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NBA veteran wing Will Barton finalized a contract buyout with the Washington Wizards on Tuesday, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Barton struggled with inefficiency during his lone season in Washington. However, the 11-year veteran has proven to be a valuable wing scorer for the Denver Nuggets in the past. He is still expected to land with a playoff contender before the March 1st deadline for players to remain playoff eligible.
According to Bleacher Reports’ Jason Dumas, Barton is still weighing his options, with the Philadelphia 76ers being one team that has reached out to him.
“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.
In 40 games for the Wizards, Barton, aged 32, averaged 7.7 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game on just 38.7% shooting. He has career averages of 11.4 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 2.7 APG, 0.7 SPG and 1.3-3PG while shooting 43.1% and 35.5% from deep.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski, around one-third of the teams in the league have open roster spots available. He tweeted:
"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."
If the Sixers are serious about signing Barton, they may face some stiff competition for his services.
Do the Philadelphia 76ers need Will Barton?
The Philadelphia 76ers do not have an open roster spot available following their recent signing of 10-year NBA veteran center Dewayne Dedmon. In order to sign Will Barton, the Sixers will have to waive someone on their roster.
In addition, Philadelphia already has solid guard/wing depth. This includes players such as James Harden, De’Anthony Melton, Tobias Harris, Tyrese Maxey, Jalen McDaniels, Georges Niang and Shake Milton.
This means Barton would likely only receive a small bench role. If other teams offer the veteran a larger role, it may be difficult for Philly to compete with their offers.
It's worth noting, however, that the 76ers rank just 16th in the league in scoring (114.4 PPG) and 16th in assists (25.1 APG). Perhaps Barton could still help the team out in those areas. However, it remains to be seen if Philly views him as a big enough difference-maker to shake up its roster to accommodate him.
Guess the Lakers players!
