Adrian Fedkiw
The Philadelphia 76ers have needed punch off the pine for a while now and will have some help on the way from a familiar face.
The Sixers released forward Trevor Booker on Wednesday so they can sign stretch forward Ersan Ilyasova, who was recently bought out by the Atlanta Hawks.
Philadelphia will waive forward Trevor Booker, clearing the roster spot to sign Ersan Ilyasova, league source tells ESPN. He agreed to a buyout.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 28, 2018
Ilyasova spent part of last season with the Sixers before being shipped to Atlanta. The floor-spacing big man posted 14.8 points per game and shot 35.9 percent from 3-point range in 53 games with the team last year. Philadelphia averages just 27.2 points per game from its bench, which is 26th in the NBA. Marco Belinelli, who was inked last week after being coincidentally bought out by the Hawks as well, joins Ilyasova as the second player the Sixers have poached from the buyout market in an attempt to bolster the second unit.
As for Booker, it didn’t take long for him to get picked up as he’ll be joining the Indiana Pacers, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
After clearing waivers, Booker is expected to sign with a playoff contender. There's interest in him. https://t.co/3z3pad6Nkt
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 28, 2018
Booker was acquired by the Sixers as part of the Jahlil Okafor trade in early December. The Sixers sent Okafor, Nik Stauskas and a second-round pick to Brooklyn in exchange for Booker.
You can follow Adrian Fedkiw on Twitter (@AdrianFedkiw) and e-mail him at [email protected]. Subscribe to The Bitter Birds on YouTube here. Follow Philly Influencer on Twitter (@PHL_Influencer), Facebook and Instagram.