With training camp set to begin Tuesday, the Sixers' roster seems to be set.
The team announced Wednesday that they've signed Haywood Highsmith to a contract. It's an Exhibit 10 deal for Highsmith, a team source told NBC Sports Philadelphia. By signing Highsmith, the Sixers now have 20 players under contract, the maximum a team can have in training camp.
Highsmith is the third player the Sixers have signed to an Exhibit 10 contract this summer, along with Christ Koumadje and Isaiah Miles. Under the terms of an Exhibit 10 deal, upon a player being waived he can receive a bonus of up to $50,000 if he signs with a team's G-League affiliate and stays with them for at least 60 days.
Exhibit 10 contracts can also be converted to two-way deals, although that likely won't happen for Highsmith, Koumadje or Miles because the Sixers' two two-way spots are full with Marial Shayok and Norvel Pelle. The bottom line is Highsmith, Koumadje and Miles can be incentivized to join the Delaware Blue Coats.
The Sixers had waived Highsmith on June 24, preferring to give his two-way spot to Pelle, an athletic center and selection to the G League's All-Defensive Team. Highsmith did play for the Sixers' summer league team this year and posted 7.3 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game.
The 6-foot-7 Highsmith impressed last season for the Blue Coats with his athleticism and defensive versatility, earning a two-way deal. He played in 46 games for Delaware and averaged 12.2 points, 6.9 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game. A product of Division II Wheeling Jesuit, Highsmith made his NBA debut on Jan. 8. On a whirlwind day, he signed a two-way contract, played in the Blue Coats' win over Raptors 905 and became the 26th player to ever play in a G League and NBA game in the same day, draining his first jumper during the Sixers' win over the Wizards (see story). He played in four more NBA games and saw minimal meaningful playing time.
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"My game has always been translatable to the NBA game, I think I just had to develop more in a few areas," the 22-year-old said before his first NBA action. "Just develop more, just keep working. I'm versatile, 6-7, can switch onto people, shoot the three - that's a pretty good game for an NBA player. I knew it was there, just needed to take a couple more steps."
Below is a rough overview of the Sixers' training camp depth chart, position by position. You'll see a few names at multiple positions to reflect their versatility:
Point guard
Starter: Ben Simmons
Depth: Raul Neto, Trey Burke, Josh Richardson, Shake Milton
Shooting guard
Starter: Josh Richardson
Depth: Zhaire Smith, Matisse Thybulle, Shake Milton, Furkan Korkmaz, Marial Shayok (two-way contract)
Small forward
Starter: Tobias Harris
Depth: James Ennis, Matisse Thybulle, Furkan Korkmaz, Haywood Highsmith (Exhibit 10 contract)
Power forward
Starter: Al Horford
Depth: Mike Scott, Tobias Harris, Jonah Bolden, Isaiah Miles (Exhibit 10 contract)
Center
Starter: Joel Embiid
Depth: Al Horford, Kyle O'Quinn, Jonah Bolden, Ben Simmons, Mike Scott, Norvel Pelle (two-way contract), Christ Koumadje (Exhibit 10 contract)
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