They say when God closes a door, he opens a window. In this case, the window is more of a crawlspace opening or a doggy door, but another opening nonetheless. A day after the Philadelphia 76ers announced that Joel Embiid had suffered a fractured sinus, an old friend of the Sixers was suddenly made available, giving the team the perfect opportunity to add some much-needed depth.
Saturday afternoon, the Detroit Pistons waived PF/C Paul Reed ahead of Dec. 15, the day many free agents signed this offseason become available. Reed was on the same non-guaranteed deal the Sixers signed him to before last season that matched the offer sheet of the Utah Jazz. Heading into this offseason, due to Daryl Morey’s cap space plan, Reed was waived to clear as much salary as possible. He was then claimed by the Pistons in the coming days.
Detroit appears to be signaling that it will be active in the trade market, although whether it will be buying or selling remains to be seen. Parting ways with Reed allows Detroit to increase their available cap space to nearly $18 million, allowing increased flexibility in deals, potentially even as a third team. Reed had never truly established himself in Detroit, playing just 12 games and averaging only 4.8 points and 1.9 rebounds. Still, in the right system, it has been seen that he can be a useful player.
Should Reed clear waivers, it wouldn’t be crazy for the Sixers to consider a reunion with Reed, particularly in the wake of Joel Embiid‘s fractured sinus. While there is no set timeline for Embiid yet, it is likely that he will miss time once again, opening the door for opportunity. However, there are a few reasons why a reunion may not be in the best interests of any party.
First and foremost, while there would be some opportunity in Joel Embiid‘s absence, the Sixers have found a workable formula without Embiid. Philadelphia came into Embiid’s return as the winners of three of their last four games. Philadelphia was able to rely on a starting lineup that included Guerschon Yabusele at the four and Andre Drummond at the five while bringing KJ Martin in off the bench to play both the four and the five. This strategy, albeit not against the heavy-weight favorites of the league, proved solid enough to keep them in games. Injecting Reed, or any addition, into that could cause more problems than it would solve.
Additionally, it’s not even up to Philadelphia if they could land Reed. The Sixers do not have access to any exceptions following the use of the room exception this offseason on Kelly Oubre, and $6,197,213 away from the second apron; Daryl Morey and co. are unlikely to sacrifice that lone potential flexibility for a player whose limitations they are already aware of.
Meanwhile, the 25-year-old big may very well have a few teams lining up for his services, potentially even teams who will claim his current deal—the Oklahoma City Thunder come to mind, as do the Jazz, who tried to sign Reed initially. Even if Reed were to clear waivers, many more suitors would open up— the Chicago Bulls and Sacramento Kings could use some affordable big man play off the bench.
While a reunion with Reed may warm the hearts of some Sixers fans, the reality is he will likely have better opportunities elsewhere that can provide better opportunity, salary, and even a higher likelihood of contending. Baring a desire to return to where it all began, and a mutual feeling from Philadelphia, Paul Reed will continue his career elsewhere, but the Sixers should at least throw their hat into the ring.
