Nemanja Bjelica backs out on the 76ers, leaving them in a tough spot
Nemanja Bjelica backed out on the Philadelphia 76ers, which puts them in a difficult spot as they hunt for replacements.
Nemanja Bjelica’s tenure with the Philadelphia 76ers lasted less than two weeks.
The veteran stretch-4 initially agreed to a one-year, $4.4 million deal with the Sixers on July 5, according to ESPN.com’s Adrian Wojnarowski, although the team had yet to officially sign him. On Tuesday, we found out why.
As Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer was first to report, Bjelica has decided to remain in Europe this season, as he reportedly wants to stay close to his family. Derek Bodner of The Athletic shared further details regarding the sudden about-face:
The #sixers had come to a verbal agreement with Nemanja Bjelica, which was dependent on a physical, per source. Bjelica, who was in Europe at the time, had Visa issues and the deal was never completed. The team was informed yesterday he would be staying overseas.
— Derek Bodner (@DerekBodnerNBA) July 17, 2018
Bjelica was poised to take over for Ersan Ilyasova, who agreed to a three-year, $21 million deal with the Milwaukee Bucks on the first day of free agency. While the 30-year-old wasn’t ticketed for a starting role, it’ll be difficult for Philly to replace his projected impact off the bench at this point in free agency.
Before Ilyasova and Marco Belinelli arrived to bolster the Sixers’ depth in February, they had one of the league’s worst benches. Their starting five would often open up double-digit leads, but the reserves would promptly cough them up. Ilyasova and Belinelli provided a steady hand in the second unit, which the Sixers will sorely miss this season.
Philly will now regain the $4.4 million room mid-level exception it was planning to use on Bjelica, but there aren’t many enticing targets left on the free-agent market. Instead, the Sixers may be better off saving that money to pursue players who get bought out after the trade deadline, as ESPN.com’s Kevin Pelton opined. Both Ilyasova and Belinelli came to the Sixers via that route last year, and with the Eastern Conference looking wide-open following LeBron James’ departure to the Los Angeles Lakers, ring-chasing veterans may see an opportunity in Philadelphia that isn’t present in the West.
Until then, the Sixers may be forced to replace Bjelica by committee.
If Markelle Fultz forces his way into the starting lineup, Dario Saric would be a potential stretch-4 super-sub, although Philly may prefer to keep its starting lineup intact given the success it had last year. Small-ball units with Robert Covington or Justin Anderson at the 4 may also be an option, and Ben Simmons has the size and strength to guard opposing power forwards, too. Assuming he isn’t traded or waived, fourth-year forward Richaun Holmes could get more burn as the backup 4 this season as well.
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Losing Bjelica won’t cripple the Sixers’ playoff chances, especially in the depleted East, but it does hurt their upside. The Boston Celtics remain the class of the conference, while Philly will be in the second tier alongside teams such as the Toronto Raptors, Milwaukee Bucks and Indiana Pacers. If the Sixers’ bench is as much of an abomination as it was last year, they may again have to rely on buyouts to help fuel a late-season surge, much as they did in 2017-18.
Unless otherwise noted, all stats via NBA.com or Basketball Reference. All salary information via Basketball Insiders.