NBA Rumors: Sixers Still Showing Interest in Kings' Nemanja Bjelica
The NBA trade market has been quiet this season. As the league is on an oddly condensed schedule and teams are unsure whether they're true playoff contenders or not, not many organizations are clear on whether they should be buying or selling before the deadline later on this month.
For the Philadelphia 76ers, they understand they're playoff contenders. While they are pretty much guaranteed a spot in the postseason this year, they might need to tweak the roster a bit to achieve the status of championship contenders.
Some might say the Sixers need a significant addition to the starting lineup like, say, a Kyle Lowry or Zach LaVine -- but none of those suggestions have generated real traction. However, there has been a player on the trade block consistently linked to the Sixers this season, and nothing about that has changed.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the 76ers still have interest in Sacramento Kings forward Nemanja Bjelica. As the Kings struggle in the Western Conference with a 14-21 record, they're accepting it might be time to start selling some veterans as the deadline approaches.
Per Charania's report, Bjelica and Harrison Barnes are the two names generating interest within the market. Looking at Bjelica specifically, the Sixers would be getting a reliable backup power forward for Tobias Harris.
Although Bjelica had a rough start to the 2020-2021 NBA season, his career average of eight points-per-game while shooting 38-percent from deep is intriguing. While Bjelica might not be the popular name Sixers want, Philly needs to ensure they have more reliable players coming off the bench for some of their notable players. And Bjelica would be a decent addition to compete for minutes with Mike Scott.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_ & Instagram: @JGrassoNBA.
