It’s not trade season in the NBA yet, but that hasn’t stopped G League teams from staying active. The Philadelphia 76ers’ affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats, made a move on Thursday by sending Emoni Bates
to the Texas Legends for the G League rights to a familiar face, Charles Bassey.
Bates joined the Sixers organization late, signing an Exhibit 10 deal in September and spending almost all of his time with the Blue Coats. In seven games, the former top prospect averaged 19.1 points and 4.4 rebounds in just over 30 minutes, shooting 43.4 percent from the field and 32.9 percent from three. Now it looks like he’ll take his talents to Texas.
Many fans will remember Bassey, who the Sixers drafted late in the second round of the 2021 draft. He was involved in one of the more memorable contract disputes for a late pick, holding out for months before finally signing and securing an extra partially guaranteed second year (which did end up netting him some extra money). Bassey played 23 games for the Sixers and averaged 7.3 minutes under Doc Rivers. His best moment with the team came in November of his rookie season, when an injury- and COVID-depleted Sixers squad faced the Denver Nuggets. Bassey delivered 12 points, seven rebounds and three blocks against Nikola Jokić, and held his own defensively for most of the night.
After that performance, Bassey didn’t see the floor much, logging only 124 more minutes with the Sixers. He was waived in October 2022 and went on to sign a two-way deal with the San Antonio Spurs. He eventually earned a standard NBA contract worth over $10 million across four years, playing 90 games in three seasons, although knee injuries slowed him down. San Antonio moved on just before the 2025 season.
Most recently, Bassey returned to the NBA in October with a 10-day hardship deal from the Memphis Grizzlies. He averaged 3.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and an assist in two games, playing 15.5 minutes per contest.
So what does this move mean? It could go a few different ways. Bassey hasn’t played in the G League for quite some time, which explains why Delaware needed to trade for his rights rather than making a simple player swap. He might be heading overseas, and the Blue Coats are just securing his rights in case he returns. Or this could mostly be about Bates, who has played well and may have drawn more interest from Texas.
There’s also the possibility that the Sixers have some level of interest in bringing Bassey back. They’ve had interest before, and while the Grizzlies are in a difficult stretch right now, their front office still tends to make analytically driven decisions. Hardship players rarely stick long-term, and Bassey was no exception, but he did put up solid numbers in limited minutes and fills some clear needs for the Sixers. He rebounds, blocks shots and can do a few different things on offense. In theory, he brings more size and rebounding than Adem Bona and more athleticism and shot blocking than Andre Drummond. In a way, he sits in the middle of what both reserve bigs offer.
One key detail is that Bassey is no longer eligible for a two-way contract. If the Sixers wanted him back, it would have to be through a standard deal. That could be a simple 10-day using their open roster spot or a partially guaranteed contract, but he cannot replace Dominick Barlow, Jabari Walker or Hunter Sallis on a two-way.
We’ll likely get a better sense of the reasoning behind the move soon, whether Bassey reports to Delaware or the team simply holds onto his rights. For now, it’s at least a small reunion between the Sixers and their former draft pick.
