten the nod at backup duties. Millsap has yet to make his debut, but he’s well past his prime at 36 years old and the former power forward now center struggled in Brooklyn this year.
There’s a lot of question at the backup center spot now so adding a backup center should be a top priority for the 76ers front office. The three players listed in this article are either buyout candidates or have already been bought out.
3 potential buyout centers to target: Cody Zeller
Once a long-time starter for the Charlotte Hornets, Cody Zeller was waived by the Portland Trail Blazers around the trade deadline. This season, Zeller struggled with health at times, but he still averaged 5.2 points and 4.6 rebounds in just 13.1 minutes per game.
Zeller is a solid pick-and-roll big man on offense while he’s solid enough defensively. Despite not looking like it, Zeller is in the prime of his career in terms of his age as he’s 29 years old. He’s already in his ninth season so he’s had plenty of regular season experience.
For his career, he’s averaged 8.5 points and 6.0 rebounds. On paper, Zeller looks like a very good fit for the 76ers as they could certainly have him on a veteran’s minimum contract. However, there are two red flags with Zeller.
Zeller hasn’t had a good track record with health. There have only been two seasons in which Zeller has played more than 70 games in a single season. This season he’s only played 27 games this season. The other issue is his lack of playoff experience. He’s only played in 11 postseason games and the whole point of the Philadelphia 76ers adding another center is for the postseason experience.
3 potential buyout centers to target: Robin Lopez
Robin Lopez has been a well-accomplished journeyman in the NBA. The 33-year-old veteran has been a starter for the majority of his career and has played in 36 playoff games, starting 28 of those games.
Lopez is still a great interior defender, a solid rebounder, and is an underrated post scorer. Despite being stuck behind young players Mohamed Bamba and Wendell Carter Jr. this season, Lopez is averaging 7.9 points and 3.7 rebounds in 17.7 minutes per game.
With the Orlando Magic clearly in rebuild mode, having a veteran like Lopez doesn’t make much sense. Especially with those two former lottery pick big men and Moritz Wagner already on the roster. Don’t forget about Bol Bol who is currently out with injury.
Getting those young guys minutes should be a high priority for the so waiving Lopez should be on the table for the Magic. The only issue with Lopez in a playoff series is that he can be played off the court if he gets caught on the perimeter on defense. However, he’s certainly worth a look by the Philadelphia 76ers if he becomes available.
3 potential buyout centers to target: Tristan Thompson
Last but not least is former NBA champion, Tristan Thompson. Thompson won a championship with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016 and has had a solid career overall. The 30-year-old big man has always been a versatile defender, rebounder, and lob threat.
In terms of a pick-and-roll big man, it could be argued that Thompson is the best pick-and-roll big man on this list. That is important now that the Philadelphia 76ers have Harden. Outside of that, it’s hard to play Thompson off the court in a playoff series with his versatility on defense.
It’s true Thompson hasn’t looked good as of late, especially this season on the Sacramento Kings. However, it’s hard to be good on the Kings in general and it was clear last season when he was on the Boston Celtics that they were dysfunctional as a whole.
Now it’s hard to determine if he will get bought out as he’s already played a game for the Indiana Pacers. There’s a chance he could finish out the season with the team that acquired him at the deadline. However, if he does get bought out then he should be a primary target for the Sixers.
Any of these centers would be a good fit on the Philadelphia 76ers but only time will tell if they do become members of the franchise.