76ers Working on Retaining Joel Embiid’s Backup Paul Reed

The first few seasons of Paul Reed’s career have been full of ups and downs with the Philadelphia 76ers, but the team seems sold on his talents at this point.

This summer, Reed is available to hit the free agency market for the first time in his career. However, he’ll be a restricted prospect, allowing the Sixers to match another team’s offer to retain the veteran center.

So far, the Sixers are showing interest in bringing Reed back to the team as they are reportedly set to extend a qualifying offer, according to HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto.

The Philadelphia 76ers will extend a qualifying offer to center Paul Reed, league sources told @hoopshype. Reed will become a restricted free agent after appearing in a career-high 69 regular-season games for the Sixers last season.
— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) June 28, 2023

After a three-year run at DePaul, beginning in 2017, Reed wrapped up his college career with 58 starts in 93 games. His final season featured 15 points and 11 rebounds per game.

As a center/power forward project, Reed dropped to the late second round during the 2020 NBA Draft. With the 58th overall pick, Reed was snagged by the 76ers.

At the time, Reed was the Sixers’ third and final pick of the night after Philadelphia selected Tyrese Maxey in the first round and Isaiah Joe earlier on in the second round. Initially, Reed was a two-way player, spending most of his time with the Sixers’ G League affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats.

The rookie center found tons of success at the G League level, earning All-NBA G League First Team honors along with being called the developmental league’s MVP and Rookie of the Year. After finding success in the G League, Reed had his two-way deal converted to a standard NBA contract.

For the next two seasons, Reed was a contributor off the bench for the Sixers. Last season, he appeared in a career-high 69 games, averaging four points, and four rebounds, while shooting nearly 60 percent from the field.

When the playoffs rolled around, Reed was the go-to guy behind Joel Embiid. He appeared in 11 games and even picked up two starts in Embiid’s absence. Reed finished the 2023 playoff run averaging five points and six rebounds.

This offseason, Reed is expected to garner interest from other teams, but the Sixers seem to be prioritizing finding a way to get their former second-round pick back in the fold. Prior to last season’s end, Reed went on record to make it clear the interest in returning to the Sixers is mutual.