Former Sixers draft pick Richaun Holmes
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Former Sixers draft pick Richaun Holmes
Richaun Holmes entered the NBA by way of the Philadelphia 76ers, using their 37th pick in the 2015 NBA Draft. Holmes spent the first three years of his career with the Sixers, playing in 156 regular-season games for the franchise.
Since leaving Philadelphia, Holmes has enjoyed stops with the Phoenix Suns, Sacramento Kings, Dallas Mavericks and most recently the Washington Wizards. However, after hitting the free agency market this summer, it doesn’t appear that Holmes garnered much interest from around the NBA.
As such, the 31-year-old big man has decided to take his talents to Europe. Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reported the move via X on August 5.
“Richaun Holmes has agreed to a deal with Panathinaikos that’ll make him one of the highest-paid players in Europe, sources told @hoopshype,” Scotto wrote. “Holmes averaged 7.4 points on 65% shooting and 5.7 rebounds with the Wizards last season. Holmes had interest from multiple EuroLeague teams.”
Panathinaikos won the EuroLeague in 2024. Holmes will strengthen an already talented roster that features former NBA talents Kendrick Nunn and Jerian Grant. Holmes will undoubtedly be hoping that some strong performances in Europe can open the door to a potential NBA return in the future. But if that isn’t the case, he could become one of the top stars in Greece and in the EuroLeague.
Yabusele Speaks on What Hurt Sixers’ Season
Holmes may look at Guerschon Yabusele as proof that you can go to Europe and then come back to the NBA in the future. However, Yabusele was in the early stages of his career when he first left the NBA, rather than being in his early 30s like Holmes.
Nevertheless, Yabusele has proven himself to be an NBA talent. He enjoyed a strong return season with the Sixers during the 2024-25 campaign, despite the franchise’s struggles with health and poor performances.
During a recent appearance on “The Roommates” podcast, Yabusele cited the franchise’s in-season trades as the primary cause of the Sixers’ decline.
“I feel like we tried, and then what really changed the team a little bit was, in my opinion, the trades,” Yabusele said. “Because I feel like we were there. Guys were just injured. We should have trust a little bit more that and try to let the guys come back to be able to pursue, try to get to the playoffs. And then I feel like when we changed that, basically, we changed four guys or something like that. And then there’s like four new guys coming up, and then it was a lot of guys that keep getting signed for 10-day contracts here and there. So, it was it was hard to find the chemistry, you know, with the teammates.”
Yabusele left the Sixers this summer, signing a deal with the New York Knicks. He will now compete for a championship alongside Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns.
Sixers Gave Yabusele a Low Contract Offer
Despite impressing for the Sixers during his return season, Yabusele hit unrestricted free agency this summer without a guarantee of returning to the franchise. In an recent appearance on SK Week TV, Yabusele revealed Daryl Morey had made him a low-ball offer.
“I was like, ‘Okay, if they want to resign me and then they give me something good, I will come back for sure. And if they want me to leave, then I will leave,’” Yabusele said. “I didn’t have any hard feelings or a hard time. But they almost didn’t make a real offer. They did, but it was really low. So, to be transparent, I felt like, ‘Oh my God, you guys, it seems like you don’t really want me to stay.’ It was a situation, but no hard feelings. I’m always thankful for them. They gave me my second chance.”
Nevertheless, Yabusele’s new deal with the Knicks will keep him in the NBA until at least 2027, when he will be 31, which is the same age Holmes is now, as he embarks on a new chapter in his own career.