Sixers’ Deal With Nemanja Bjelica Falls Apart

JULY 17: The Sixers’ agreement with Bjelica has fallen apart, with the forward opting to return to Europe for the 2018/19 season. We have more details right here.

JULY 5: The Sixers will sign Nemanja Bjelica to a contract, a source tells Jake Fischer of SI.com (Twitter link). According to Fischer, Bjelica will receive Philadelphia’s room exception, which is worth $4.449MM in 2018/19. It’ll be a one-year deal, adds ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter).

Bjelica began July as a restricted free agent, but when the Timberwolves reached an agreement to sign Anthony Tolliver, they withdrew their qualifying offer to Bjelica, making him unrestricted. As such, Minnesota won’t be able to match Philadelphia’s offer to the veteran forward.

Bjelica, 30, was a key contributor off the Wolves’ bench in 2017/18, averaging 6.8 PPG, 4.1 RPG, and 1.3 APG with a .461/.415/.800 shooting line in 67 games (21 starts). In Philadelphia, he’ll fill a stretch-four role vacated by Ersan Ilyasova, who reached a three-year deal with the Bucks early in free agency.

Bjelica will be officially signed after the Sixers use up their cap room to re-sign J.J. Redick and acquire Wilson Chandler from the Nuggets.

The acquisition of Bjelica is the latest in a string of offseason additions for the Sixers. So far this summer, the club has drafted and signed Zhaire Smith and Landry Shamet, agreed to re-sign Redick and Amir Johnson, struck a deal to acquire Chandler, and now reached an agreement with Bjelica.

Philadelphia entered the offseason with 11 players already under contract, so the team will have to trade or waive at least a couple players by mid-October to get down to the 15-man regular-season roster limit. More roster trimming would be required if the club brings draft-and-stash prospect Jonah Bolden stateside for the coming season or signs second-rounder Shake Milton to an NBA contract.

Jerryd Bayless and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot are among the players on guaranteed salaries whose roster spots could be at risk. T.J. McConnell and Richaun Holmes are on non-guaranteed contracts.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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