2:55pm: Tokoto has made it clear he has no intention of signing overseas or in the D-League, Charania writes in a full story, a further break with previous reports.
1:13pm: The Sixers and No. 58 overall pick J.P. Tokoto are negotiating toward a deal that would bring him to training camp, and the shooting guard from North Carolina plans to sign with Philadelphia, a league source tells Shams Charania of RealGM (Twitter link). That’s a surprising development, since all indications had been that he would sign overseas or in the D-League.
Tokoto let the Sixers know he was open to becoming a draft-and-stash pick before Philadelphia selected him, as Jake Fischer of SI Now reported shortly after the draft, though it seemed he would have a chance to earn his way to a roster spot with a strong showing in summer league. The former North Carolina mainstay wasn’t particularly impressive this month, missing all 10 of his three-point attempts and averaging just 5.7 points in 23.1 minutes per game across seven appearances with Philadelphia’s summer league squad. Still, he never averaged double-figure points in college, relying instead on elite defense, as Chad Ford’s ESPN Insider profile suggests. Ford ranked him the 52nd-best prospect in the draft, while Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress had him even higher, at No. 46. Standing 6’6″, Tokoto rebounds well, having pulled down 5.6 boards in 28.9 minutes per game for the Tar Heels this past season.
Philadelphia only has 12 fully guaranteed salaries for the coming season, counting the freshly signed Richaun Holmes, the team’s other second-round pick this year. The Sixers have contracts or reported deals with five others that include no more than partially guaranteed money, so the addition of Tokoto would give the team 18 players, two shy of the offseason roster limit.
Do you think the Sixers should have Tokoto on the roster this year, or wait until next season? Leave a comment to let us know.