Mbah a Moute hopes to stick with Sixers

Luc Mbah a Moute's tenure with the 76ers could be far from over.

The forward, whose contract expires in June, wants to remain with the team. He gets the impression that the interest is mutual.

"Ever since I came here, I didn't get the sense that it was a one-year kind of deal," said Mbah a Moute, who was acquired from the Minnesota Timberwolves in a three-team trade in August.

"I always thought they viewed me as part of what they were doing here," he added. "And they embraced me, and I embraced that."

A seven-year veteran, Mbah a Moute knows that nothing is definite until he signs a contract. As a result, he'll weigh his free-agent options.

"We will see what happens this summer," he said. "But pretty much what's been kind of [established] is that I'm part of what they are trying to grow here. I'm part of the culture."

At the least, the team could benefit by re-signing him based on his relationship with rookie center Joel Embiid, who missed the season after right foot surgery in June.

The 7-foot Embiid was selected third overall in the NBA draft in June after his freshman season at Kansas. His journey to become a lottery pick may never have happened without Mbah a Moute's help.

He discovered Embiid in 2011 at a basketball camp in Cameroon, their homeland. Mbah a Moute has advised the 21-year-old ever since.

But he's been much more than Embiid's mentor. Mbah a Moute was the Sixers' veteran leader, best on-ball defender and the guy who held the locker room together.

Mbah a Moute also had his best offensive season. The 28-year-old averaged a career-best 9.9 points and scored in double figures 37 times in 67 games. He had scored in double figures just 29 times in his previous three seasons combined.

Mbah a Moute also made 62 three-pointers after making only 24 in 399 career games before this season

"When you been through a season like this, when you see ups and downs, you see glimpses of what could be," he said. "You want to be a part of it. You want to be there when things turn around and we finally get hopefully that right team and become a good team. So yeah, [re-signing is] what I'm thinking now."

The former UCLA standout thinks the Sixers "can be really good."

"I think we need a few pieces," he said, "and I think we need that consistency. . . . I think things will be pretty exciting here."

If he does re-sign, there's a chance that Mbah a Moute may have to play a reserve role in the Sixers' youth movement. Despite being the glue guy, he was replaced by Jermani Grant in the starting lineup late in the season.

"At the end the day, the coaches understand my value and what I bring to a team," Mbah a Moute said of having to compete for a starting spot "But I'm fine with coming here and helping.

"We [are] all going to compete. At the end of the day, we've got to turn it around next year."