76ers sign forward with Tyrese Maxey ties

After watching the rest of the Eastern Conference, especially the Atlanta Hawks, make move after move to improve their roster, the Philadelphia 76ers have finally joined the party, signing 24-year-old forward Trendon Watford to a two-year, $5.3 million deal, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.

Standing 6-foot-9, 240 pounds, Watford can do a little bit of everything with the ball in his hands, from playing position versatile defense to hitting 34.9 percent of his 3-pointers, and even passing the ball with impressive finesse for a forward his size.

And no one is more excited about the deal than Tyrese Maxey, who just so happens to be good friends with the newest member of the 76ers, according to The Philly Voice’s Adam Aaronson.

The younger brother of Christian Watford, Watford came into his own at LSU, where he played two seasons as a score-first forward. Though he ultimately went undrafted, he landed in Portland for two years as a reserve forward before taking his talents to Brooklyn after being waived in the summer of 2023, where he played for the last two seasons.

Free to sign wherever he wanted, Charania noted he chose Philadelphia because of the role they had to offer, even if his deal is seemingly worth at or just above the minimum for a player with his years of service.

What does this mean for the potential return of everyone’s favorite French power forward, Guerschon Yabusele? Well, that depends on how the 76ers signed the former Net, as if he’s on a minimum deal, which means basically nothing, but if Daryl Morey dug into the $5.7 million in MLE money he could spend, it could potentially spell the end of the “Dancing Bear’s” run in South Philadelphia.

Still, whether Watford was signed to replace Yabusele or to play alongside him, his addition to a 76ers team that has been in desperate need of additional bodies at the power forward spot is important nonetheless, as he brings size and versatility to a team that has lacked both.