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3 big men still available who would fit as backup Sixers star Joel Embiid

The Philadelphia 76ers have added wing depth to their roster to improve the second group. However, there is also a possible need for a backup center behind Joel Embiid heading into the season.

The Sixers have two in-house options: young Paul Reed and Charles Bassey. Reed received the backup minutes in the playoffs. He showed flashes of potential, but he also had a net rating of minus-1.1 in the postseason. Meanwhile, Bassey was in the G League for the majority of the season in the 2021-22 season and he did not have the greatest summer league.

Therefore, perhaps the Sixers should look into another backup option for Embiid. The big fella is going to need rest, and the Sixers need somebody they can rely on.

Here are three options still available who might be willing to take the minimum to back up the big fella.

DeMarcus Cousins

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Cousins is obviously not the dominant player he was in the early part of his career, but he can still be a reliable backup. He averaged 9 points and 5.6 rebounds in 48 games in the 2021-22 season playing for the Milwaukee Bucks and the Denver Nuggets. He averaged 10.6 points in the 2022 playoffs for the Nuggets and shot 66.7% from deep in those five games. However, he is not a great defender at this stage of his career.

LaMarcus Aldridge

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Much like Cousins, Aldridge is not the same All-Star player he once was, but he still averaged 12.9 points in 22.3 minutes with the Brooklyn Nets in the 2021-22 season. At this stage, on a minimum contract, he would be a player the Sixers could rely on every night.

Hassan Whiteside

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Whiteside averaged 8.2 points and 7.6 rebounds in 65 games off the bench for the Utah Jazz in the 2021-22 season, and he would be a reliable option. Much like Andre Drummond, who was brought in on a veteran’s minimum in 2021, Whiteside has gotten into it with Embiid on the floor. He is not the same player as Drummond, but on a vet minimum, he would be a pretty solid addition to Philadelphia’s bench unit.

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Story originally appeared on Sixers Wire