The Philadelphia 76ers were already looking at a dry market to address their glaring hole at power forward following the untimely departure of free agent forward Guerschon Yabusele, who made a shocking pivot to head to New York on a two-year deal. Little did they know that their list of alternatives would get trimmed down thanks to another rival snatching one from them.
In one of the more understated, yet sleek moves in free agency, the Cavaliers plucked veteran forward/center Larry Nance Jr. off the market to the tune of a one-year deal. The agreement reunites Nance with his former team, as he previously played in Cleveland from 2018 to 2021.
The 76ers have a limited selection of players who could feasibly take on the role manned by Yabusele last season as a versatile and malleable front court piece. And with Nance out, the front office has to settle with an even more modest offering to address a glaring roster hole.
The 76ers have limited options to replace Yabusele after Larry Nance Jr. signs elsewhere
Nance, who is coming off a solid, yet shortened stint in Atlanta due to injuries, comes to a Cleveland team that did not really need any more help when it comes to their front court, which is manned by a couple of All-Stars in Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen.
Truthfully speaking, the 32-year-old would have made much more sense if he went to Philly, where he could even contend for the starting power forward position. After all, Nance has become an even more useful asset on the court with his much improved three-point shooting.
Aside from his known strengths when it comes to crashing the boards and finishing above the rim, Nance drained 44.7 percent of his three-point tries last season. While it was a rather limited sample size, he still made and attempted the most triples in his career on a per-game basis in Atlanta, which is even more impressive given that he registered a career-low 19.3 minutes per outing with the Hawks.
Minutes would not have been a worry for Nance had he signed with the 76ers. Aside from Trendon Watford, Philadelphia does not have a natural power forward on the roster. At this rate, the coaching staff would be forced to keep forcing players to play a position up and almost exclusively go small.
Technically, free agency has only just started, so the Philadelphia 76ers still have ample time to find a solution. But in all honesty, Larry Nance Jr. could have made a huge difference for the franchise given its current issues on the roster.