Philadelphia 76ers Waive Ryan Broekhoff, Derrick Walton Jr.
With the NBA preseason approaching for the Philadelphia 76ers, the team had to make some tough cuts on Monday afternoon.
Following the Sixers' second practice of week two of this year's training camp, the Sixers have informed forward Ryan Broekhoff and guard Derrick Walton Jr. that they are going to be waived, sources told Sports Illustrated on Monday.
Broekhoff, a 30-year-old wing from Australia, signed on with the Sixers back in June before the team traveled down to the bubble for the NBA's restart of the 2019-2020 NBA season. Unfortunately for Broekhoff, he had to stay behind as he was dealing with family concerns regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.
Although Broekhoff never debuted for the Sixers last summer, the team did give the veteran a second chance this offseason as they invited him to training camp with a non-guaranteed contract.
While the third-year veteran earned some praise from his teammates and head coach, Doc Rivers, over the last couple of weeks -- Broekhoff's chances of making the roster were slim from the jump.
Derrick Walton Jr. is in the same boat. The 25-year-old guard agreed to a one-year, non-guaranteed deal with the 76ers back in late November. Although he's had some limited NBA experience over the last few years, Walton was still a longshot to make the 76ers' final roster.
Now, both veterans will hit the free agency market once again before ever getting a chance to debut for the Sixers this preseason. Meanwhile, Philly will take on the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night for one of two games and all eyes will be on Vincent Poirier and Justin Anderson as they battle for the final roster spot.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_
