The Philadelphia 76ers made their first move of NBA free agency late Monday night, signing former Brooklyn Nets big man Trendon Watford. Watford, who is a close friend of star point guard Tyrese Maxey, agreed to a two-year minimum deal with the Sixers worth a total of $5.3 million. While Watford isn’t the most exciting player in the world, he does provide some much-needed depth for the Sixers’ frontcourt.
Watford is a 24-year-old power forward who began his career with the Portland Trail Blazers in the 2021-22 NBA season as an undrafted free agent. After spending two years with the Trail Blazers, averaging 7.5 points and 4.0 rebounds a night, Watford moved on to the Brooklyn Nets.
While his first year with the Brooklyn Nets was more of the same, averaging 6.9 points and 3.1 rebounds, he truly broke out this past season for them. Last year, the former LSU Tiger had his best year as a pro. Watford averaged 10.2 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists a night while playing nearly 21 minutes per game. His efficiency did take a dip last season with the Nets which is important to recognize as he shot 46.9% from the field and only 33.0% from beyond the arc.
It is also important to note that Watford is significantly more than just his counting stats. Watford carried a defensive rating of 109.4, third on the Nets for players who played more than 10 games. For comparison, this would have been the best defensive rating on the Sixers last season for players who played more than 10 games, just ahead of Joel Embiid at 109.5. However, he is more than just a good defender.
Watford also took great strides as a passer this past season for Brooklyn, posting a 21.1% assist percentage last year. This would put him on pace with Paul George and Quentin Grimes as a passer, which, while not exceptional, is nothing to sneeze at.
Watford also brings with him the ever-alluring and difficult to calculate metric of potential to the Sixers team. With a slight youth movement being pushed in Philadelphia, the Sixers have now added a 24-year-old who just had a career year and appears to be putting all of the pieces together.
While Watford may just end up as a fringe rotation player for the Sixers, getting a young forward with size and athleticism on a two-year, minimum contract could very well end up as a steal in the future. Knowing the Sixers’ success under the Daryl Morey regime with developing young players, this seems like it has the chance to be a great signing down the road.
While Watford will hopefully not be the consolation prize for Yabusele, especially considering that the Sixers now have the ability to use their taxpayer MLE on another important role player, while also having the freedom to extend Quentin Grimes.
