The Philadelphia 76ers have reunited with one of their former draft selections through proximity, but he’s not who was most expected.
The Delaware Blue Coats acquired the G-League rights from Charles Bassey of the Texas Legends – the G-League affiliate of the Dallas Mavericks – for Emoni Bates, the team announced Thursday afternoon. With those rights, the Blue Coats will select Bassey if he decides to play in the G-League. However, that won’t stop him from signing with an NBA team of his choice.
A full-fledged reunion is unlikely
The center’s next NBA team is uncertain, but it’s fair to assume the Blue Coats wouldn’t have acquired him if he wasn’t planning on spending some time in the G-League. His talents as a rebounder, rim protector and roll man will particularly benefit Delaware or any NBA team in need of a low-end backup big man. Bassey has averaged 20.2 points and 9.9 rebounds through three G-League seasons.
However, it’s unlikely he and Philadelphia will fully reconvene.
Dominick Barlow, Jabari Walker and Hunter Sallis all occupy the 76ers’ two-way contract spots. These deals only expire at the end of the regular season, April 12. Unless someone is cut, Philadelphia will no longer have a two-way lock until the opportunity to sign Barlow or Walker to a standard NBA deal exists. Even then, the 76ers would likely fill that vacant spot with a player with a higher upside.
How Bassey got here
Philadelphia drafted Bassey with the 53rd overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft to invest in long-term frontcourt depth. He averaged three points per game, 2.7 rebounds and 0.7 blocks, logging 7.3 minutes through 23 games in the 2021-2022 season. The rookie spent his first season primarily in Delaware, but his further development would take place elsewhere.
The 76ers waived him and Isaiah Joe for salary cap relief on October 13, 2022 – a transaction that was hated by the fandom. But the second-year center agreed to a two-way contract with the San Antonio Spurs nine days later.
Bassey spent three seasons in San Antonio, putting up 4.7 points on 63% shooting from the field and 4.7 rebounds. The 25-year-old made a total of 90 appearances as injuries plagued his Spurs spell, most notably in the 2023/24 season when he suffered a ruptured left cruciate ligament.
Between injuries and San Antonio’s upgrades on the front court, Bassey remained an unsigned free agent until September 10. The Atlanta Hawks signed him to an Exhibit-10 deal but waived him on October 18, just three days before the 2025-26 season started. But the Memphis Grizzlies, seeing injuries depleting their roster, signed Bassey to a 10-day contract that expired on November 6.
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