Bucks sign Johni Broome, waive John Butler Jr.

Broome was dealt to the Clippers in July to help keep the 76ers under the aprons, and the only return LA had to part with was cash. That wasn’t enough for them to keep him around, as this move will get them under the roster limit. Broome will likely find a two-way contract on a different team ahead of the season.

The move keeps Philly under the first and second aprons while signing LeBron James and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. Broome will operate as a depth option in LA behind Brook Lopez, Isaiah Jackson and Yanic Konan Niederhauser.

Philadelphia’s reported interest in moving on from Broome has more to do with the pending signing of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope than anything else. Just as the team needed to waive Dalen Terry to have the roster spot needed to make the LeBron James signing official, another roster spot is needed to add KCP. Broome, who was limited to 11 NBA appearances last season and missed time with a knee injury, played well during Summer League. Still, the 76ers have Adem Bona and Ariel Hukporti to absorb minutes behind starting center Joel Embiid. In the right situation, Broome could have some streaming value throughout the season. According to Fischer, waiving Jabari Walker is another possibility, but the 76ers hope to hold onto him.

After having his rookie season end just after the All-Star break due to a torn meniscus, Broome has looked good in the 76ers’ two summer league games. Two days after posting 19 points and 13 rebounds in a complete stat line, the 2025 second-round pick recorded another double-double in Saturday’s 100-93 overtime victory. While Joel Embiid’s injury history makes it imperative that the 76ers have options behind him, the presence of Adem Bona and Ariel Hukporti means that Broome will face challenging odds of cracking the rotation next season.

Broome tore his right meniscus in February, which ended his rookie season early. However, it didn’t appear to limit him in his first game back in action. With Andre Drummond gone, Broome will compete with Adem Bona and Ariel Hukporti for the backup center minutes behind Joel Embiid and could end up playing a significant role when Embiid has to sit.

This happened while Broome was with the Delaware Blue Coats, the 76ers’ G League affiliate. The rookie hasn’t seen the floor in the NBA much this season, and it will be a while before he is back on the floor in any capacity. The team hasn’t provided a timeline for Broome’s return but we’d be surprised if he played again this season.

With Joel Embiid (knee) sidelined, Drummond will start if he is able to suit up and return to being an excellent streaming option. If not, the center minutes will fall to Adem Bona and Johni Broome, with Bona likely to start and be the preferred streaming option.

Embiid returned from a nine-game absence on Sunday and was able to log 30 minutes, though he clearly wasn’t moving as well as we’re accustomed to seeing. He’ll sit out against Washington, which shouldn’t be alarming. The extra rest won’t hurt. The 76ers have three more games after that this week, including a back-to-back, so Embiid should still play two games. However, if he doesn’t, that’s when it will be time to start panicking. Andre Drummond (knee) is questionable, and he’ll start if he plays. If not, the center minutes will fall to Adem Bona and Johni Broome.

This will be a ninth straight absence for Embiid, though he is getting closer to a return. Andre Drummond has been starting in place of Embiid, but he is questionable with a knee injury of his own. Adem Bona and Johni Broome should fill out the center minutes if Drummond is out.

Drummond was taken off in a wheelchair after the injury, and while the extent of the injury is unclear, he will at least be sidelined for the rest of this one. Johni Broome and Adem Bona should fill the center minutes for the remainder of this game.