Sixers send farewell message to Paul Reed after trade to Pistons

The Philadelphia 76ers have had an exciting offseason so far, but it’s also been marked by a tough fit.

Earlier this week, the Sixers announced they had waived former second-round center Paul Reed.

Reed won’t get a chance to hit the free-agent market again, however. He’ll instead land with the Detroit Pistons, who claimed him Tuesday afternoon.

Shortly after the Pistons made the acquisition official, the Sixers sent a farewell message to Reed on social media.

Last summer, Reed became a free agent for the first time in his career. As a restricted prospect, the Sixers had the option to match any offer Reed signed. The young veteran accepted a three-year offer from the Utah Jazz, which the Sixers matched.

After it became official that Reed would re-sign with the Sixers, he made it clear that he hoped to return to Philadelphia, where he began his career and became a fan favorite.

Unfortunately, the former second-rounder won’t continue to progress in Nick Nurse’s system. Given that the second year of Reed’s contract wasn’t fully guaranteed after the Sixers failed to advance to the first round of the playoffs, he was considered a potential salary cap casualty.

Fortunately for Reed, he will continue to play under his current contract and will have the opportunity to establish a role in a new system. Although he is joining a team with a very different schedule than the Sixers, Reed could earn some extra minutes on a rebuilding Pistons team.

He comes to Detroit with over 200 games of experience, having played a full 82-game season with the Sixers last year. He leaves the Sixers after averaging seven points and six rebounds in nearly 20 minutes of action per game last season.