The Philadelphia 76ers are in dire need of some frontcourt support right now amid Joel Embiid’s extended injury absence. The team has yet to provide a firm timetable for the return of the defending NBA MVP following a procedure on his left meniscus in early February. The Sixers are hopeful, however, that Embiid will be able to come back before the regular season concludes.
In the meantime, they have decided to turn to a highly controversial free agent big man as a temporary fix for their frontcourt dilemma.
REPORT: Philadelphia 76ers to Sign Kai Jones
ESPN’s NBA guru Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Thursday that the Sixers intend to sign former Charlotte Hornets center Kai Jones to a short-term deal. The announcement came a few hours before Philly’s game against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks:
The 76ers are planning to sign ex-Hornets center Kai Jones to a 10-day contract on Friday, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 14, 2024
Jones won’t be making his debut against Milwaukee on Thursday, but he should be in the mix for the Sixers soon. In fact, he could be available to play come Saturday against, ironically, the Hornets. That is, of course, under the premise that head coach Nick Nurse opts to insert him into the rotation.
For his part, Embiid appears to be trending in the right direction in terms of his road to recovery. The seven-time All-Star, who is no longer in contention for the MVP award this season after failing to meet the NBA’s minimum number of games, was recently cleared for on-court work. He is expected to return sometime in late March or early April.
Kai Jones’ Controversial Hornets Exit
The Sixers will be Jones’ first team after he got himself waived by the Hornets this past summer. In September, the 6-foot-11 center announced that he would not be taking part in Charlotte’s training camp. This decision followed Jones bizarrely criticizing his own teammates on social media while also claiming that he is the greatest player of all time.
It wasn’t long after that Jones demanded a trade away from the Hornets, to which the front office responded by waiving his contract a couple of days later. No other team picked him off the waiver wire and he has since been a free agent. That is until the Sixers decided on Thursday to take a huge risk on the former No. 19 overall pick.
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