Section 215
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Philadelphia 76ers: Signing Nemanja Bjelica an underrated move

By Dan Parzych

NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 23: Nemanja Bjelica #8 of the Minnesota Timberwolves dribbles down the court in the first quarter against the New York Knicks during their game at Madison Square Garden on March 23, 2018 in New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 23: Nemanja Bjelica #8 of the Minnesota Timberwolves dribbles down the court in the first quarter against the New York Knicks during their game at Madison Square Garden on March 23, 2018 in New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) /
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The Philadelphia 76ers signed Nemanja Bjelica to a one-year deal for the 2018-19 season.

As the Philadelphia 76ers continue to play the waiting game on a potential big trade to land a potential superstar such as Kawhi Leonard and Jimmy Butler, the team has been keeping themselves quite busy with some underrated moves over the last week.

For example, the Sixers recently signed former Minnesota Timberwolves forward Nemanja Bjelica to a one-year, $4.4 million deal, and while this may not seem like that big of a deal on paper, this move seems to have all sorts of potential for next season.

Despite already being 30 with just three years of NBA experience, Bjelica was coming off a MVP season in the EuroLeague before joining the Timberwolves in 2015. And even though he’s only started 22 career games (21 of which came last season), this past season was the perfect example of how effective Bjelica can be when given the opportunity.

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Whether it was his 30-point performance against the Boston Celtics in March that consisted of him draining 6-of-9 shots from 3-point range or the game against the Washington Wizards a few nights later (17 points with eight rebounds and seven assists), Bjelica is clearly special.

Now that he’s a member of Philadelphia, Brett Brown has to love the depth Bjelica brings to the position, and if all goes well, the Sixers forward should see some significant playing time next season.

Plus, when looking at the cheap price Philadelphia was able to sign Bjelica at, this was an easy risk the team could afford to take with the potential for a high reward.

Star hunting was the approach Brown was taking with this team during the offseason, and even though there’s still a chance things with Leonard can eventually work itself out, Bjelica is still an underrated signing that could work wonders.

After losing to Boston the way they did in the semifinals of the playoffs, Philadelphia needs all of the additional help they can get for next season since there’s only so much that Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid can do on their own without a consistent supporting cast.

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Bjelica may not be on the same level as Leonard or Butler, but he does have the type of skill set the Sixers are going to love.