Sixers Claim Mo Williams Off of Waivers Reportedly
Recent NBA rumors reports that the Philadelphia 76ers have claimed point guard Mo Williams off of waivers to get closer to the salary floor.
Well, maybe it wasn’t the NBA rumor that Philadelphia 76ers fans were looking for, but it’s something. According to ESPN’s Marc Stein, the 76ers have claimed point guard Mo Williams off waivers.
Williams started this season with the Cleveland Cavaliers, but the relationship between Williams and the Cavs was notably tense. The two sides struggled to come to terms, and at one point, Williams even threatened to retire.
Williams has had a wild January so far, and has gotten his wish of leaving Cleveland.
Williams was a moving piece in the trade that had the Atlanta Hawks sending Kyle Korver to the Cavaliers, where Williams was exchanged to Atlanta for Korver. The Hawks then traded Williams to the Denver Nuggets for essentially nothing (cash consideration was the largest part of the trade) as the Nuggets looked to get closer to the salary floor with the move.
That’s the intention the Sixers seem to have as well, is to get closer to that salary floor. Despite the cash they spent this summer on guys like Sergio Rodriguez, Gerald Henderson, and Jerryd Bayless, it still left the Sixers with plenty of money to spend before reaching that floor, as they (with Williams’ contract included) will be at right around $78 million, still quite a bit less than the $84 million that the team has to spend to avoid the penalty.
Stein also pointed out that by picking up Williams off of waivers, the team not only makes their cap closer to the floor, but subsequently prevents Denver from claiming that $2.2 million on their payroll, thus keeping them from counting it towards their quest to reach $84 million.
While in a situation a few weeks ago where the Sixers had a roster spot to spare, it would be an imaginable scenario where Williams would be welcomed to this roster as a backup point guard. That said, the Sixers just signed Chasson Randle to a second 10-day contract (the max the team can sign him to without officially bringing him on for the rest of the season), thus taking up the 15th and final spot on the roster.
Randle may be signed for the rest of the year after his second 10-day contract is up in order to get closer to that floor and provide the Sixers more depth in the point guard slot, but it will depend on how well he plays.
Not getting that salary floor isn’t the biggest deal in the world, though, as the remaining balance is paid out to the players on contract at the end of the year.
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