Turkey international Furkan Korkmaz wasn't expected to re-sign with the Philadelphia 76ers this offseason, but the young Sixers guard had a change of heart after witnessing the departures of Jimmy Butler and JJ Redick.

Korkmaz struggled for playing time in Philly last season. In fact, he was so frustrated with his role that he even demanded a trade from the team earlier in the 2018-19 campaign. Despite that, however, he turned heads and raised eyebrows when he opted to sign a two-year minimum deal to return to the City of Brotherly Love.

The 22-year-old shooting guard, however, explained in an interview with Gokham German of Fanatik that he believes his situation with the Sixers will change after Butler and Redick left the team.

“The reason why I stayed in Philadelphia was the departure of (Jimmy) Butler and (JJ) Redick,” Korkmaz said (via EuroHoops).

“Their departures created a need for a shooter in the team, and I leaned towards the deal. We had actually been negotiating with different teams during the offseason. Philadelphia was a surprise to me as well, but on the other hand, I am looking at it from a positive perspective. Them calling me back means that I did some good things, left some marks on people over here.”

Korkmaz averaged just 5.8 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 48 games with the Sixers last year. While he did start in seven games and scored double-digits in four of those, he never really had the chance to find his rhythm and get it going for the team. He averaged just 14.1 minutes per contest for Philly.

The Istanbul native is certainly hoping for a more prominent role under head coach Brett Brown in 2019-20. Nonetheless, he is facing tough competition in the loaded Philadelphia backcourt that already boasts Ben Simmons, Trey Burke, Josh Richardson and Raul Neto among others.