Sixers Sign Veteran Guard Derrick Walton Jr.
The Philadelphia 76ers have added veteran guard Derrick Walton Jr. on Thursday, according to a report from ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
Walton, a former Michigan Wolverine, went undrafted in 2017 after spending four seasons in the NCAA. After his senior season at Michigan, he signed on with the Orlando Magic for an opportunity to play in the 2017 NBA Summer League.
By July of 2017, Walton ended up signing a two-way deal with the Miami Heat. By November of his rookie season, the Miami Heat called the young guard up. He ended up appearing in 16 games for the Heat during the 2017-2018 NBA season.
Walton averaged just under ten minutes on the court with Heat and put up 1.8 points-per-game off the bench. The following summer, Walton signed a deal with the Chicago Bulls as a restricted free agent for Miami. Chicago then waived him before the start of the 2018-2019 NBA season.
After his short stint in the NBA, Walton went overseas to play ball for the next year. He didn't return to the USA until 2019 when he joined the Los Angeles Clippers' Summer League team. During the 2019-2020 season, Walton appeared in 23 games for the Clippers. He averaged 2.2 points-per-game in an average of a little under ten minutes.
His time in L.A. didn't last very long as the Clippers traded Walton to the Atlanta Hawks in February of last season. He was then waived by the Hawks before signing a ten-day deal with the Detroit Pistons. Once his deal expired in Detroit, the Pistons never retained the young guard.
Now, Walton will have an opportunity to try and make the Sixers' roster. According to Kyle Neubeck of the Philly Voice, Walton's contract is non-guaranteed.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_
