76ers Sign NBA G League Standout After Win vs. Knicks
The Philadelphia 76ers have made a roster change following their big Christmas Day win over the New York Knicks on Sunday. On Monday morning, the Sixers inked a deal with NBA G League standout Louis King, a source confirms.
Considering the Sixers already have two two-way players under contract, they will have to make room for King. Although a corresponding move is not official at the moment, the Sixers are reportedly expected to waive the veteran guard Saben Lee, according to HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto. Therefore, the rookie Julian Champagnie is expected to stick around.
King, a New Jersey-born forward, spent his college days at Oregon. After spending one season with the Ducks, averaging 14 points while draining 39 percent of his threes, King declared for the 2019 NBA Draft. After going undrafted, King landed with the Detroit Pistons on a two-way contract.
Throughout the three years he spent in the pros, King has had NBA stints with the Pistons and the Sacramento Kings. In Detroit, King averaged six minutes on the floor in ten games during the 2019-2020 season. With the Kings, he appeared in 16 games over the course of two seasons. During his most notable run in 2020-2021 run, King averaged 14 minutes on the floor in six games. He put up seven points per game while knocking down 36 percent of his threes.
Beyond the NBA, King has had a few G League stints, playing for the Grand Rapids Drive, Westchester Knicks, Stockton Kings, and most recently, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.
This season, King has started in 17 of 18 games with the Vipers. He’s averaged 34 minutes on the court, putting up 20 points per game while draining 45 percent of his shots from the field and 31 percent of his threes on nearly eight attempts per game. In addition to his scoring, King has dished out four assists and come down with four rebounds per game.
With King joining the Sixers on a two-way deal, he’ll split time between the main roster and its G League affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.
