Report: Sixers To Waive Chris Johnson For Covington

With the signing of forward Robert Covington rumored for several days now, it seems as though the Sixers are finally ready to make space for him on the 15-man roster.

According to Keith Pompey, Chris Johnson will be on his way out:

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>The <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Sixers?src=hash">#Sixers</a> will waive Chris Johnson and to make room for <a href="https://twitter.com/Holla_At_Rob33">@Holla_At_Rob33</a>. He&#39;s expected to join the team today.</p>&mdash; Keith Pompey (@PompeyOnSixers) <a href="https://twitter.com/PompeyOnSixers/status/533676061926490112">November 15, 2014</a></blockquote>

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Johnson displayed a decent shooting ability in limited time with the Memphis Grizzlies and Boston Celtics, but just could not put together any resemblance of an outside shot over his nine game stint with Philadelphia. He averaged 6.0 points per game on 31.7% shooting, including a horrid 25.6% from beyond the arc.

The only surprising bit about the cut of Johnson is that it means rookie JaKarr Sampson lives to see another day on Philadelphia's roster. Sampson, who left after his sophomore season at St. John's, was certainly expected to be a project, but the Sixers are showing they may be willing to see this one through (for reasons unbeknownst to me). He is averaging just 2.3 points per game on 24.1% shooting.

Covington should be available for when Philadelphia takes on the San Antonio Spurs Monday, the last game of their road trip. David Pick reports Covington will sign a four-year, $4.2 million contract with Philadelphia, netting him $1 million for this season alone. That's a little higher than your minimum typical four-year pact, as the CBA states the minimum salary for a player with two years experience is $915,243. Covington was the D-League Rookie of the Year in 2013.