Amidst off-season drama and white parties, a bit of actual free-agent news has managed to sneak through the cracks for the Philadelphia 76ers as the team has agreed to a one-year deal with center Mo Bamba, according to NBA Insider Adrian Wojnarowski.
The deal is for the league minimum, per Philly Voice’s Kyle Neubeck, which would be $2.3 million for a player with five years of service like Bamba.
Mo Bamba is a tall, long, athletic, three-and-D center who has admittedly been more promise than production so far in his career, but he is entering his age 25 season and has shown flashes over his young career. Last season between the Magic and Lakers, Bamba averaged 6.6 points and 4.6 rebounds while shooting 38.7% from deep. His numbers were even more impressive in Orlando, where he shot 39.8% on 2.7 threes a game.
After being traded to Los Angeles on Feb. 9 in a four-team deal, Bamba struggled to find his role with his new team before suffering a sprained ankle just two minutes into his seventh game with the Lakers, which cost him nearly the rest of his season. He would only play 17 minutes of two more regular season games and three playoff games before being waived by the Lakers on June 29.
For the Sixers, Bamba provides some much-needed size for a team that previously rostered only one player over 6’8″. The hope now is that Mo Bamba can not only meet but exceed his production level from his days with the Magic.
The question this move brings to the minds of many is what this signing means for restricted free agent Paul Reed. Woj has an answer for that also as, according to his sources, the Sixers still plan to resign Reed, but Mo Bamba will give the team a certain “security” should Reed sign elsewhere.
Another intriguing possibility is that of Reed receiving more minutes at power forward under Nick Nurse, which could open up more creative alleyways, especially defensive. At the very least, perhaps the Sixers could improve upon their rebounding, as the team finished the 2022-2023 season among the bottom five teams in the league.
There’s still more to come this crazy offseason, but for now, Mo Bamba is a Sixer, and we will report more as it comes.
