Philadelphia 76ers Blog – Page 22 – NBA Blog

Sixers trade Jahlil Okafor to Nets

The Brooklyn Nets have acquired center Jahlil Okafor, guard Nik Stauskas and a 2019 second round draft pick from the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for forward/center Trevor Booker.

In a subsequent move, the Nets have requested waivers on guard Sean Kilpatrick.

According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, “Booker, 30, in his eighth year in the NBA, is a veteran power forward with an attractive expiring contract. The two-year deal he signed with Brooklyn in 2016 for just over $18 million is up at the end of the 2017-18 campaign.”

“We are excited about the prospects of both Jahlil and Nik, as well as adding another future asset which will aid us in our continued roster development,” said Nets General Manager Sean Marks. “This trade provides us with a good opportunity to bring in two young players who were high picks in recent drafts and give them a chance to succeed in our system. We would also like to thank Trevor, Sean and their families for all of their contributions to our team and the Brooklyn community.”

“Trevor Booker has been a solid and competitive two-way contributor at every NBA stop. Trevor’s abilities should complement our style of play and his experience should add to our bench depth with playoff contention in mind,” said 76ers President of Basketball Operations Bryan Colangelo. “Jahlil and Nik are both quality young men with talent that should keep them productive in this league a long time. We hope they find more opportunity in Brooklyn this season and thank them for their contributions over the past few years.”

Booker, a 6-foot-10 forward, is in the midst of his eighth NBA season. He has appeared in 482 games (160 starts) with Brooklyn, Utah and Washington and holds career averages of 7.1 points and 5.7 rebounds in 21.0 minutes per game. His average of 10.1 points per game in 2017-18 represents a career-best.

Since signing with Brooklyn in the 2016 offseason, Booker has played in 89 games (48 starts) and produced 10.0 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 24.1 minutes per contest. Before joining the Nets, he’d held career averages of 6.5 points and 5.2 rebounds through his first six NBA seasons.

Booker was originally selected by Washington with the 23rd pick of the 2010 NBA Draft, following four standout seasons at Clemson. As a senior, he was named All-ACC First Team.

Okafor joins the Nets after spending the first two-plus seasons of his NBA career with the 76ers. In 105 career games (81 starts), the 21-year-old has averaged 14.6 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.1 blocks in 26.2 minutes per game. Originally selected with the third overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, Okafor saw action in 53 games (48 starts) in his rookie season, registering averages of 17.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.2 blocks in 30.0 minutes per game en route to All-Rookie First Team honors. Prior to beginning his NBA career, Okafor spent one year at Duke, helping lead the Blue Devils to the 2015 NCAA Championship. In his lone collegiate season, Okafor recorded averages of 17.3 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.4 blocks in 30.1 minutes per game in 38 contests, earning him Associated Press First Team All-America and ACC Player of the Year honors. He became the first freshman to capture the ACC Player of the Year award in the conference’s history.

Stauskas has appeared in 232 career games (63 starts) with Sacramento (2014-15) and Philadelphia (2015-17), recording averages of 7.3 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 22.3 minutes per game. The 24-year-old was originally selected with the eighth overall pick in the first round of the 2014 NBA Draft by the Kings out of the University of Michigan. Stauskas spent two years at Michigan, earning Big 10 Player of the Year and Associated Press Second Team-All America honors as a sophomore after averaging 17.5 points on 47.0 percent from the field and 44.2 percent from three-point range, 2.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 35.6 minutes per game. Stauskas also helped to lead the Wolverines to NCAA Tournament title game as a freshman and an Elite Eight appearance in his second and final collegiate season.

Booker, who originally signed as a free agent with Brooklyn on July 8, 2016, appeared in 18 games (six starts) this season with the Nets, averaging 10.1 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 21.9 minutes per contest. In 482 career games with the Nets, Jazz and Wizards, the eight-year veteran has recorded averages of 7.1 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 21.0 minutes per game.

Kilpatrick originally signed the first of two 10-day contracts on Feb. 28, 2016 before signing a multi-year contract on March 19, 2016. In 109 games (24 starts) with the Nets, Kilpatrick averaged 12.1 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 22.7 minutes per contest.

Ben Simmons will miss game vs Magic

Star Sixers rookie Ben Simmons has a hurt elbow. Sounds minor. Hopefully, that’s the case. More will be known soon, but as for today and tomorrow here’s CSN Philly reporting:

The Sixers aren’t the same team without Ben Simmons, and on Saturday, they’ll see exactly what type of team they are this season without their 6-foot-10 point guard.

Simmons will miss Saturday night’s game against Orlando because of left elbow soreness. Simmons, the early Rookie of the Year favorite, is averaging 18.5 points, 7.7 assists and 9.1 rebounds.

The Sixers said, after reviewing footage from Wednesday night’s 101-81 win over Portland, Simmons appears to have suffered the injury at the 6:22 mark of the fourth quarter. He was in treatment during practice Friday and will be reevaluated Sunday.

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Joel Embiid says fun while visiting LA helped his game

Sixers center Joel Embiid continues to provide fun to the basketball world, with excellent play on the court and fun quotes off of it. Here’s NBC Sports Philly reporting:

Joel Embiid sometimes looks like he’s having a party on the basketball court. It’s no surprise, then, he credits some actual partying with turning around his season.

Yes, that’s right. After Sixers practice Friday afternoon, Embiid said hitting the town in Los Angeles on the team’s recent road trip helped him out of a funk.

“All my close friends live in L.A., so before that, I wasn’t really doing anything, I was frustrated because I wasn’t in basketball shape and I wasn’t having fun on the court,” Embiid said. “So I won’t lie, I decided to go out, have fun a little bit. And that just kind of gave me the energy back, and the next game against the Clippers, I had more than 30 points [32], and then the following game I had more than 40 [46], so I think it’s just about having fun and making sure I can control what I can.”

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Markelle Fultz injury update

Philadelphia 76ers guard Markelle Fultz was examined and evaluated today by Dr. Ben Kibler, Medical Director of the Shoulder Center of Kentucky at the Lexington Clinic, for the soreness and scapular muscle imbalance that he has been experiencing in his right shoulder. The soreness is dissipating and the muscle balance is improving, and Fultz will continue with physiotherapy and begin progressing toward full basketball activities. Fultz will be re-evaluated in approximately two to three weeks. His return to gameplay will be determined by how the shoulder responds to progressive basketball training and practices in the interim.

Sixers sign Robert Covington to contract extension

President of Basketball Operations Bryan Colangelo announced today that the Philadelphia 76ers have restructured the terms of forward Robert Covington’s contract for the current season and signed Covington to a multi-year contract extension.

According to ESPN.com, it is a four-year, $62 million extension that “will include a $15 million renegotiation bump on Covington’s $1.57 million salary this season, plus an additional four years that will keep Covington under contract through the 2021-22 season.”

“Robert Covington is a prime example of what hard work, dedication and commitment can lead to. Rob’s growth as a player on both ends of the floor makes him one of the most versatile and effective wings in the league, while his contributions of character and professionalism feature prominently in our evolving organizational culture. This extension is both well-deserved, and a really great story,” Colangelo said.

Through 14 games this season, Covington holds averages of 16.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.5 steals in 31.1 minutes per game. His scoring average, 50 percent mark from the field and 49.5 percent mark from three-point range (eighth in the NBA) all represent career-highs.

The fifth-year forward has converted on 50 three-pointers this season, which ranks fourth in the NBA and he is one of just nine players in the league with at least 20 steals and 10 blocks in 2017-18. After leading the league in deflections per game a season ago, and finishing fourth in the league’s Defensive Player of the Year voting, his average of 3.4 deflections per contest this season places him fourth among NBA players.

Covington is one of 14 NBA players to make at least 500 three-pointers since the start of the 2014-15 season, while his 524 three-pointers in a 76ers uniform rank fourth in franchise history, behind Hall of Famer Allen Iverson, Kyle Korver and Andre Iguodala. He has finished second on the team in steals in each of his seasons in Philadelphia and is one of 17 players league-wide with at least 350 steals in that timeframe. Just five players have both 500 threes and 350 steals in that span.

Covington signed with the Sixers on Nov. 15, 2014 after being waived by Houston. In 217 games (178 starts), he holds averages of 13.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.6 steals in 28.6 minutes per game with Philadelphia. Covington originally was unselected in the 2013 NBA Draft after four seasons at Tennessee State and signed a free-agent contract with the Rockets in July 2013.

Ben Simmons even better than Sixers coach expected

Ben Simmons was expected to be very good. Maybe even great. For a rookie. But forget all that. He’s simply awesome, by any measure, right now. Here’s the Philadelphia Inquirer reporting:

Not even 76ers coach Brett Brown knew what he had in Ben Simmons.

Brown always envisioned Simmons as his point guard despite his 6-foot-10 stature after selecting him with the first overall pick of the 2016 draft. But …

“I didn’t realize that he was going to be as gifted athletically, immediately,” Brown said.

Simmons missed all of last season after breaking his right foot. Brown saw the 21-year-old’s athleticism during what amounted to a redshirt season at the team’s practice facility. But he didn’t know how it would translate in games.

“I see it clearly now,” the coach sad. “You wished and you hoped, but you didn’t know. … Now, I know.”

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Nate McMillan discusses Ben Simmons

Sixers rookie Ben Simmons doesn’t just look like a talented first-year player. He appears to be a talented star by any measure, new player in the league or otherwise. Here’s the Philadelphia Inquirer reporting:

Ben Simmons is making life difficult for opposing coaches to create a game plan. The rookie point guard’s size alone makes defensive matchups a tricky area to navigate.

“It’s unique in the sense that Simmons is a 6-10 point guard. We haven’t seen that in a long time,” Pacers coach Nate McMillan said Friday morning, hours before his team’s game against the Sixers. “LeBron [James] is about as close as a big guard that’s handling the ball as much as he does. Magic [Johnson] was that other guy. The league really hasn’t seen the big point guards in a long time.”

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Sixers exercise options on Ben Simmons, Dario Saric, Justin Anderson and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot

Philadelphia 76ers President of Basketball Operations Bryan Colangelo announced today that the team has exercised the third-year options on the contracts of guard-forward Ben Simmons, forward Dario Šarić and guard-forward Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot, as well as the fourth-year option on the contract of guard-forward Justin Anderson.

By exercising their options, these players will be under contract with the Sixers for the 2018-19 season.

Simmons, the first overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, is in the midst of his first NBA season. He became just the third player ever to post a triple-double within the first four games of his career when he registered 21 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists against Detroit on Oct. 23. The Australia native began his career with double-doubles in his first four games as he was the first player to do so since Shaquille O’Neal notched double-doubles in his first 11 career contests in 1992-93.

Šarić, who was acquired by Philadelphia in a draft-night trade in 2014 after being selected 12th overall by the Orlando Magic, joined teammate Joel Embiid on the NBA’s All-Rookie First Team a season ago, after finishing second in Rookie of the Year voting. In his debut season, the Croatia native played in 81 games (36 starts) and averaged 12.8 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 26.3 minutes per game. He was the 11th rookie in franchise history to score at least 1,000 points (1,068) and the first foreign-born member of the group.

Luwawu-Cabarrot was drafted by the Sixers with the 24th overall selection in the 2016 NBA Draft. He went on to appear in 69 games (19 starts), averaging 6.4 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game as a rookie in 2016-17. The 6-6 swingman from France, started the last 18 games of the season while averaging 12.9 points in those contests. He produced a 23-point performance at Toronto on April 2 and a career-high 24-point outing vs. Indiana on April 10.

Anderson, who was acquired by the Sixers on Feb. 23, 2017 from the Dallas Mavericks, has appeared in 29 games for Philadelphia. His best outing as a Sixer came on April 12 at New York, when he tallied a career-high 26 points on 9-of-11 shooting. Against his former team on Mar. 17, Anderson scored 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting and grabbed eight rebounds in 26 minutes. As a member of the 76ers, he has increased his scoring, rebounding and assist averages as well as his field goal and three-point percentages. The third-year man out of Virginia was originally selected by Dallas with the 21st overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft.

Sixers waive Andrew Andrews, Marc Loving and James Webb

The Philadelphia 76ers have waived guard Andrew Andrews, forward Marc Loving and forward James Webb III, 76ers President of Basketball Operations Bryan Colangelo announced today.

With the move, the Sixers roster stands at 17 players, including two Two-Way players (James Michael McAdoo and Jacob Pullen) who will spend time with Philadelphia and its G League affiliate, the Delaware 87ers.

Sixers convert Jacob Pullen contract, sign Andrew Andrews, Marc Loving and James Webb III.

The Philadelphia 76ers have converted guard Jacob Pullen’s contract to a two-way contract, 76ers President of Basketball Operations Bryan Colangelo announced today.

And in separate moves, Philadelphia has agreed to terms with guard Andrew Andrews, forward Marc Loving and forward James Webb III.

Per NBA rules, teams are permitted to sign two players to two-way contracts in addition to the 15-man NBA regular-season roster. A two-way player for the Sixers will provide services to the team’s G League affiliate – the Delaware 87ers – but can spend up to 45 days with the Sixers, not including any time spent with the Sixers prior to the start of Sevens’ training camp or following the conclusion of the Sevens’ regular season. Pullen is the second player that the Sixers have signed to a two-way contract, joining James Michael McAdoo.

Pullen appeared in four preseason games with the Sixers, posting averages of 2.8 points and 1.0 assist in 6.8 minutes per game. He most recently played professionally for BC Khimki of the VTB United League in Russia. Across VTB and Eurocup play, Pullen appeared in 40 games and averaged 10 points and two assists per contest. Since 2011, he has played professionally in Italy, Israel, Spain and Croatia in addition to his most recent season in Russia.

A 6-foot-1-inch guard, Pullen starred at Kansas State from 2007-11, averaging 16 points, two rebounds, three assists and two steals across 135 games (67 starts). As a senior in 2010-11, he posted 20 points and four assists per game as he was named First Team All-Big 12; an honor he also earned as a junior. The Wildcats reached the NCAA Tournament in three of Pullen’s four seasons at the school, including an appearance in the 2010 Elite Eight.

Andrews spent last season playing for Best Balikesir Basketbol Kulubu in the Turkish Basketball Super League. He appeared in 19 games (18 starts) and averaged 14.2 points on .431 shooting along with 3.5 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game. Andrews was undrafted in 2016, following a four-year career at University of Washington, which included 2016 Pac-12 All-Conference First Team honors after leading the league in scoring (20.9 ppg). The Portland, Oregon native spent 2016 training camp with the Charlotte Hornets, appearing in three preseason games.

Loving was undrafted in 2017. He played four seasons at Ohio State University, appearing in 134 games (86 starts) for head coach Thad Matta. For his career, Loving averaged 10.0 points on .419 shooting with 3.8 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 25.5 minutes for the Buckeyes. As a junior, he helped Ohio State reach the second round of the NCAA Tournament, earning 2016 All-Big Ten honorable mention honors. Loving is a native of Toledo, Ohio.

Webb III spent the 2016-17 season with the Delaware 87ers of the NBA G League, appearing in 39 games (all starts) averaging 13.1 points on .447 shooting and 9.3 rebounds in 34.8 minutes per contest. The Augusta, Georgia native was on the Sixers 2016 training camp roster, appearing in six preseason games before joining the Sevens for the regular season. Webb III was undrafted 2016 after three standout seasons with the Boise State University basketball program where he was named Mountain West All-Conference First Team as a senior.