Philadelphia 76ers’ Decision to Re-Sign Player Explained

Earlier this month, Pete Nance believed his time with the Philadelphia 76ers had come to a close.

On January 7, the Sixers waived the two-way center as the team started getting healthier. When the Sixers initially signed Nance back in early December, he replaced the guard Lester Quinones.

Nance would pick up playing time with the Sixers’ NBA G League affiliate in Delaware, but he would also be available for the main roster if needed. Ultimately, Nance ended up seeing the court for one game in garbage time before getting cut loose.

Nearly two weeks after waiving Nance, the Sixers hadn’t found a replacement. Eventually, it was announced that Nance was on his way back. On the morning of the re-signing, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer explained the logic behind bringing Nance back.

“Over the last week, the 76ers explored all options to fill their vacant two-way slot, according to a league source,” Pompey wrote on X. “During that time, the team identified its biggest need as a ‘big’ given the recent absences of Joel Embiid and Andre Drummond. That led to the re-signing of Pete Nance, the source said.”

Over the last week, the 76ers explored all options to fill their vacant two-way slot, according to a league source. During that time, the team identified its biggest need as a “big” given the recent absences of Joel Embiid and Andre Drummond. That led to the re-signing of Pete… pic.twitter.com/kV6SFFjwyS
— Keith Pompey (@PompeyOnSixers) January 14, 2025

The Sixers have found themselves in a difficult spot from a health standpoint. Not only has Joel Embiid been out of the lineup, but so has his primary backup, Andre Drummond.

All season long, Embiid has been dealing with different setbacks. His first string of absences was due to knee injury management. The second time he missed an extended period, Embiid was battling soreness and swelling in his knee.

After returning from a seven-game absence for two games, Embiid suffered a sinus fracture. Although that setback only forced one absence, a sprained foot has Embiid in the midst of a six-game absence currently. The Sixers claim Embiid is still day-to-day.

As for Drummond, he’s been dealing with a toe injury. After leaving the December 23 matchup just six minutes into his shift, Drummond missed three games in a row. He returned on New Year’s Day, and played in two of the first three games since the start of 2025.

At this point, Drummond hasn’t been on the court since January 4. Similar to Embiid, he’s in the midst of a six-game absence.

The Sixers likely won’t utilize Nance a ton, but they’ll keep him around to play third-string to players like Guerschon Yabusele and Adem Bona. Since his return, Nance has appeared in one of two games. Against the OKC Thunder, he checked in for 17 minutes. During that time, he scored one point and collected one rebound.

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