Former Sixers Center Tony Bradley Joins Chicago Bulls

The Philadelphia 76ers landed the young veteran center Tony Bradley via trade last offseason. After he wrapped up a three-year stint with the Utah Jazz, the

Justin Grasso | Aug 4, 2021

Former Sixers Center Tony Bradley Joins Chicago Bulls /

The Philadelphia 76ers landed the young veteran center Tony Bradley via trade last offseason. After he wrapped up a three-year stint with the Utah Jazz, the 2017 28th overall pick was dealt to the Detroit Pistons and later flipped to the Sixers for former first-round pick Zhaire Smith.

Expectations weren't super high for Bradley, as he was stashed behind Joel Embiid and Dwight Howard on the Sixers' depth chart. However, as Embiid missed time due to several setbacks, Bradley picked up some notable minutes for the Sixers.

In 20 games, Bradley started in eight matchups. Averaging nearly 15 minutes on the floor, he put up 5.5 points per game and drained a career-high of 68-percent of his shots from the field.

After a strong stretch in the absence of Embiid, Bradley's trade value increased as the deadline approached last season. Considering the Sixers had a need for a backup ball-handler to run the bench's offense in the playoffs, the Sixers used their third center as bait in the trade that landed them George Hill from the Oklahoma City Thunder.

OKC ended up being a solid landing spot for Bradley. Being on a rebuilding team that wasn't playing for much, Bradley had an opportunity to showcase his skills for 22 games. Coming off the bench, he averaged a career-high of 18 minutes on the floor.

Bradley put up eight points per game while collecting a career-high of 6.1 rebounds per game during that time. Following the 2020-2021 season, the Thunder made it clear they wouldn't be bringing Bradley back.

As he tested free agency, Bradley's found his next landing spot. According to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, Bradley will join the Chicago Bulls for the 2021-2022 season. Bradley inked a two-year contract per Haynes' report, with the second season being a player option.

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

Published Aug 4, 2021

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