The Philadelphia 76ers may be all in on pursuing Paul George. And Nico Batum might already be on the way out.
But one name you’ll most certainly be familiar with is now reportedly returning. Andre “Big Penguin” Drummond is signing a two-year, $10M deal, league sources told Hoops Hype’s Michael Scotto.
Breaking: The Philadelphia 76ers and free agent center Andre Drummond have agreed to a two-year, $10+ million deal, league sources told @hoopshype. Drummond gets a player option Year 2. During his career, Drummond has been a two-time All-Star and a four-time rebounding champion. pic.twitter.com/r9Z77n844C
— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) June 30, 2024
Scotto adds that Dummond gets a player option for the second year. The two-time All-Star played for the Sixers during the 2021-2022 season before he was included in the Ben Simmon-James Harden blockbuster, packing his bags for Brooklyn. By all accounts Drummond loved his time in Philadelphia, and the team loved the energy he brought both on and off the floor.
Moments before Scotto’s report made it official, Drummond offered us this fun clue:
I’m in the mood for a Philly cheesesteak
— Andre Drummond (@AndreDrummond) June 30, 2024
It’s a terrific low-cost signing to bolster the backup center spot. As we know all too well the Sixers tend to hemorrhage points whenever Joel Embiid sits down or misses a game. Drummond’s name should already be up there with the best backups of Embiid’s career thus far. Now he’ll get another chance to prove he’s the top reserve for Joel.
Adem Bona will be the best backup in Joel Embiid’s Sixers career. Pure energy and hustle.
But Bona’s versatility could also enable him to play WITH Embiid for two-big lineups. Embiid can space on offense, Bona can handle perimeter matchups on defense. pic.twitter.com/oldR69gO7Q
— Kevin O’Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) June 27, 2024
Although Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer just said that No. 41 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, Adem Bona, could be coming for that title as well.
All eyes are still on Paul George, but the Sixers still had the bandwidth to make some key value signings for their bench.
Last season season in Chicago, the 30-year-old averaged 8.4 points and 9.0 rebounds appearing in 79 games. For those keeping score in fantasy, that amounts to a monstrous 19 rebounds per 36 minutes. And if you’ve blocked this from your memory, the Sixers couldn’t rebound the basketball very well against the Knicks in the playoffs and got absolutely smoked whenever Embiid sat down. Drummond should plug a big roster gap in that regard.
This does leave Paul Reed’s future with the Sixers in doubt. The 25-year-old’s contract is not guaranteed for the 2024-25 season. With the reported signing of Drummond, it feels likely that the Sixers will not carry Reed’s $7.7 million cap hit on their books.