Philadelphia 76ers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Thunder Sign, Waive Jaylen Hoard

December 7th, 2020 at 8:02am CST by Luke Adams

Former Trail Blazers forward Jaylen Hoard had a brief stint on the Thunder‘s training camp roster, but has since been released. While photos tweeted by the Thunder on Sunday showed Hoard participating in camp, the NBA’s official transactions log indicates that the team waived him on Sunday.

Hoard, 21, signed a two-way contract with Portland in July 2019 after going undrafted out of Wake Forest. He spent the entire 2019/20 season with the club, though he didn’t see much action at the NBA level, logging just 103 minutes in 13 games.

The Blazers don’t have their own G League affiliate, so Hoard spent time as a rookie with the Texas Legends. He averaged 16.2 PPG, 6.9 RPG, and 1.8 APG in 24 games (27.6 MPG) for Dallas’ NBAGL affiliate.

The Thunder have been turning over the spots at the back of their 20-man roster during the last week, having also released Antonius Cleveland and Melvin Frazier shortly after signing them. The moves are presumably being made with G League rights and/or Exhibit 10 bonuses in mind.

A report from French outlet L’Equipe first indicated last week that Hoard would sign an Exhibit 10 deal with the Thunder. Interestingly, that L’Equipe report also suggested that big man Vincent Poirier will be heading to the Sixers in the still-not-official deal involving Al Horford, Danny Green, and Terrance Ferguson.

Poirier’s inclusion in that deal has been speculated by cap expert Albert Nahmad, among others, since his contract is a perfect fit for salary-matching purposes and would allow the Thunder to keep their recently-created $27.5MM trade exception. The trade will likely be completed this week once the salary aggregation restrictions on Green and Poirier lift.

Heat, Lakers Among Teams Likely To Bypass G League Bubble

December 6th, 2020 at 5:51pm CST by JD Shaw

Several franchises are expected to bypass the option of competing in the proposed NBA G League bubble, which would likely be located in Atlanta next month, league sources told Hoops Rumors.

The Celtics (Maine Red Claws), Heat (Sioux Falls Skyforce), Lakers (South Bay Lakers), and Pistons (Grand Rapids Drive) are among the teams that have indicated plans of not participating in the bubble, sources said, with discussions ongoing about the final structure of a season. The Athletic first reported that Boston planned on bypassing the bubble.

Among the topics still being discussed are player salaries, committed teams, and a precise calendar for the season. Franchises would have an entry fee of $500K. The newly-introduced G League Ignite team is a major consideration in the league’s push to salvage a season.

Teams would be expected to play a minimum of 12 games during the campaign, which could then be followed by a tournament, sources said. As in past years, a G League draft would be held at a date to be later determined.

Despite some teams gradually beginning to reject the idea, other franchises such as the Sixers (Delaware Blue Coats) and Raptors (Raptors 905) have committed to playing this season, sources said. All in all, optimism remains that a G League bubble will commence, with a minimum of double-digit teams participating and an announcement coming in the near future.

Tyrese Maxey, Two Other Sixers Tested Positive For Coronavirus

December 6th, 2020 at 5:00pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

5:00pm: Mike Scott and another unidentified Sixers player are also waiting to clear coronavirus protocols after testing positive, reports Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.

3:41pm: Sixers rookie Tyrese Maxey has been held out of training camp after testing positive for the novel coronavirus COVID-19, Derek Bodner of The Athletic tweets.

Bodner notes that Philadelphia anticipates the 6’3″ combo guard out of Kentucky, drafted with the No. 21 pick last month, will join the team within the next few days.

Maxey averaged 14.0 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 3.2 APG, and 0.9 SPG in 34.5 MPG for the Wildcats across 31 games. In his lone collegiate season, he made the All-SEC Second Team and the SEC All-Freshman Team.

The 20-year-old Maxey was new Sixers team president Daryl Morey‘s first selection for Philadelphia. A strong defender projected to be able to operate both as a lead ball-handler and an off-ball option, Maxey had already worked out with Sixers All-Star guard/forward Ben Simmons ahead of team practices.

Sixers Sign Justin Robinson

December 6th, 2020 at 4:23pm CST by JD Shaw

The Sixers have signed guard Justin Robinson, who was acquired by the team’s G League affiliate off waivers last January, the team announced today.

As expected, the deal is an Exhibit 10 contract, Derek Bodner of The Athletic tweets.

Robinson appeared in 33 G League games with Delaware and Capital City last season, averaging 14.2 points, 6.2 assists and 31.2 minutes per game. He also played nine brief games with the Wizards, scoring a total of 13 points in 49 minutes.

Robinson, 23, went unselected in the 2019 NBA Draft after spending four seasons at Virginia Tech. He quickly agreed to a deal with Washington, joining the team for summer league and sticking with the franchise until he was waived in January.

The Sixers are now carrying 20 players for training camp. The team has yet to formally announce its trade with the Thunder involving Al Horford, which will reportedly bring back Danny Green and Terrance Ferguson in return.

Doc Rivers Urged Austin Not To Sign With Sixers

December 5th, 2020 at 6:50pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Sixers were interested in signing free agent guard Austin Rivers before his father, new Philadelphia coach Doc Rivers, decided a reunion wouldn’t be in anyone’s best interest, writes Marc Berman of The New York Post. Rivers coached his son for three and a half years with the Clippers and thought it was best that Austin remain independent.

“He was high on Philly’s list before I took the job,’’ Doc Rivers said. “It was one of the guards they wanted. When I took the job, I said, ‘You don’t want that. You got too many other things we have to deal with.’ For Austin it’s better. He’s his own player. Unfortunately for him, me being the dad, he’s just an easy guy to target. I have felt since the separation, it’s been really good for him.’’

Rivers reached a three-year, $10MM agreement with the Knicks and was acquired from the Rockets in a sign-and-trade deal. That came after he turned down a player option with Houston that would have paid him the veteran’s minimum of $2.4MM.

Doc Rivers, who played for the Knicks in the 1990s, stayed with Austin during free agency and explained the benefits of playing in New York City.

“I kept telling him, ‘New York is a great place,’’’ Doc Rivers said. “I had a great experience there. That’s what I shared with him. It’s a tough city — in a positive way. He said, ‘What do you mean by that?’ I said, ‘It’s similar to Boston and Philly. Their fans are real. They want you to play hard, give you everything you can and play like a team.’ I told him, ‘The Knicks fans are still Red Holzman’s Knicks fans. They remember how that basketball was played. They want team basketball, hard-nosed, tough basketball.’”

Berman notes that the Knicks tried to attract Austin when he was a free agent in 2015, including a dinner with former team president Phil Jackson, but Doc Rivers convinced the Clippers to give him a contract that was a year longer than New York’s offer.

Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau, who served on Rivers’ coaching staff in Boston, is among the beneficiaries of Austin choosing New York this time. He spoke to Doc Rivers about his son before the deal was reached.

“Tom just likes competitive players — always has,’’ Doc Rivers said. “We’re very similar — give us 12 competitors, we’ll figure it out. Whenever we talked about Austin — and we will a lot less now — Thibs loves competitors.’’

Sixers’ Tyrese Maxey Signs Rookie Contract

December 3rd, 2020 at 12:18pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Sixers have signed first-round pick Tyrese Maxey, the team announced in a press release. A 6’3″ guard out of Kentucky, Maxey was the 21st overall selection in last month’s draft.

Terms of the deal were not released, but as a first-round pick Maxey is eligible to earn up to 120% of the rookie scale, which would be $2,478,840 for the upcoming season.

Maxey played one season for the Wildcats, earning a spot on the All-SEC Second Team and the SEC All-Freshman Team. He averaged 14.0 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 31 games.

Now that Maxey is officially under contract, there are no outstanding rookie deals still to be completed for 2020 first-round picks. Twenty-nine of those 30 players have signed their first NBA contracts, with the 30th player – Leandro Bolmaro – remaining in Barcelona for the 2020/21 season.

JaMychal Green Drew Interest From Sixers Before Joining Nuggets

December 2nd, 2020 at 9:32am CST by Luke Adams

The Clippers, Lakers, Spurs, Sixers, and Bucks were among the teams that had interest in JaMychal Green in free agency, per Mike Singer of The Denver Post, but the veteran forward ultimately chose the Nuggets. Green cited the Nuggets’ unselfish play, young talent, and tenacity in explaining his decision. “Blowing a 3-1 lead, they just fought,” Green said, referring to Denver’s Western Conference Semifinals win over his Clippers. “It just showed you the type of heart they had.”

Sixers Sign Lamine Diane To Exhibit 10 Contract

November 30th, 2020 at 5:25pm CST by Luke Adams

The Sixers have officially signed undrafted rookie Lamine Diane, with president of basketball operations Daryl Morey posting a message on Twitter welcoming him to the organization. Diane’s deal with Philadelphia is an Exhibit 10 contract, tweets Ian Begley of SNY.tv.

A 6’7″ forward, Diane put up monster numbers for Cal State Northridge in his two college seasons, averaging 25.1 PPG, 10.8 RPG, and 2.1 BPG in a total of 52 games (35.5 MPG). He won the Big West Player of the Year award in consecutive years before declaring for the draft this spring.

Although Diane wasn’t drafted on November 18, he’ll head to training camp with the 76ers and should have a chance to land with the team’s G League affiliate – the Delaware Blue Coats – if he doesn’t make the regular season roster.

The Sixers now project to have a full 20-man roster once they sign first-rounder Tyrese Maxey and complete their agreed-upon Al Horford trade with Oklahoma City.

Contract Details For Justin Anderson, Ryan Broekhoff

November 30th, 2020 at 9:35am CST by Luke Adams

Justin Anderson‘s two-year, minimum-salary contract with the Sixers has a $125K partial guarantee in year one, while Ryan Broekhoff‘s one-year, minimum-salary deal with the club is non-guaranteed, according to Smith (Twitter links).

Atlantic Notes: Howard, Milton, Raptors, Konate

November 29th, 2020 at 10:14am CST by Arthur Hill

Dwight Howard took a major step toward repairing his reputation last season with the Lakers, and now the Sixers are giving him a chance to move even further in that direction, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. After a brilliant start to his career that included eight consecutive All-Star appearances, Howard devolved into a journeyman who is now on his sixth team in six years.

He became known as a player who was more interested in joking around than winning and had disputes with teammates and coaches along the way. But Howard showed he could still be serious by earning a roster spot after signing a non-guaranteed deal with L.A. and contributing to the team’s title run as a big man off the bench. Philadelphia is counting on a similar performance as he becomes a back-up and mentor to Joel Embiid.

“Showing him some of the things that I learned over the years, the pitfalls, the things that bring you down,” Howard said of his expected relationship with Embiid, “and also that really (elevate) you up. Not just doing that through words, really through my actions.”

There’s more from the Atlantic Division:

The Sixers have high expectations for Shake Milton, who moved into the starting lineup midway through last season. During a Reddit chat with fans Friday night, new team president Daryl Morey talked about the potential of the second-year guard (Twitter link from Ky Carlin of Sixers Wire). “I think the league hasn’t caught up to how good Shake can be,” Morey said. “It was one of the first things (new head coach Doc Rivers) and I spoke about after I joined — we are excited to see what he can do this year.”
The signing of Aron Baynes should improve the Raptors’ defensive rebounding, states Blake Murphy of The Athletic. Assessing areas where the team got better and worse during the offseason, Murphy notes that Baynes has the greatest defensive rebounding impact in the league since the 2015/16 season. Alex Len, another free agent addition, grabbed 25.2% of defensive rebounds last year, which would have been the best rate on the Raptors.
Sagaba Konate, who played for the Raptors‘ G League affiliate last year, has signed with PAOK Thessaloniki of the Greek A1 league for the rest of the season, according to Nicola Lupo of Sportando. Konate began the season with Casademont Zaragoza in Spain.

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