Sixers trade target will have contract bought out

Share

The Sixers may end up adding a shooter after all.

Marco Belinelli, one of the Sixers' reported trade deadline targets, will be bought out of his contract by the Atlanta Hawks, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Belinelli, 31, is averaging 11.4 points this season, shooting 41 percent from the field, 37 percent from three and 93 percent from the line in 23.3 minutes per game.

The well-traveled Italian shooting guard has already played for eight teams in 10 NBA seasons: the Warriors, Raptors, Pelicans, Bulls, Spurs, Kings, Hornets and Hawks. He's a career 37.7 percent shooter from three on 3.6 attempts per game.

The Sixers obviously need some more shooting on their second unit, and Bryan Colangelo said Friday that Markelle Fultz may end up missing the rest of the season (see story)

The Sixers stood pat at the deadline and so did the Hawks, for the most part, despite reports that Atlanta had multiple offers of a second-round pick for Belinelli. The Sixers and other teams interested in his services likely figured the Hawks would buy him out anyway, so why part with the pick?

Belinelli is in the final year of a contract that pays him $6.6 million this season.

Contact Us