With the trade deadline finally over, the Philadelphia 76ers can now shift their focus to player-hunting in the open market, where they will have much more liberty to pick some available names who can help them in their escapade to snag a high seeding come playoff time. Luckily for them, a former fan favorite is now open for taking.
Georges Niang, who spent a couple of seasons with the 76ers from 2021 to 2023, has just been released by the Grizzlies. He was dealt by the Jazz in the semi-blockbuster trade involving Jaren Jackson Jr. and for now, he remains without a home. As such, the front office could perhaps take a flier on their former forward.
The veteran never sniffed the hardwood for the Jazz this season due to injuries, but with Utah shifting to a full-on youth movement, it might have just been an excuse to shut him down entirely. His footing in the league has become shaky, but Niang still has some good attributes which the 76ers can find appealing to have off the bench.
The 76ers can now reunite with Georges Niang if they want to
Now 32 years old, Niang is probably already in the twilight of his career given his waning physical tools which were never a major selling point of his in the first place. But having said that, he is still a very capable three-point shooter who can be called on to space the floor and arm the team with someone who can punish unsuspecting defenders.
A career 40 percent shooter from rainbow country, Niang offers great value as an emergency sniper in the second unit. Besides that, he does not really offer anything more at this juncture, but he is real savvy with the ball and rarely commits mistakes on that end.
The main concern (aside from his health, of course) is his defense. He has never been a game-changer on that end due to his lack of foot speed, although he has been at least tolerable in the past due to his basketball IQ. But given his current stature, the 76ers will not be getting any dosage of defensive acuity if they reunite with Niang.
Still, for a utility player, Niang actually makes a lot of sense for the 76ers. With Paul George still out due to a 25-game suspension, the team could use a sweet-shooting forward who can give them some size and perimeter prowess in the position. Even better, he is familiar with both Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, having played with them for a couple of years.