The Philadelphia 76ers signed Oshae Brissett to a 10-day contract on March 14. Brissett played in six games for the Sixers, averaging 8.7 points and 3.7 rebounds.
However, Daryl Morey decided not to extend Brissett’s stay with the franchise. His 10-day contract expired on March 24. Rather than signing the 2024 NBA champion to a second 10-day contract, Brissett has been allowed to return to the free-agent pool.
Brissett suffered a knee injury during the Sixers’ loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday, March 23. That injury may have played a part in Philadelphia’s decision-making. Nevertheless, allowing a championship-caliber role player to walk out of the franchise is perplexing. The team has struggled in terms of front-court production all season
Last season, Brissett played in 55 games for the Boston Celtics, averaging 11.5 minutes per contest. He also suited up in 10 of their playoff games. During that time, he proved himself capable of being an impact-maker off the bench, even in limited minutes.
Philadelphia’s current struggles mean Brissett’s upside as a locker-room presence and an impactful bench piece aren’t too important right now. After shutting down Joel Embiid and Paul George, the franchise is likely trying to retain its pick for the upcoming draft. That pick is owed to the Oklahoma City Thunder but is top-six protected.
Sixers Add Marcus Bagley as Brissett Replacement
After allowing Brissett’s 10-day deal to expire, the Sixers moved swiftly to sign Marcus Bagley to a 10-day contract of his own. Bagley, 23, has been with the Sixers organization for the past two seasons, suiting up for the Delaware Blue Coats in the G-League.
Bagley has played 18 times for Delaware this season. He’s averaged 11.3 points, 8.1 rebounds and 1.2 assists. As a forward, he will slot directly into the role that Brissett was tasked with playing over the past week and a half.
According to NBC Sports Philadelphia, Bagley averaged 10.9 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.2 assists during his limited playing time (due to injury) while at Arizona State.
Sixers Could Land Duke Standout Via Draft
According to a recent mock draft from Sam Vecenie of The Athletic, the Sixers could land Kon Knueppel in the upcoming draft, assuming they retain their pick.
“Knueppel was one of the players who helped himself most in the conference tournament cycle, leading Duke without Flagg,” Vecenie wrote. “In the team’s three ACC tournament games, he averaged 21 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.7 assists. He showed executives he can be both a strong off-ball scorer and a potentially interesting on-ball player who can dribble, pass and shoot. He’s a terrific shooter, having hit 39 percent from 3 on nearly six 3-point attempts per game.”
Knueppel would provide competition at the guard position. He could operate as a catch-and-shoot threat. Or, he could be given considerable on-ball reps in the hopes of turning him into a high-level NBA ball-handler. Either way, Knueppel would give the Sixers an opportunity to go in a new direction.
Morey must make a tough decision during the summer. He’s either going to run things back with George, Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, or he’s going to re-tool the roster. Knueppel, or any other top-six pick would give the franchise something to be excited about. However, until Morey begins making his ideas clear, Sixers fans will likely approach the summer with caution.
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