Even though the 2021 NBA trade deadline has come and gone, the league's top contenders have managed to find ways to bolster their rosters for the last push of the regular season. Most will opt to sign some veterans for the minimum, others will opt to cut dead weight on their way to the bottom of the standings. However, the Philadelphia 76ers have decided to go a little bit against the grain with a unique little signing.
According to Marc Stein of the New York Times, the Sixers have signed reigning NBA G League MVP Paul Reed to a standard NBA contract. Terms of the deal, however, were not disclosed.
The Sixers say they have signed @nbagleague MVP Paul Reed to a standard NBA contract and have likewise signed Mason Jones to a two-way contract.
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) March 27, 2021
Reed is a rangy 21-year-old forward who flew way under the radar during the 2020 draft. No one can blame teams for passing on him, with players like LaMelo Ball, Anthony Edwards and James Wiseman leading what is looking to be a deceptively deep class of rookies. He was selected in the draft's second round (58th overall) by the Sixers and subsequently signed a two-way contract with the team and its G-League affiliate, the Delaware Bluecoats.
This will be Reed's first extended appearance in the league, although he did appear once in early January, logging brief minutes in his time. For the Bluecoats, however, Reed proved to be an absolute force, averaging 22.3 points, 11.9 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game. For his efforts, Reed was awarded with both the G League Rookie of the Year and MVP awards.
As a talented and well-balanced scorer on all three levels (58% FG, 44% 3FG), Reed will be a worthy spacer and secondary option off the bench for Philadelphia. He has shown promise as a rookie, and given his stats and athleticism, he probably enters the Sixers' full time rotation as a legitimate fourth scoring option.
The Sixers, who largely stayed out of the picture around the trade deadline, are trying to put more distance between themselves and a dangerous Eastern Conference. If they meet the Brooklyn Nets or Milwaukee Bucks in the Conference Finals, Reed could be an X-factor and valuable wild card in either hypothetical series.
