Terry Harris

Sixers Sign, Waive Five Players

1:01pm: In a press release, Philadelphia has confirmed all the roster moves detailed below and announced a couple more. According to the Sixers, in addition to signing and waiving Washburn, Alston, and Harris, they also signed and waived guards Jared Brownridge and Xavier Munford.

Brownridge played for the Delaware Blue Coats last season and Munford’s rights were acquired by Delaware last month, so they’d both be returning-rights players for the Blue Coats.

10:23am: The Sixers have signed and subsequently waived Julian Washburn, Shizz Alston Jr., and Terry Harris, according to reports. Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link) first reported the signings, while Derek Bodner of The Athletic (Twitter link) indicated that all three players had already been released.

Alston is a 6’4″ guard who went undrafted out of Temple this spring after averaging 19.7 PPG and 5.0 APG as a senior. Harris, another undrafted rookie, is the younger brother of Sixers forward Tobias Harris. The former North Carolina A&T swingman played for the 76ers’ Summer League team in July.

As for Washburn, the 6’8″ forward spend much of the 2018/19 season on a two-way contract with the Grizzlies before he was dealt to Golden State in the Andre Iguodala deal. The Warriors waived him and the Sixers’ G League affiliate – the Delaware Blue Coats – acquired his returning rights last month.

Alston and Harris will join the Blue Coats as affiliate players, while Washburn will be a returning-rights player for the squad. As a result of their brief stays on the Sixers’ roster, they should also be eligible for Exhibit 10 bonuses worth up to $50K if they spend at least 60 days in Delaware.

The Sixers had cleared space on the roster for these three players by waiving Isaiah Miles, Christ Koumadje and Haywood Highsmith, as we detailed on Friday night.

Draft Rumors: Knicks, Barrett, Herro, Porter, More

Although they brought in Vanderbilt point guard Darius Garland for a last-minute workout today, the Knicks remain locked in on selecting Duke forward R.J. Barrett with the No. 3 overall pick, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter).

With just over 24 hours to go until the 2019 NBA draft, rumors continue to trickle in about which prospects other teams might be targeting with their first-round picks. Jeremy Woo and Jake Fischer of SI.com suggest that league sources believe the Celtics – who hold Nos. 14, 20, and 22 – have serious interest in Kentucky sharpshooter Tyler Herro. The SI duo also reports that the Spurs – who pick at 19 and 29 – are among the teams with real interest in Croatian forward Luka Samanic.

Woo and Fischer share a few more tidbits in their latest mock draft, writing that the Hornets, Heat, and Celtics are all showing “a degree of interest” in USC’s Kevin Porter Jr., who could be in play to come off the board near the end of the lottery.

League sources also tell SI.com that the Magic have put the No. 46 pick on the trade block and could sell it, with the Lakers, Wizards, and Trail Blazers among the teams believed to have interest in purchasing a second-rounder.

Here’s more on the draft:

  • Kevin Porter Jr. (USC), Nicolas Claxton (Georgia), and Mfiondu Kabengele (Florida State) have received last-minute invites to the Green Room for Thursday’s NBA draft, reports ESPN’s Jonathan Givony (Twitter links). That increases the number of prospects expected to be in attendance in the Green Room to 23, Givony notes.
  • Speaking today to reporters, including Jake Fischer of SI.com (Twitter link), Texas center Jaxson Hayes said he only worked out for two teams, the Bulls and Hawks, during the pre-draft process. Those clubs hold three top-10 picks between them.
  • UNC guard Coby White also confirmed his pre-draft workouts today, as Gina Mizell of The Athletic relays (via Twitter). White worked out for four lottery teams, including the Suns and Bulls, who are both believed to be in the market for a point guard.
  • Terry Harris, the younger brother of pending free agent Tobias Harris, is seeing his stock rise, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer relays (Twitter link). The younger Harris has worked out for the Suns and Thunder, among many other teams.

Chris Crouse contributed to this post.

Draft Updates: Oni, Langford, Bitadze, Bone, Harris

Yale wing Miye Oni returned to the Bucks’ practice facility for a second workout on Saturday, ESPN’s Jordan Schultz tweets. Oni averaged 17.1 PPG, 6.3 RPG and 3.6 APG during his junior season. The 6’6” Oni is hoping to become the first Ivy Leaguer drafted since 1995, Schultz adds.

We have more draft info:

  • Indiana freshman swingman Romeo Langford is meeting with the Heat this weekend, Schultz reports in another tweet. Miami possesses the No. 13 pick and Langford is ranked No. 14 overall by ESPN’s Jonathan Givony.
  • International prospect Goga Bitadze is visiting the Celtics, Pistons and Hornets in the days leading up to Thursday’s draft. according to a tweet from Hawks website writer Kevin Chouinard. The 6’11” Bitadze, 19, led the EuroLeague and Adriatic League in blocks on both a per-game and per-minute basis. He is ranked No. 17 overall by Givony.
  • The Wizards worked out Tennessee guard Jordan Bone on Saturday, according to a team press release. The point guard is No. 56 on Givony’s list.
  • Forward Terry Harris worked out for the Knicks on Thursday, Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News tweets. He also visited the Nets this week and will work out for the Mavericks and Jazz, Bondy adds in another tweet. He played for North Carolina A&T in his senior year, averaging 8.1 PPG. He is the younger brother of Sixers free agent forward Tobias Harris.

Sixers Eyeing Immediate Contributor With No. 24 Overall Pick

The Sixers have the No. 24 overall pick in the upcoming draft and they will look to select a prospect who can immediately help them win games.

“That’s hopefully somebody that can come in and contribute right away,” Sixers senior director of scouting Vince Rozman said of the team’s first-round pick (via Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer).

GM Elton Brand will look to players who’ve had more experience. The Sixers will target “a player with more of a mature game than a ‘project.’ But I don’t know if that’s necessarily driven by age,” Brand said.

The fact that Philadelphia is hoping to land a rotation player in the draft comes as no surprise. The Sixers will attempt to bring back Jimmy Butler, Tobias Harris, and J.J. Redick this summer, and if they’re successful, they’ll be limited in their ability to make upgrades to supplement their current group, as I detailed on a recent episode of NBA Math’s Hardwood Knocks podcast.

If the Sixers bring back their playoff starting five, the non-taxpayer’s mid-level exception—projected to come in at $9.246MM—would be the club’s greatest tool in acquiring additional talent. Teams have the ability to offer a free agent the entire amount of the MLE as a starting salary but can also split that amount among multiple players.

The Sixers also have four selections in the second round (Nos. 33, 34, 42, and 54). Philadelphia has worked out a bevy of prospects and will continue the evaluation process through draft night. No prospect may be as notable as Terry Harris (North Carolina A&T), brother of Tobias.

“One, they look a lot alike. That’s also interesting,” Rozman said. “But [Terry] is 6’6″. He can shoot. He defends. It’s got to be a proud moment for the family and Tobias and everybody.”

In addition to Terry, the Sixers have also brought in Tyler Harris for an audition at their free agent minicamp.

While Terry isn’t expected to be drafted, the Sixers own four of the draft’s final 28 selections, which gives them the flexibility to take an untraditional route in extracting value from their late picks.

Such late selections typically have a low probability of yielding a contributor, so using them in a manner that would be favorable to one of their max free agents wouldn’t come with great opportunity cost. This is strictly speculation, as the team’s plan with its second-rounders is unknown. All that appears certain is that the Sixers will look to use their first selection on a player who can contribute from day one.

Pacific Notes: Barnes, Suns, Rajakovic, Kings

Harrison Barnes can hit the open market if he turns down his $25.1MM player option and the Kings would like to have him on the roster next season one way or another. If Barnes stays with Sacramento, it could be an indicator that the organization is on the upswing after years of perceived dysfunction, Jason Jones of The Athletic writes.

Kings’ management envisioned Barnes playing the small forward position when they traded for him at last season’s deadline. Dave Joerger had different plans, playing Barnes heavy minutes at the four spot next to Bogdan Bogdanovic at the three. Barnes at power forward also took time away from Marvin Bagley and made it more difficult for the rookie to rise to the starting lineup. Joerger has since been fired.

The Kings are hoping that their switch to Luke Walton as well as a renewed alignment between the coaching staff and front office will be viewed favorably around the league, particularly with agents. Here’s more from around the Kings and the Pacific Division:

Atlantic Notes: Kawhi, Lowry, Knicks, C’s, Sixers

While their star players haven’t been forced out of action like some Warriors have been, the Raptors are dealing with some health issues of their own in these NBA Finals, writes Joe Vardon of The Athletic.

According to Vardon and Sam Amick of The Athletic, the leg injury that has been bothering Kawhi Leonard since the Raptors’ series against the Bucks is a left knee issue. While the right quad injury that sidelined Leonard for nearly all of 2017/18 hasn’t been a problem, his knee pain stems from overcompensating for that quad issue, Vardon writes.

Meanwhile, Vardon also provides more specifics on Kyle Lowry‘s left hand injury, noting that the Raptors’ All-Star point guard has a ligament tear in his thumb. Lowry has previously hinted that he may need to undergo a surgical procedure on the injury after the season, but he appears set to play through it for the rest of the Finals.

Here’s more from around the Atlantic:

Atlantic Notes: Harris, Brogdon, Horford, Handy

The Sixers don’t know if free agent Tobias Harris will be on their roster next season, but two of his younger brothers might be, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Tyler Harris, 24, was part of the organization’s free agent workouts on Friday and Saturday and Terry Harris, 22, has a pre-draft session set for tomorrow.

The 24-year-old Tyler is a 6’10” forward who might be in the running for a two-way contract with the Sixers next season, according to Pompey. Terry, 22, is a 6’6″ forward who just completed his senior season at North Carolina A&T. He is projected as a possible late second-round selection and could be on the board when Philadelphia selects at No. 54. Terry had recent workouts with the Suns and Clippers and has sessions upcoming with the Kings, Nets and Mavericks.

Rashad Vaughn, Jamel Artis and Jamil Wilson were other players of interest at the Sixers’ free-agent workouts, Pompey adds.

  • Bucks guard Malcolm Brogdon could be an attractive alternative if the Sixers can’t re-sign Harris or Jimmy Butler, Pompey suggests in a separate story. Brogdon will be a restricted free agent, but he could become expendable with Milwaukee facing a free agent crunch of its own. He was a steady contributor this year, posting a 15.6/4.5/3.2 line before his season was cut short by a plantar fascia tear in his right foot. Pompey states that Brogdon could work as a complement to Ben Simmons in the backcourt or he could become the primary ballhandler if the Sixers decide to make Simmons a forward.
  • The Rockets’ willingness to reshape their roster could provide an opportunity for the Celtics, states Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston. The best chance for a deal, according to Forsberg, is if Kyrie Irving leaves Boston and the Celtics decide to commit to a youth movement. If Al Horford decides to opt into a $30.1MM salary, the organization may look to send him elsewhere, or there’s a chance both sides work out a sign-and-trade deal. In either scenario, Houston is an intriguing location because Horford met with the Rockets when he was a free agent in 2016. “It was a privilege,” Horford said at the time. “(Hakeem Olajuwon) and Clyde (Drexler) were there, and my dad went to high school here in Houston, and he was pushing Houston hard. Hakeem, to him, was a big deal.”
  • Sam Amick of The Athletic talks to Raptors assistant coach Phil Handy, who is facing the Warriors in the NBA Finals for the fifth straight year.

Draft Notes: Hornets, Sibande, Cook, Harris

Maryland sophomore forward Bruno Fernando headed a group of six players the Hornets worked out on Sunday. He’s currently listed No. 33 overall on ESPN’s Jonathan Givony list of Top 100 prospects. The other five players who came in, according to a team press release, included guards Shizz Alston Jr. (Temple), Justin Simon (St. John’s) and Keyshawn Woods (Ohio State), forward Lamar Stevens (Penn State) and center Raasean Davis (North Carolina Central).

We have more on the draft:

  • Davis and Nevada forward Trey Porter will work out for the Wizards, Nicola Lupo of Sportando tweets.
  • Miami (Ohio)’s Nike Sibande will return to school, Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports tweets. Sibande averaged 16.1 PPG and 5.1 RPG for the RedHawks last season.
  • Iowa big man Tyler Cook will remain in the draft, Jeff Goodman at WatchStadium.com tweets. Cook averaged 14.5 PPG and 7.6 RPG in his junior year.
  • North Carolina A&T shooting guard Terry Harris worked out for the Clippers last week, Chris Broussard of Fox Sports tweets. He’s the younger brother of Tobias Harris.