The NBA Philadelphia 76ers have found the missing piece of the puzzle, the team has finally signed unrestricted free agent forward Donyell Marshall to a one-year deal. An NBA veteran who turned pro in 1994, Marshall has played for teams like the Utah Jazz, Toronto Raptors, Chicago Bulls and Seattle Supersonics.
76ers president Ed Stefanski is incredibly pleased with Marshall’s inclusion on the team whose contract includes a minimum salary of $1.26 million for a player who has been in the NBA for more than a decade.
“Donyell Marshall has proven time and time again his value as a player in this league,” Stefanski said in announcing the news. “We believe his ability to stretch defenses with his shots from the perimeter will prove to be a great asset to our team and we look forward to having him back home in Philadelphia.”
Marshall began his basketball career playing at Reading High School and later received a scholarship to UConn with the Huskies. After being in college, Marshall dropped out during his junior year and was selected fourth overall in the 1994 NBA Draft by Minnesota. After several months, he was traded to the Golden State Warriors, where he had a breakout rookie season. Donyell Marshall played for the Warriors for five seasons until he was traded to the Utah Jazz.
After his two years with the Jazz Marshall decided to become a free agent, this led him to later sign a contract with the Chicago Bulls. For 2005 he signed with Cleveland for a four-year contract but in recent days it was announced that he had permission to sing with any team so Marshall accepted the offer made by the 76ers.
Some of Marshall’s average career stats include 12.4 points, 7.3 rebounds and one block per game. In addition to averaging a career-high of 16.2 points, 10.7 rebounds and 1.6 blocks during the 2003-2004 season with the Toronto Raptors.
Now that the 76ers have Donyell Marshall, the team hopes to make the playoffs again like they did last year. Donyell is a remarkable forward and a great 3-point shooter, as well as a strong forward on defense and offense, and the most important thing he has is his experience over the years that he has played in the NBA.
Any NBA team needs a veteran; Someone younger players can look up to as well and Marshall’s 14 seasons in the NBA makes for a very solid background for the player, Marshall is a perfect fit for the Sixers. Fans of the 76’ers, the franchise and the coaches are looking forward to seeing Marshall lead the team and play their best this season and hopefully make it to the Eastern Conference Finals. Other players the 76ers have signed for next season include free agent guards Kareem Rush and Royal Ivey, as well as forward Elton Brand.