Sixers waive Booker, making room for Ilyasova signing

On Monday, forward Ersan Ilyasova reached a buyout agreement with Atlanta. He cleared waivers on Wednesday, paving way for his return to Philadelphia. With the Sixers roster at capacity, the team will need to make room for Ilyasova, and it looks like Trevor Booker is going to be on his way out. This doesn't come as much of a surprise. Booker didn't play against the Heat on Tuesday and he had heard from his agent that a buyout with the Sixers was on the table.

Booker's departure became a reality just after 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday as Michael Scotto of The Athletic reported the Sixers intentions to waive the veteran power forward, making room for Ilysova's to sign with the team. According to Shams Charania of Yahoo! Sports, Booker has already agreed to join the Indiana Pacers on a veteran minimum deal for the remainder of the season.

Shortly after reports were confirmed by multiple outlets around the NBA, Booker thanked the city of Philadelphia for his brief stay.

In 33 games for the Sixers this season, Booker averaged 4.7 points and 3.7 rebounds. The Sixers acquired Booker in a December trade with Brooklyn that sent Jahlil Okafor, Nick Stauskas and a second-round pick to the Nets.

Ilyasova, 30, has played in 46 games this season, posting averages of 10.9 points and 5.5 rebounds per game while shooting 45.9 percent from the floor and 35.9 percent from beyond the arc. Ersan had one of the most successful offensive stretches of his career last year in Philadelphia, averaging 14.8 points per game in 53 appearances, 40 as a starting forward. The Sixers have no time to think about their deflating loss to the Heat on Tuesday.

Brandon Apter is a contributor to 97.3 ESPN and managing editor at SportsTalkPhilly.com. Follow him on Twitter @bapter23