As our very own Jake Fischer reported on Wednesday, John Finger of CSN Philly confirmed yesterday that it's unlikely that J.P. Tokoto will sign with the Philadelphia 76ers this season.
All indications are J.P. Tokoto will not be signing a contract w/ the Sixers this year. He agreed to potentially be stashed on Draft night.
— Jake Fischer (@JakeLFischer) July 29, 2015
Although Tokoto showed a few flashes during the Vegas Summer League, the news doesn't come as a complete surprise. The 6'6" swingman is already an NBA-ready prospect when it comes to his defense, but his offensive game needs a fair amount of refinement. Tokoto, whom the Sixers selected with the 58th overall pick in June, averaged 5.7 points (on 37.1 percent shooting), 4.1 rebounds and 0.9 assists in seven games with the 76ers this summer.
The best move for Tokoto financially would be to sign with a team overseas, and then latch on with the Delaware 87ers for the tail end of the 2015-16 season (see "McRae, Jordan"). However, if he doesn't want to leave the States and/or if he wants to stay within the Sixers' "program", he could just join the Sevens outright (following training camp) as an affiliate player. That said, with D-League salaries topping out at less than $30,000 per season, it's unlikely that Tokoto won't seriously consider the option of taking his talents elsewhere.
UPDATE (h/t @BMoonan): According to Shams Charania of RealGM, Tokoto has no intention of signing elsewhere, and is working with the Sixers on a deal that would land him a training camp invite.
In a surprise, #Sixers, No. 58 pick J.P. Tokoto talking about camp deal, per @ShamsCharania: http://t.co/MIHHJlYVJM pic.twitter.com/2d5WhKD4Mc
— Hoops Rumors (@HoopsRumors) July 31, 2015