PHILADELPHIA — Mo Bamba is coming home.
The former Westtown School standout will sign a one-year, minimum salary contract to play for the 76ers, a league source confirmed Wednesday. He can finalize his deal on Thursday.
The 7-foot, 231-pounder will be a reserve center to MVP Joel Embiid. Bama comes to Sixers after being waived by the Los Angeles Lakers on June 29. He averaged 3.7 points and 4.6 rebounds in nine games after being acquired via a trade from the Orlando Magic on Feb. 9.
The Magic selected him with the sixth overall pick in the 2018 NBA draft. Bamba averaged 7.7 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in 266 games with 81 starts in Orlando.
The 25-year-old Harlem native participated in the 2017 McDonald’s All American and the Nike Hoops Summit as a Westtown senior. He was regarded as the nation’s No. 2 player in the Class of 2018 by Scout and Rivals. ESPN ranked him third. All three recruiting sites listed him as the top center.
Bamba chose Texas over Kentucky, Duke and Michigan.
Bamba is the second member of the Sixers’ free-agency class. Guard Patrick Beverley agreed to one-year, $3.1 million deal with the Sixers on Saturday.
Bamba brings the Sixers' current roster to 11 regular players. Three free agents from last season’s squad have agreed to play with other teams. Georges Niang will sign with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Shake Milton is going to the Minnesota Timberwolves. And Jalen McDaniels will play for the Toronto Raptors.
But Bamba fulfills a need in Philadelphia. The Sixers have long needed a towering backup center to protect the rim. Last season’s centers, Paul Reed (6-9) and Montrezl Harrell (6-1), were both undersized. The Sixers have Reed on a $2.6 million qualifying offer, making him a restricted free agent. The third-year veteran can sign an offer sheet with any other NBA team. However, the Sixers have the right to match it.
