At the trade deadline last season, the Los Angeles Lakers dealt away Patrick Beverley to the Orlando Magic for promising center Mo Bamba. A first round lottery pick in 2018, Bamba has always had an intriguing set of skills for a big man, but had yet to put it all together.
The Lakers hoped he would be able to do that in purple and gold and provide some solid minutes to spell superstar big man Anthony Davis. Unfortunately, a severely sprained ankle took Bamba out before he could really get going for the Lakers and he was never able to crack the playoff rotation.
Prior to free agency, the Lakers waived Bamba, whose contract for the upcoming season was non-guaranteed. While there were some rumblings that he could still return to the Lakers that is no longer the case. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Bamba has agreed to a contract with the Philadelphia 76ers:
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 Lakers are reportedly looking to fill their 14th roster spot with another big man after adding Jaxson Hayes in free agency. Bamba, with his size and shooting, still made some sense as a potential addition, but the two sides will part ways.
A team taking a chance on Bamba’s skillset makes a ton of sense and he will hopefully get the opportunity now to show his growth and that he can be a real contributor in the NBA as a backup to reigning MVP Joel Embiid. A legit 7-footer who can protect the rim and shoots over 35% from 3-point range for his career is a rare find, but Bamba just hasn’t been able to put it all together yet.
He is still just 25 years old so there is plenty of time for him to figure things out and perhaps this is the place for him to do it. The Lakers will now have to turn their attention elsewhere as they look to complete their roster for the 2023-24 season.
Austin Reaves to run more offense for Lakers next season
As far as the current Lakers go, the team was able to re-sign guard Austin Reaves on a four-year contract. Reaves grew into one of the team’s most reliable players last season and the Lakers plan on increasing his role further next year.
Recent reports state that the Lakers plan on Reaves running more of the offense next season, something he improved in greatly last year. With his ability to create, it takes a burden off LeBron James and makes the Lakers far more dangerous overall.
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