What Does Sixers Signing Mo Bamba Mean for Paul Reed?

The Sixers are bringing on Mo Bamba. What does that mean for the former second-round pick Paul Reed?

The Philadelphia 76ers made their second addition of the 2023 offseason on Wednesday night by bringing on the young veteran big man Mo Bamba. 

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Bamba will be joining the Sixers on a one-year deal. 

The signing comes at an interesting time, considering the Sixers haven’t resolved the Paul Reed question just yet. Heading into the offseason, Philadelphia’s former second-round pick was expected to hit the free agency market as a restricted prospect.

There is interest in the Sixers bringing Reed back. As free agency approached, the team made a qualifying offer for Reed to return. However, the young veteran was expected to have suitors elsewhere in free agency.

If Reed receives another offer a different team, the Sixers will have the opportunity to match it. So far, there hasn’t been a ton of discussion on the Reed front. And the move to bring on a young center via free agency has led some to wonder whether that’s a signal Reed could be on his way out.

Skepticism from Sixers fans would be understandable, considering how the free agency period has played out so far. On the opening day of free agency, the Sixers lost two prospects to the open market as Georges Niang landed with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Shake Milton signed on to join the Minnesota Timberwolves.

While the Sixers replaced their outgoing guard with the veteran Patrick Beverley, Philadelphia then lost a wing prospect as the mid-season trade acquisition Jalen McDaniels took his talents to the Toronto Raptors. 

But the Sixers did not bring on Mo Bamba with losing Paul Reed on their mind. According to Wojnarowski, the Sixers still have intentions of keeping Paul Reed around for another go-round. The Bamba signing is simply a security measure, giving the Sixers more depth at the big man position. 

Bamba, a former Westtown five-star standout, has been in the NBA since 2018. After he played just 29 games at Texas in 2017-2018, Bamba became the sixth-overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, joining the Orlando Magic.

Through his first three seasons in Orlando, Bamba came off the bench for the Magic. In year four, he started in a career-high of 69 games. During that season, he averaged a career-high of 11 points, eight rebounds, one assist, and two blocks. 

Last season, Bamba appeared in 40 games with the Magic. At the trade deadline, he was moved in a four-team deal to the Los Angeles Lakers. Despite being on board with the Lakers for their final stretch of the regular season, Bamba appeared in just nine games. He averaged four points and five rebounds during that time. 

The former high-end pick joined the open market after getting waived by the Lakers last month. At this point in his career, Bamba still has much to prove, considering he’s just 25 years old. While the Sixers are targeting a return for Paul Reed, who will likely get the first look as Joel Embiid’s backup, Bamba will get an opportunity to carve out a role for himself once again.