The Sixers continued to make roster clearing moves on Friday, after acquiring Mike Muscala but also dealing forwards Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot and Justin Anderson in trades yesterday.
Philadelphia has traded power forward/center Richaun Holmes to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for cash considerations, according to Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports. Charania adds that taking his place on the roster will be 2017 second-round draft and stash prospect Jonah Bolden.
With Holmes’ contract being moved, it allowed the Sixers to reportedly sign Bolden to a four-year, $7 million deal. The contract also includes team options.
Earlier this offseason, Philadelphia exercised Holmes’ team option, which would pay him a non-guaranteed salary of $1.6 million next season. The Yahoo Sports NBA insider also reported that the Sixers were trying to find a new destination for Holmes and that Phoenix has been intrigued by his skills.
In three seasons with the Sixers, Holmes averaged 7.4 points and 4.2 rebounds per game.
The 24-year-old forward played a limited role this past season, but was still productive, averaging 6.5 points and 4.4 rebounds in 15.5 minutes per game. The former second-round pick saw his playing time dwindle due to the play of Amir Johnson and the late season addition of Ersan Ilyasova.
However, Holmes’ best season with the Sixers came in 2016-17, where he started in 17 games. He averaged a career-high 9.8 points and 5.5 rebounds in 20.9 minutes per game.
It is clear what the direction the Sixers are going towards with their frontcourt depth. They want versatile big men who can play some defense but also shoot from the perimeter.
We saw this with the acquisition of Muscala and we are seeing it with Bolden.
What are the Sixers getting in Bolden?
Even though Bolden did not have a great NBA Summer League performance this month, he fits the mold of what head coach Brett Brown wants to do with his big men.
He can get out in transition, be a solid rim protector, and can stretch the floor. Bolden showcased all of these skills in the summer league last year, which had many Sixers fans wondering what his ceiling could be.
However, after his solid performance, Bolden stayed overseas and played with Maccabi Tel Aviv.
Last season with Maccabi, the 22-year-old averaged 6.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in 21.1 minutes per game. He also shot 48.7 percent from the field and 31.9 percent from three-point range on 2.5 attempts per game.
Heading into next season, the Sixers now have 15 players under contract and could make one more move before training camp tips off.
