Sixers Reportedly Land Haywood Highsmith on Exhibit 10 Deal

The Philadelphia 76ers are rumored to be inking veteran small forward Haywood Highsmith to an Exhibit 10 deal, according to Italian Club Vanoli Cremona.

Highsmith is no stranger to the Sixers organization. After going undrafted in 2018, the former Wheeling Cardinal signed a deal with the Sixers' G League affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats. 

During the 2018 season, Highsmith started in 42 of 46 games. He averaged 12 points per game while knocking down 43-percent of his shots from the field and 34-percent of his three-point attempts.

In the same year, Highsmith earned a bit of a promotion. After spending a lot of time in the G League with the Blue Coats, Highsmith landed a two-way deal with the Sixers in January of the 2018-2019 NBA season.

When he inked his first two-way deal with the Sixers, Highsmith made his NBA debut. During his lone season with the Sixers, Highsmith appeared in just five games. Coming off the bench, he averaged eight minutes on the floor. Highsmith put up 1.8 points per game during that five-game span, shooting 40-percent from the field and 20-percent from beyond the arc.

At the end of the season, the Sixers waived Highsmith. During the 2019 offseason, the NBA veteran was expected to land an Exhibit 10 deal with the Phoenix Suns. However, that reportedly fell through. As Highsmith failed to find a new location, he made his return to the Delaware Blue Coats for the 2019-2020 season.

Although Highsmith became a familiar face on the Blue Coats, he didn't play with them down in the G League bubble this past season. Instead, he played with the Crailsheim Merlins of the Basketball Bundesliga league in Germany.

This year, Highsmith was supposed to play with Vanoli Cremona of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A as he inked a contract with them last month. However, Highsmith had a clause on his contract that would allow him to return to the NBA if the opportunity arises. Although the Sixers have yet to officially confirm the signing, it seems Highsmith is headed towards a return to Philly for training camp. 

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.