After his release from the Washington Wizards, Will Barton has indicated an interest in joining the Philadelphia 76ers.
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According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, NBA veteran wing Will Barton agreed to a contract buyout with the Washington Wizards on Tuesday. During his one season in Washington, Barton suffered from inefficiency. Nonetheless, the 11-year veteran has already shown to be a reliable wing scorer for the Denver Nuggets. He is still anticipated to sign with a playoff contender before the March 1st deadline for remaining postseason-eligible players.
“Source: The Sixers have inquired about Will Barton, who is still going through the process of deciding where he will play this season,” Dumas reported.
“Source: The Sixers have inquired about Will Barton, who is still going through the process of deciding where he will play this season,” Dumas reported.
Barton, 32, averaged 7.7 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game in 40 games for the Wizards on 38.7% shooting. He has career averages of 11.4 points per game, 4.2 rebounds per game, 2.7 assists per game, 0.7 steals per game, and 1.3 three-pointers per game while shooting 43.1% and 35.5% from deep. According to Adrian Wojnarowski, almost one-third of the league’s clubs have vacant roster spaces. He wrote on Twitter:
“With approximately one-third of NBA teams still with an available roster spot, free agents include: Serge Ibaka, John Wall, LaMarcus Aldridge, Will Barton, Stanley Johnson, Wayne Ellington, Tyler Johnson, Sterling Brown, Hassan Whiteside, David Nwabe, Michael Carter-Williams.”
After the signing of 10-year NBA veteran center Dewayne Dedmon, the Philadelphia 76ers do not have an open roster position. The Sixers will have to waive someone on their roster in order to add Will Barton. Also, Philly already has strong guard/wing depth. Players like James Harden, De’Anthony Melton, Tobias Harris, Tyrese Maxey, Jalen McDaniels, Georges Niang, and Shake Milton are among them.
This means that Barton will most likely be relegated to the bench. If other clubs offer the veteran a greater role, Philadelphia may find it tough to compete. But, it’s worth mentioning that the 76ers are only 16th in the league in scoring (114.4 PPG) and 16th in assists (25.1 APG). Perhaps Barton can still assist the squad in those areas. Yet, it remains to be seen whether Philadelphia regards him as a significant enough difference-maker to restructure its roster to accommodate him.
Will Barton averaged 7.7 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.4 assists in 40 games for the Wizards this season, but he remains a good and wonderful value selection for any club given that he isn’t too far off from a season in which he averaged 15-5-4 with the Denver Nuggets.
Barton’s lower output may be linked to the fact that his position with the Wizards dwindled until he slipped out of Wes Unseld Jr.’s rotation. But, in games when he was allowed to play for extended periods of time, the veteran swingman demonstrated that he can still perform at a high level. He averaged 19.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 6.0 assists in three games in mid-December when he played 30 minutes each night.
While it’s unlikely he’ll be able to do so for lengthy stretches, he has the potential to outperform any team’s bench squad. The Sixers could undoubtedly use his assistance as they prepare for another postseason campaign. Yet, Philadelphia may have some competition in signing him, as certain title contenders may also be interested in his services.
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