Mike Gansey and his crew did it again. Just a couple of days after pulling off the biggest heist of the offseason, the Philadelphia 76ers finished another huge bargain by signing Caleb Love to a two-way contract. The incoming sophomore will soon don the team's colorways, which is an impressive feat for the front office given the way he played this past season.
Love had a noteworthy rookie campaign for Portland. He quickly emerged as one of their best scorers in the backcourt when Jrue Holiday and Scoot Henderson were nursing their injuries. He ended up getting undrafted last year, but he finished the season having suited up in 49 games for the Trail Blazers, averaging 10.4 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per contest in just 20.7 minutes a night.
The Arizona product was not exactly a beacon of efficiency last season, but he definitely showed a lot of promise as a high-octane scoring guard in the NBA. He was not afraid to take a lot of shots, and the Blazers were definitely better for it as he helped keep them afloat when their starting backcourt was decimated by the injury bug.
The 76ers pulled off another major bargain with Caleb Love
Despite getting another All-Star in Jaylen Brown and a well-fitting complementary piece in Dean Wade, the 76ers are not yet set for the following campaign. Bench scoring in particular remains lacking for this group even with the drafting of Labaron Philon Jr., especially with Quentin Grimes and Kelly Oubre Jr. leaving in free agency.
That makes the addition of Love all the more important. While his appearances will be limited to start off, he figures to provide a scoring punch to the 76ers on the second unit just like he did for the Trail Blazers this past season. In addition, Philly did need some more depth in the backcourt anyway, so even if he is on a two-way deal, he could very well register frequent appearances with the actual team.
Portland probably wanted to retain his services, but after trading for Ja Morant, they simply had way too many guards who all command heavy minutes for them to even think about keeping Love. Now, the 76ers will gladly reap the benefits as there is a strong chance that the to-be sophomore will eventually be on a standard NBA deal with his skill set.
Hopefully, this signing will end up being a heady and inexpensive way for the 76ers to bolster their bench, which basically caused their downfall in the playoffs.
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