While the Lakers entered this offseason with the goal of keeping its core group from last year intact, they still wanted to make some changes to the rotation on the margins. Among those changes was letting go of Mo Bamba and Malik Beasley, opting to use those roster spots elsewhere as they moved quickly to fill out their rotation for next year once free agency opened.
Beasley eventually landed a deal with the Milwaukee Bucks, giving them another bench option on the wing. On Wednesday, Bamba found a new home, likewise joining an Eastern Conference contender, as he worked out a 1-year deal with the Philadelphia 76ers to be one of Joel Embiid’s backups.
Free agent C Mo Bamba has agreed on a one-year deal with the Philadelphia 76ers, @PrioritySports’ Mark Bartelstein and agent Greer Love tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 6, 2023
The Sixers also will have a decision to make on Paul Reed, who Woj reports they still want to retain even with the Bamba addition (which echoes an earlier report from Jake Fischer that Philly plans to bring back Reed). Should Reed come back as expected, Bamba is likely the third center in the rotation for Nick Nurse. The Sixers will hope they end up with the Bamba that was shooting nearly 50 percent from the field and 40 percent from three in Orlando prior to the deadline, rather than the version of Bamba that was much spottier shooting the ball in L.A. in extremely limited action (89 total minutes).