Sixers Near Deal To Sign Former First Round Draft Pick
March 20, 2024
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With several key pieces still on the shelf, the Philadelphia 76ers are exploring their options for the end of their roster as the postseason approaches. Days after inking power forward/center Kai Jones on a 10-day deal to help fill the void left by the lingering injury of MVP Joel Embiid, it appears that they’re adding another big man to help out. Shams Charania of The Athletic reports that big man DJ Wilson is ditching the G League for his next NBA opportunity:
The Philadelphia 76ers plan to sign former Bucks first-round pick DJ Wilson to a 10-day contract, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. The 6-foot-10 C/F has averaged 19.4 points, 9.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists for the Osceola Magic in the NBA G League this season. pic.twitter.com/zFtTHa7TMo
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 20, 2024
The 6’10” forward was selected with the 17th pick out of Michigan in the NBA draft by the Milwaukee Bucks. He carved out a minimal bench role for himself with the club, but unfortunately was offloaded to the Houston Rockets at the 2021 trade deadline, just a few months before Milwaukee won its first NBA championship in 50 years. For the 2021-22 season, he struggled to latch on with an NBA franchise full-time as an unrestricted free agent, but did manage to sign one 10-day hardship exception deal with the Raptors.
All told, Wilson boasts averages of 4.4 points on .419/.327/.618 shooting splits, 3.1 rebounds, and 0.7 assists, across 146 NBA contests (six starts). He’s spent most of the last three seasons toiling in the G League, first with the Oklahoma City Blue, the Thunder’s NBAGL affiliate, from 2021-22, and subsequently with the Lakeland/Osceola Magic since the end of the 2022-23 season.
Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers is triple teamed by Svi Mykhailiuk #14, D.J. Wilson #9, and Chris Boucher #25 of the Toronto Raptors during the second half of their basketball game at the… Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers is triple teamed by Svi Mykhailiuk #14, D.J. Wilson #9, and Chris Boucher #25 of the Toronto Raptors during the second half of their basketball game at the Scotiabank Arena on December 28, 2021 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Now Wilson will join Embiid in Philadelphia.
Mark Blinch/Getty Images
Per Basketball Reference, Wilson has been averaging an impressive 21 points on .580/.416/.762 shooting splits, 9.7 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 1.4 blocks and 0.7 steals a night in his 27 appearances this year with Osceola. He’s a slightly skinny big, and was always fairly raw as a prospect in the NBA. During a game with the Delaware Blue Coats (the Sixers’ G League affiliate), Jones incurred a hamstring strain while playing against the New Orleans Pelicans’ NBAGL team, the Birmingham Squadron.
It makes sense that Darryl Morey opted to move quickly in inking a potential replacement, should Jones miss extended time. He already had to sit out Philadelphia’s game against the Miami Heat on Monday. The Sixers won anyway, improving to a 38-30 record and the Eastern Conference’s No. 6 seed. Time will tell if Wilson can make the most of this new opportunity.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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