76ers Make Roster Move With Rookie After Win vs Hornets

The Philadelphia 76ers have assigned the rookie Adem Bona to the G League.
Oct 16, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Adem Bona (30) in action against the Brooklyn Nets during the fourth quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
Oct 16, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Adem Bona (30) in action against the Brooklyn Nets during the fourth quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

After a dramatic win at home against the Charlotte Hornets, the Philadelphia 76ers are making some minor roster moves with some of their younger prospects.

According to a team official, the rookie center Adem Bona has been assigned to the Sixers’ NBA G League affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats.

In addition to Bona, the Sixers will also allow the Blue Coats to utilize two of their two-way players as well. Per a team official, Lester Quinones and Justin Edwards will be available for Monday’s game. The Blue Coats are set to host the Boston Celtics’ affiliate, Maine Celtics, for their second game of the year.

On Saturday, the Blue Coats opened up their 2024-2025 run with a matchup against the Toronto Raptors’ affiliate. Delaware had just one two-way player available in the rookie Justin Edwards.

The undrafted forward checked in for 35 minutes. He made ten of his 23 shot attempts, scoring 28 points, which marked a team-high. In addition to his scoring, Edwards accounted for six rebounds, four assists, and two steals. The Blue Coats came up short with a one-point loss.

Edwards will get an opportunity to play in his second G League outing on Monday. Quinones will make his debut with the Blue Coats, appearing in his 67th G League outing.

As for the rookie Bona, it will be his first set of G League action.

Coming out of UCLA, Bona was called on with the 41st overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. Instead of signing with the Sixers through a two-way deal, the rookie big man landed a standard contract. Still, Bona has not entered the Sixers’ rotation outside of garbage time, even in the absence of Joel Embiid.

The rookie center appeared in six games for the Sixers through the first stretch of the season. He averaged under three minutes of playing time. When the Sixers engaged in an overtime battle against the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday, Bona stayed on the bench.

The Blue Coats will offer Bona an opportunity to get some extended playing time as the Sixers have the night off. He could be back with the team on Tuesday night when they host the New York Knicks for the first of back-to-back matchups.


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Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Title: Credentialed writer/reporter covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation Email: JustinGrasso32@Gmail.com Location: Philadelphia, PA Expertise: Reporting, insight, and analysis on the Sixers and the NBA  Justin Grasso is a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation.  Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writer’s Association.  Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoNBA