Sixers Reluctant To Round Out Roster

Apr 13, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard

(31) dribbles up the court against the Milwaukee Bucks at Wells Fargo Center. The Bucks won 107-97. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Sixers Reluctant To Round Out Roster

Depending upon which “official” roster you click, you will get different answers as to who is on and who is not on the roster of the Philadelphia 76ers.  Since you are here to read what we’ve learned, I’ll try to place everything on paper as we now know it:

The Official NBA roster (found at www.nba.com/sixers/roster) shows the team with 16 players.  But when the name of center Guillermo Hernangómez is listed, a player who was traded to the New York Knicks for two future second round draft picks and cash, it’s time to move on.

The official Philadelphia 76er roster found on ESPN lists 19 players, but list J.P. Tokoto, a player who was drafted in the second round but who has yet to sign a contract.  The roster also lists Ish Smith, a former 76er who is now an unsigned free agent.

So who DO we have, right now.

Centers:  The team has Jahlil Okafor and a rehabbing Joel Embiid.  The team also has last years center Nerlens Noel, who will no doubt split his time between center and power forward.  Embiid will likely not be play in the 2015-16 season.  The team also had traded 2nd rounder center Arturas Gudaitas to the Sacramento Kings in the deal for Nik Stauskas.

Power Forward:  The team has Nerlens Noel, as well as newcomer Carl Landry and Furkan Aldemir and second round draft pick Richaun Holmes.  The team traded second round pick Luka Mitrovic in the deal for Nik Stauskas.

Small Forward:  The team has Jerami Grant, Gerald Wallace, and JaKarr Sampson. The team is waiting to make and then for JP Tokoto to sign a tendered offer.

Shooting Guard: The team has Hollis Thompson, Robert Covington, and Nik Stauskas.  The team also has Jordan McRae returning from the Australian league, whom they must make and then McRae to sign that tendered offer.

Point Guard:  The team has Tony Wroten, Isaiah Canaan, Scottie Wilbekin, and Pierre Jackson.

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Free Agents not retained:   center Henry Sims and point guard Ish Smith.  Assuming an offer is tendered and all draft picks DO sign, the Sixers have one remaining open roster spot to fill.

The Philadelphia 76ers stashed a player in the Australian league for a year, and now appear to be ready to sign him as well. The player is Jordan McRae.

The Sixers have until September 5 to offer a contract to JP Tokoto, or he will have the right to negotiate with any team. The Sixers have until September 10 to do the same for Jordan McRae.   Should both prospects not receive a tender offer, they will be free to go.  If they are offered a contract, but reject it, they can sign with an international or D-League team, but upon the expiration of that contract will be obliged to negotiate with the Philadelphia 76ers to enter the NBA.

Confused?

Don’t be.   The Sixers currently have one position to fill on the current roster, and may have up to three roster spots to fill.   Ideally, the player would be a center, but the team may have a plan in place which addresses the front court situation.  General manager Sam Hinkie has indicated that the team is still negotiating with teams and with players to fill the final roster spot, but so far that progress shows no visible signs of occuring.  So we wait.  It seems that is what we are good at.