76ers Rumors: Philly’s on the Hunt for Another Big Man?

The center position could be an area of focus as the trade deadline nears.

At the start of the 2022-2023 offseason, reports indicated that the Philadelphia 76ers had confidence in their young group of centers, which included second-round picks, Charles Bassey and Paul Reed. Weeks before training camp, the Sixers brought in some competition by adding the former Sixth Man of the Year, Montrezl Harrell.

It was expected that not all three guys would crack the final roster. After a strong preseason by Harrell, and a solid showing by Reed, a lack of Bassey minutes made it clear that he more than likely wouldn’t make the final cut. Eventually, expectations became a reality, and Bassey was waived before getting picked up by the San Antonio Spurs.

Who won the backup center spot? Doc Rivers would never say. While Harrell was in the rotation to start the year, his struggles offered Reed an opportunity to garner the primary backup minutes. Then once Reed started to struggle, Rivers went back to Harrell, who is currently the guy.

Rivers had hoped that at some point this year, one of the two centers would establish themselves as the clear-cut best option, but a recent rumor from Philly Voice’s Kyle Neubeck will lead you to believe that the Sixers aren’t totally confident in their current situation regarding the backup center spot.

Here’s the latest, per Neubeck:

“Philadelphia already has three nominal bigs on the roster, including star center Embiid, but sources say they would be interested in acquiring a safer/more traditional backup to Embiid for certain matchups in the playoffs. 

With Montrezl Harrell's defensive issues and Paul Reed not yet earning the trust of the coaching staff, sources say the Sixers would be open to bringing in another big even if they don't move one of Embiid's current backups.”

At this point, it’s well-known that the Sixers aren’t star-hunting or looking to make a big splash at the trade deadline. As they sit comfortably near the top of the Eastern Conference, the 76ers don’t need to shake up the roster ahead of their eventual playoff run.

Adding another big isn’t an ideal scenario, considering the Sixers hoped that one of Reed or Harrell would’ve made it easy to solidify them as Embiid’s backup for the remainder of the regular season and the playoffs. But it’s becoming clear that the backup five spot is once again a question mark.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.