Luc Richard Mbah a Moute was brought over last season as part of the Thad Young trade, in large part to serve as a mentor to Joel Embiid. After averaging a hair under 10 points per game and almost 5 rebounds per game, he is now an unrestricted free agent.
If the Sixers will look to re-sign him, they may have some competition for his services. According to Jimmy Smith of The Times-Picayune, the New Orleans Pelicans may also be interested in the small forward.
Smith notes that the Pelicans have used a revolving door of small forwards in recent years, and with Mbah a Moute set to be a mid-level exception, meaning he will make in the $5 million range, he would be in the Pels’ price range. They may be more inclined to sign Mbah a Moute and save money to allocate elsewhere on roster upgrades.
Here’s more from Smith on why he may be an intriguing option for New Orleans:
“He's been categorized as a good – some pundits might say great – defender and last season with the Sixers had his best offensive season, averaging 9.9 points a game while converting 30 percent of his 3-point shots, though his overall shooting percentage was less-than-spectacular 39.5.”
Mbah a Moute is a nice player, with a few positive traits as Smith points out, but he is nothing special. The Sixers are in an interesting spot in weighing whether to match or exceed what he is offered. The fact is, he is more valuable to the Sixers than any other team because of his relationship with Embiid. They have plenty of cap space that they could conceivably overpay him and it would not break their back. However, it’s unclear just how much of an impact he had on Embiid and whether there is enough value there for which to pay more than market value.
If the Sixers re-sign him, especially if other teams are in on him, consider it a sign that they really do value his relationship with Embiid. That’s because he simply is not a fit for what they are looking to build long-term.
