4 Buyout targets the 76ers should sign to fill last two roster spots
2. Keita Bates-Diop — PF/SF
Arguably the safest option on this list, Keita Bates-Diop has the potential to be one of the best late-season acquisitions in the NBA. He’s still on an NBA roster with the Nets, but he’s not expected to have a meaningful role there either, giving rise to the possibility that he comes to a buy-out agreement with the team.
Bates-Diop puzzlingly played little in Phoenix, but he showed valuable versatility, especially on defense, last season in San Antonio. While he doesn;t tout eye-popping athleticism or voluminous scoring, he is pretty rangy and covers a lot of ground defensively. Better yet, he can switch from 1 through 5, arming the 76ers with someone who can play multiple positions on both ends.
Offensively, KBD isn’t exactly hopeless. He’s an adept three-point shooter (39.4 percent last season as a consistent rotation player), nifty as a cutter (a Popovich trademark), and a very willing passing linker.