76ers lose free agent target to Europe ahead of 2024-25 season

Aimed at keeping Joel Embiid fresh in the regular season as much as possible, the Philadelphia 76ers sought to reinforce the team’s cushion at center behind the superstar this offseason. To their credit, they managed to do exactly that, signing Andre Drummond in free agency and drafting Adem Bona, who somehow fell to their laps in the second round.

Still, given Embiid’s exhaustive injury track record, many have called on the 76ers to sign another big man. They haven’t done that yet, but they actually lasered in on a free agent big man not too long ago to serve as another depth insurance.

However, he’s now out of the window after this latest development.

76ers lose free agent target to Europe for next season

The 76ers were reported to on the lookout for free agent big man Killian Tillie early this month. While undrafted in 2020, the 26-year-old kicked off his career as a backup in Memphis, though a back injury caused him to miss significant time and eventually get the hammer from the roster.

Tillie last played in the nBA in 2022, but he was reportedly eyeing an NBA comeback with the 76ers and Warriors having showed interest. However, it seems like that’s now a virtual impossibility as he has just inked a one-year deal to play in Spain with Unicaja Malaga.

While not in any way detrimental to the 76ers given that there are still other options on the market, Tillie would have nevertheless been a passable addition as an emergency big off the bench. Philly needs all help it can get to bolster their center rotation and soften the load on the 2023 MVP.

Hopefully, Embiid finally manages to string together a healthy season. In addition, the 76ers badly need Drummond to deliver, especially given his billing as a premiere backup center in the NBA. A quick calibration for Bona would also be a cherry-on-top (and a necessity as a fill-in for whenever Embiid misses games).