Boban Marjanovic: 'Almost 90 Percent Chance' I Re-Sign with 76ers in Free Agency

At least one half of the Bobi and Tobi show wants to return to Philadelphia.

Pending free-agent center Boban Marjanovic told Zurnal (h/t Stefan Djordjevic of EuroHoops.com) that he believes he will return to the Philadelphia 76ers this summer.

"I don't know what will happen," he said. "... I should, almost 90 percent, stay in Philadelphia but that's not known yet, just speculation. It was nice for me there, so why not?"

"The city lives for basketball and sports in general," he added. "They have hockey, baseball, football, they follow everything, everything is organized until the very end and everybody knows who and what you are. Wherever you appear, everybody recognizes you because they follow all of it. A very nice experience."

There's no guarantee that Marjanovic will return, however. The Sixers have several key free agents, most notably Jimmy Butler and the other half of the Bobi and Tobi show, Tobias Harris. JJ Redick, Mike Scott and James Ennis will all hit free agency as well. 

If the Sixers bring back Butler and Harris on max deals, they'll quickly approach luxury-tax territory. They have Bird rights on Marjanovic, which allows them to exceed the salary cap to re-sign him, but they'd likely want him to take a veteran-minimum contract.

The bigger issue may be whether Marjanovic would have a role in Philadelphia next season.

Too Big. Too Strong. Too Boban.

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Backup center was one of the major weak points for the Sixers in the postseason, and finding a reliable backup to Joel Embiid will be among the team's top priorities after attempting to woo back Butler and Harris. The Sixers had a net rating of plus-20.7 with Embiid on the court in the postseason, but it dipped to minus-19.7 when he sat.

While Marjanovic is an excellent offensive player—he averaged 8.2 points in 13.9 minutes per game with the Sixers this season and shot 62.5 percent from the field—he remains a liability on defense. With Marjanovic on the court in the postseason, the Sixers had a woeful defensive rating of 120.7, compared to Embiid's 91.4.

In other words, the Sixers gave up 29.3 more points per 100 possessions with Marjanovic on the court than Embiid. No title contender can afford that type of defensive drop-off.

Marjanovic may return as the team's third center, but 23-year-old Jonah Bolden showed some promise at the position as a rookie, flashing defensive upside and a streaky three-point shot. He appears to be in the mold of a modern center, albeit rough around the edges, and the Sixers may want to groom him to eventually become Embiid's backup. 

The Sixers had four centers for much of this past season, in part due to Embiid's injury history. But they'll likely be hoping to add instant (and cheap) contributors to round out the bench via the draft and free agency. 

In other words, keeping a fourth center may not be deemed as important as filling out the wing depth. 

That isn't to say Marjanovic won't be back in Philadelphia next season, but the 90 percent odds he gave may be a bit optimistic.