After the Atlanta Hawks agreed to buyout the remaining $6.3-million of his contract Friday, guard Marco Belinelli commits to sign with the Philadelphia 76ers once he clears waivers, according to The Vertical's Shams Charania and ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
Marco Belinelli plans to sign the Philadelphia 76ers once he clears waivers, league sources say.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 11, 2018
Guard Marco Belinelli has committed to the Philadelphia 76ers to sign a free agent contract, league sources tell ESPN. Belinelli agreed to a buyout with the Atlanta Hawks on Friday, and can sign with the Sixers upon clearing waivers.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 11, 2018
Belinelli will sign a veteran's minimum contract for the rest of the season.
Sources: Marco Belinelli signing a veteran minimum deal with the 76ers for the remainder of the season. https://t.co/XOHxPbd97J
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 11, 2018
The Italian marksman looks to improve the 76ers' shooting
Belinelli played only 52 games with the Hawks, averaging 11.4 points, 1.9 rebounds, and two assists per game on 23.3 minutes of action. The 31-year-old is shooting 41.1 percent from the field and 37.2 percent from behind the arc, which nearly what he averages for his career, at 37.7 percent.
The 76ers add another shot-taker and maker in Belinelli and will look to improve the team's three-point shooting. Although Philadelphia ranks 14th in the league in three-point percentage, shooting 36.2 percent, they are in the bottom half of the league, ranking 18th, in total threes made with 554. With Belinelli on board, the 76ers will likely rise in both categories.
Heated race for eighth-seed
The 76ers have won three-in-a-row and sit eighth place in the Eastern Conference with a record of 28-25. They will look to make a playoff push and it may turn out to be a close race for the eighth-seed as the Detroit Pistons are just one-and-half games back from Philadelphia.