Why James Ennis and the Sixers Decided to Mutually Part Ways

When all of the NBA trade rumors surrounding the Philadelphia 76ers came about, there was always a couple of names who were thrown in the pot as potential trade chips. Mike Scott, Zhaire Smith, and Jonah Bolden were a few examples. Ironically, none of them were dealt before the deadline took place.

It's not because the Sixers didn't make any trades either. Elton Brand and the Philly front office managed to make two moves on the final day of the deadline. The first deal involved two players, Alec Burks and Glenn Robinson III, coming to Philly for three future second-round picks. And because of that first deal, the Sixers needed to clear two roster spots.

That's where the second trade came in handy. Instead of making a deal for more bench depth, the Sixers sold one of their reserves to receive a second-round pick back. However, it wasn't Scott, Smith, or Bolden. Instead, it was James Ennis.

Of all the potential trade chips on the 76ers' roster, the last player that was expected to get traded was the veteran forward, James Ennis. There's a reason why Ennis wasn't talked about much heading into the deadline because there was a no-trade clause attached to the newly signed contract from this summer when he returned to Philly.

After some consideration, though, Ennis thought it might be a good idea to waive the clause and get a fresh start elsewhere. Clearly, the Sixers agreed. While Ennis envisioned a potential long-term spot with the Sixers beyond this season when he re-signed, he quickly found out he may no longer have an ideal role coming off the bench.

Between November and December, Ennis was averaging a solid 18 minutes-per-game. In January, though, he saw that number go down to ten minutes-per-game. With the sudden emergence of guys like Furkan Korkmaz, Matisse Thybulle, and Shake Milton, coupled with the addition of Burks and Robinson, it was painfully obvious that Ennis had a good chance of getting buried on the bench moving forward.

As a veteran player, Ennis clearly didn't want that. And out of respect for the guy, the Sixers didn't want to see that either. According to NBC Sports Philadelphia's Paul Hudrick, the Sixers wanted to "give him a chance at a bigger role on another team." So the 76ers put him up for sale, and the Orlando Magic came buying with a second-rounder.

While things didn't work out between Ennis and the 76ers, the 29-year-old veteran doesn't have any hard feelings towards the organization. As NBC Sports' Hudrick notes, Ennis "wanted to stay in Philadelphia and loves the organization." Unfortunately, it was best for both parties to depart from one another, mutually.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_