October 09, 2022
The Sixers are waiving Trevelin Queen, a team source confirmed to PhillyVoice on Sunday morning. Keith Pompey of the Inquirer was the first to report the news.
Queen, who the Sixers signed this past summer to a deal guaranteeing him $330k, was up and down during his brief time with Philadelphia. After winning the G-League MVP award last season, Queen failed to string together consistently productive minutes while appearing for the Sixers in Summer League. Aside from the occasional passing highlight here or there, Queen's time was mostly filled with plays that were a bit too ambitious, and his shot ultimately did not look trustworthy enough for a guy who would spend most of his time here in a supporting, off-ball role.
The competition for a roster spot got much stiffer once the Sixers signed Montrezl Harrell to a two-year deal (second-year player option) in mid-September. Harrell's presence also seems to spell doom for backup big man Charles Bassey, who was viewed as one of the most likely candidates to be cut coming into the training camp/preseason process. Bassey is behind both Harrell and Paul Reed on the depth chart, and Doc Rivers has sent strong indications that PJ Tucker will get time as a small-ball center this season as well.
"All of us can plug in depending on the matchup and who we're playing, what we need that day. It's a good thing to have, especially going into a season where we're going to need everybody," Tucker told reporters on Friday.
If we're still viewing it as a "competition" for the final roster spot, Isaiah Joe stands out as the clear frontrunner for now, which is how we viewed the battle coming into the preseason. Joe's only real negative in the race for the spot is that his contract guarantees earlier than Bassey's, putting pressure on Philadelphia if they're trying to avoid taking on any more guaranteed salary than they have to in a year where they must operate under the hard cap. Otherwise, he has numerous advantages in a battle vs. Bassey. He has the more unique skill set, fills a bigger need for the roster, and has looked better in similar settings relative to Bassey over the last few months.
Frankly, all of the guys (Queen included) who were/are competing for the final roster spot might be better served playing for different teams, as the Sixers' improved depth makes it hard to fit them in here this season. Joe's supporters have frequently suggested he simply needs more minutes to find his shooting groove in Philadelphia, and it doesn't appear those are on the table with additions to the guard rotation this offseason.
In any case, best wishes to Queen, who does have an interesting combination of athleticism, ballhandling, and passing talent that he might eventually turn into pro success. That success just appeared to be too far off for the Sixers to use a valuable roster spot on him.
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