An injury scuttled the audition that former Celtics and Heat big man Jarvis Varnado had set up with the Sixers last month, but he continues to hear from NBA teams, reports Gino Pilato of D-League Digest. The former second-round pick suffered a hip strain just before trying out with Philadelphia, but he’s almost fully healthy and is preparing to take part in the D-League All-Star game this month.
Pilato suggests multiple NBA teams are in touch with the Impact Sports Basketball client, but it’s unclear which teams are in the mix. The Sixers plucked Dewayne Dedmon from the audition that Varnado missed, signing him to a pair of 10-day deals, but they elected not to re-sign Dedmon for the season, so the Sixers have an open roster spot if they want to circle back to Varnado.
Varnado is averaging an eye-popping five blocks per game for the Iowa Energy, and it’s a skill he also displayed during his time in the D-League last year and in college at Mississippi State. He didn’t get much chance to do so in the NBA last season, playing only a total of 58 minutes for Boston and Miami. The Heat brought him camp this past fall, but cut him before opening night.