76ers Cut Saben Lee to Make Room for Louis King
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The Philadelphia 76ers added former Detroit Pistons and Sacramento Kings forward Louis King on Monday morning, a source confirmed. Considering King will join the Sixers on a two-way contract, the Sixers had to make a corresponding move to make room.
The Sixers will keep the undrafted rookie forward Julian Champagnie around. In order to make room for King, the Sixers will let go of the veteran guard, Saben Lee, the team announced.
Just last month, the Sixers made Saben Lee the third two-way player they signed during the process of the 2022-2023 NBA season. As the Sixers lacked backcourt depth with injuries piling up, they felt comfortable with the depth they had in the frontcourt. Therefore, the Sixers waived the rookie big man Michael Foster Jr. so they could bring in Lee.
“They were real welcoming,” Lee told FanNation’s All76ers last month when discussing his arrival with the Sixers. “They told me everything they wanted me to learn, the plays, they helped me through it. I was able to have a day there to work out with the coaches, go through some plays, work out with Julian (Champagnie). It was a good introduction to the new nuances over here.”
The former Vanderbilt standout was playing with the Toronto Raptors’ NBA G League affiliate Raptors 905 earlier this year before the Sixers came calling. Patiently waiting for another opportunity to play beyond the G League after two seasons with the Pistons, Lee looked forward to joining the 76ers.
“I’m grateful for the opportunity to make my mark, to show what I can do with the opportunity,” Lee continued back in November. “I don’t take this opportunity for granted, for sure.”
Lee played in just two games with the Sixers this season. He totaled ten minutes on the court, taking four shots and scoring six points. Down in Delaware with the Sixers’ G League affiliate, the Blue Coats, Lee appeared in eight games. Averaging 35 minutes on the court, the young veteran put up 25 points per game while hitting on 41 percent of his threes.
With Lee on his way out in favor of King, the Sixers pick up a former undrafted prospect out of Oregon. King, a 23-year-old veteran forward is coming off a stint with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers in the G League, where he averaged 20 points per game while shooting 31 percent from three on eight attempts per game.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.
