What’s Next for Former Sixers’ Second-Rounder Filip Petrusev?

Filip Petrusev finds a new home.

Nothing panned out as planned for Filip Petrusev regarding his time with the Philadelphia 76ers. After the Serbian center landed with the team as a second-round pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, Petrusev was stashed overseas for the first two years of his NBA eligibility.

This year, Petrusev was brought over to possibly carve out a role on the Sixers’ main roster. At first, Philly had a surplus of bigs behind Joel Embiid as they re-signed Paul Reed and Montrezl Harrell while adding Mo Bamba and bringing over Petrusev.

The situation eventually changed. Harrell suffered a notable injury, which led to him getting waived before the 2023-2024 regular season started. While Petrusev made the Sixers’ roster ahead of opening night, he stuck around for just three games.

When the 76ers finally concluded the James Harden saga with a trade involving the Los Angeles Clippers and the Oklahoma City Thunder, Petrusev was one of three Sixers included in the deal.

The Sixers sent PJ Tucker, Harden, and Petrusev over to LA. Before the young veteran center could even show up for the Clippers, he was re-routed to the Sacramento Kings. However, a lack of minutes for the young center led to a mutual agreement to part ways.

Petrusev hit the waiver wire late last week. When he was waived by the Kings, Petrusev was expected to sign a deal beyond the NBA. According to Eurohoops.net, Petrusev landed in Greece after signing a three-year deal with Olympiacos. His deal overseas reportedly includes NBA outs, in case he finds another opportunity in the U.S. 

Olympiacos becomes Petrusev’s third team beyond the NBA. In the past, he’s had stints with Anadolu Efes in Turkey and Crvena Zvezda in Serbia. He leaves the NBA with three appearances under his belt, one in Philly and two in Sacramento. 

While his short-lived stint in Philly and Sacramento do not spell the end for Petrusev’s run in the NBA, he’ll continue developing with plenty of playing time beyond the NBA.