Report: Sixers Deal Holmes to Suns, Sign Bolden
It's been a busy 24 hours for the Philadelphia 76ers. They've reportedly acquired Mike Muscala in a three-team trade and have been rumored to be in discussions with the Cavs about Kyle Korver. With the number of big men piling up on the roster, the Sixers have decided to part ways with one of them that had fallen out of the rotation already, sending Richaun Holmes to the Phoenix Suns. It looks like Jonah Bolden will take his spot on the roster.
In exchange for Holmes, the Suns will send the Sixers cash considerations according to Charania. Meaniwhile, Jake Fischer of Sports Illustrated notes that Bolden's four-year deal includes two guaranteed years.
Despite the small amount of playing time he got across three seasons in Philadelphia, Richaun Holmes became a fan favorite due to the energy he brought to the court whenever he checked into the game. Unfortunately, Holmes' defensive inefficiencies put him behind Joel Embiid and Amir Johnson last season.
In Phoenix, Holmes will be on a roster that also has a variety of centers and forwards, so it is likely he'll be competing for minutes once again. The Suns drafted center DeAndre Ayton with the No. 1 overall pick and veteran Tyson Chandler is in line to back him up. At power forward, the Suns have 2017 lottery pick Josh Jackson along with Marquese Chriss and Dragan Bender.
With the addition of Muscala, Holmes became expendable. In 156 games for the Sixers, Holmes averaged 7.4 points and 4.2 rebounds.
Taking Holmes' spot on the roster looks to be Jonah Bolden. Selected in the second-round of the 2017 NBA Draft by the Sixers, Bolden played this past season with Maccabi Tel Aviv before joining Philadelphia in Summer League.
Bolden averaged 7.6 points and 6.6 rebounds in Israeli League competition and 6.9 points on 48.7 shooting to go along with 5.5 rebounds in Euroleague action this past year. His defense remained stable, but the offense still wasn’t there, despite taking some steps forward with his shot.
Through six Summer League contests, Bolden shot just 13-for-37 from the floor and was an abysmal 4-for-17 from beyond the arc.
Brandon Apter is a contributor to 97.3 ESPN and managing editor at SportsTalkPhilly.com. Follow him on Twitter @bapter23.