Sixers news: Marco Belinelli says Thunder, Raptors, Bucks, and Blazers tried to sign him

The Philadelphia 76ers were able to get Marco Belinelli to sign for the remainder of the year, but the shooter says the Thunder, Raptors, Bucks, and Blazers were...

Following a contract buyout with the Atlanta Hawks, veteran guard Marco Belinelli was one of the most sought out players on the open market.

According to Jon Johnson of 94WIP KYW1060 Philadelphia, Belinelli revealed that before he signed with the Philadelphia 76er the likes of the Oklahoma City Thunder, Toronto Raptors, Milwaukee Bucks, and Portland Trail Blazers were all in on him.

Belinelli said several teams including OKC, TOR, MIL, & POR all tried to sign him, but he chose Philly.

— Jon Johnson (@jonjohnsonwip) February 12, 2018

The 31-year-old ultimately chose the 76ers due to his belief that he could help out the team hedge into the right direction over the rest of the season to make a strong push toward the playoffs. Belinelli has shown that he can still be a contributor in a limited capacity averaging 11.4 points on 41.1 percent shooting from the field and 37.2 percent from beyond the arc in 23.3 minutes per game this season with the Hawks.

This includes scoring in double figures 31 times with five 20-point outings while making three or more 3-pointers on 11 occasions. It also marks the ninth different team that he will have played for his NBA career that includes the Hawks, Charlotte Hornets, Sacramento Kings, San Antonio Spurs, Chicago Bulls, New Orleans Pelicans, Toronto Raptors, and Golden State Warriors.

Philadelphia is currently hovering around the bottom half of the playoff picture in the seventh overall spot. His presence could prove more shooting and experience that could help lift the franchise to their first playoff appearance in five years. It's clear that Belinelli had interest from teams in the playoffs looking to add more of a scoring punch off the bench for the stretch run in the second half of this season.

He could have easily stepped into a similar role with each of these other teams for the rest of this year but chose to be a part of the 76ers eyeing a chance to play with one of the promising young teams in the league. This is a simply a unique opportunity for Belinelli to take a different route in his 11th season in the league.