5:37pm: The Sixers have officially announced in a press release that they’ve waived Bassey and Joe.
8:32am: The Sixers are also waiving Joe, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). With Joe’s non-guaranteed $1.78MM salary no longer on the books, the team will have more than $5.5MM in breathing room below its hard cap, tweets Bodner.
Joe appeared in 55 games for the 76ers last season, averaging 3.6 PPG and 1.0 RPG on .350/.333/.935 shooting in 11.1 MPG.
The two cuts will give the Sixers the option of opening the season with just 14 players on their standard roster or of adding a 15th man (including perhaps Joe) on a new non-guaranteed contract.
Joe’s previous deal called for his full 2022/23 salary to become guaranteed if he made the opening night roster, so Philadelphia theoretically could re-sign him on a more team-friendly contract if he passes through waivers, though it’s unclear if that’s in the plans. The team also may have interest in bringing him back on a two-way deal, says Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice.com.
8:18am: The Sixers have waived big man Charles Bassey, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link).
The 53rd overall pick in the 2021 draft out of Western Kentucky, Bassey signed a three-year, minimum-salary contract with Philadelphia last September, then appeared in 23 games as a rookie, averaging 3.0 points and 2.7 rebounds in 7.3 minutes per contest. He played a starring role when assigned to the G League, averaging 18.9 PPG and 10.3 RPG in 17 regular season games (28.6 MPG) for the Delaware Blue Coats.
Although Bassey’s contract ran through 2024, it wasn’t fully guaranteed beyond his rookie season, making his grip on a roster spot tenuous this fall. Isaiah Joe‘s strong Summer League showing and the Sixers’ decision to sign Montrezl Harrell a month ago to fill out their frontcourt also didn’t work in his favor, making Bassey the odd man out.
Assuming Bassey clears waivers without being claimed, the 76ers will be on the hook for his partial guarantee of $74,742. Because that guarantee exceeds $50K, he’s ineligible to play for the Delaware Blue Coats – Philadelphia’s G League team – as an affiliate player or two-way player.
A team with interest in claiming Bassey off waivers would need a trade exception, disabled player exception, or cap room to absorb his $1,563,518 salary. Even though he’s earning the minimum, the fact that Bassey was on a three-year contract means he can’t be claimed using the minimum salary exception.
With Bassey and Trevelin Queen out of the picture, Philadelphia looks poised to carry a 15-man roster that features 13 players on fully guaranteed salaries, plus Paul Reed and possibly Joe on non-guaranteed deals. The Sixers’ team salary is now approximately $3.76MM below the hard cap, tweets Derek Bodner of The Daily Six.
He’ll probably get picked up. Hes a quality backup I just think like the article says, Hes not worth carrying if you have Harrell
Truly hope Landry Fields picks this guy up for the Hawks
Joe has to commit to becoming a better defender and building his body stronger. He can shot it with the best of them and is a project every team should want to pick up, imo.
I’m gonna be mad if he ends up in Golden State.
Well, you got McClung from GSW, so…
Surprising cuts
Not much lost TBH
From a roster building standpoint, salary relief and open roster spot for flexibility, I get it…it makes sense.
From a fan perspective, I was invested in Joe and rooting for opportunities and growth. I’ll miss him on our squad. Hope he lands on his feet in a place where he will get the opportunity to carve out a niche role.
I hope Joe comes back
Thought both looked poised for more
After. Solid summer league showings
Hoping he clears waivers and agrees to a 2 way contract w/Philly
Go get Dwight. You need a backup center with some size
Nah, we good
Was he that bad in ’21?
No, he was serviceable. Lots of boneheaded plays and fouls as well . I enjoyed him when he was here especially his effort. Having said that…still no interest in bringing him back.
Bassey can ball. Someone will pick him up. He’s a quality big. Gotta a low post gm. Which you don’t see much.
I thought so too…but watching him during summer league and especially pre-season he is still not ready. Seems like a class guy so I hope he finds a good landing spot.
Start the eric gordon rumors again…well, they never stopped
Salary does not work unless you are trading Tobias…doesn’t make much sense at this point TBH
Dude…so many teams should immediately jump on trying to sign Isaiah Joe to help them on the wing. It’s insane they’ve refused to play him, and now they’ve cut all the wing depth they added in the offseason to unnecessarily sign Harrell, and mess around with the waiver wire…
The Lakers specifically could be a big benefactor, Dallas, Atlanta, Knicks, Orlando, Portland, Washingron, Utah, Sacramento should all be trying to get him, at minimum
He can shoot 3s and that’s about it. You’re overestimating his value immensely.
He can put the ball on the floor, and he can guard at the 3/2 positions, as well as shoot. They specifically needed help at that spot, especially after losing Danny Green, and they got rid of 2 guys they should have kept, while they still have Korkmaz on their roster, who they don’t need anymore, and doesnt play the defense those 2 guys play, and isnt versatile enough to also play the wing. They should have moved him, and possibly even Shake Milton, as his spot is also not as necessary with Melton being there now
The problem is he has not guarded the 2 or the 3, which is why he does not get on the floor often. He’s also a subpar ball handler, which is why Kork generally gets the nod over him in minutes…having said that, I like the kid and would love him on a 2 way deal. But he needs some improvement if he is going to carve out even a niche role in the league
Well, I personally disagree, and think part of it is his lack of playing time, and also what lineups he has been used in, which matters