The Sixers have renounced the rights to Latvian center Anzejs Pasecniks, a team source confirmed Monday night. Sam Amick of The Athletic first reported the move.
Pasecniks was selected 25th by the Magic in the 2017 NBA Draft. Bryan Colangelo, then the Sixers' president of basketball operations, acquired him in exchange for a 2020 protected first-round pick and a 2020 second-round pick.
In retrospect, the trade has to rank among Colangelo's worst.
According to a team source, the 23-year-old Pasecniks intended to play in the NBA this season. Given the salary-cap implications of having Pasecniks under contract as the team seeks to complete its bench, the Sixers decided it would be best to renounce his rights.
There's little to suggest Pasecniks would have been able to help the Sixers this year. The 7-foot-1 big man averaged 5.4 points and 1.8 rebounds per game last season for Herbalife Gran Canaria in Spain's ACB. Especially considering the size already present on the Sixers roster, Pasecniks seizing a role did not seem plausible.
Coincidentally, the Sixers parted with another member of their 2017 draft class stashed overseas Monday. The team sent Frenchman Mathias Lessort to the Clippers as part of the four-team sign-and-trade that sent Jimmy Butler to the Heat and brought Josh Richardson to Philadelphia.
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