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The Philadelphia 76ers have had an open roster spot available since cutting swingman Hollis Thompson on Wednesday, and all indications were that the team planned to fill the vacancy with a new point guard.
TJ McConnell has played phenomenally since taking over the starting spot, but the team was reliant on Nik Stauskas to play backup minutes while Sergio Rodriguez nursed an ankle injury for the past three games.
Now that Jan. 5 has passed, NBA teams are now eligible to sign players to 10-day contracts, and it seems as though the Sixers plan to address their depth issues by plucking someone from the NBA’s Developmental League.
According to Keith Pompey, the team plans to bring in four ball handlers for a workout on Monday.
PGS Chassan Randle, Briante’ Weber, Yogi Ferrell and Cat Barber are all scheduled to work out for #Sixers Monday, according to source.
— Keith Pompey (@PompeyOnSixers) January 8, 2017
Chasson Randle was a four-year starter at Stanford, and finished his collegiate career as the school’s all-time leading scorer with 2,375 points. During his time at Stanford, he averaged 16.5 points while shooting 42.8 percent from the floor and 38.6 percent from three. He spent last season playing in the Czech Republic, and joined the New York Knicks 2016 NBA Summer League squad.
He signed a contract with the Knicks on Aug. 4, but was released in training camp after suffering an orbital bone fracture and assigned to their D-League affiliate, the Westchester Knicks. According to Marc Berman of the New York Post, the Knicks had promised to sign the 23-year-old to a 10-day once those deals became available, but now may not have the opportunity. He’s currently averaging 20.7 points and shooting 40.2 percent from beyond the arc in 19 games with Westchester.
Former VCU guard Briante Weber is currently ranked as the number one prospect in the D-League right now, according to the league’s Prospect Watch list. A three-time A-10 Defensive Player of the Year award winner, Weber went undrafted in 2015 because he was still recovering from an ACL tear. He started the season with the Sioux Falls Skyforce, but eventually earned ten-day contracts with the Memphis Grizzlies and Miami Heat due to his well-rounded game.
The Heat brought him back for Summer League and kept him through eight preseason games, only to cut him on Oct. 22. Now back with the Skyforce, he’s currently averaging 14.1 points, 7.6 rebounds, 7.0 assists, and 3.2 steals in 35.6 minutes per game.
Former Indiana guard Yogi Ferrell is a happy medium between Randle and Weber. He averaged 13.5 points and 4.3 assists per game during his career with the Hoosiers, and earned Big Ten All-Defensive team honors in 2016. The Brooklyn Nets signed him as an undrafted free agent this summer, and he impressed enough to make the final squad. He appeared in 10 games for the Nets, averaging 5.4 points and 1.7 assists in 15.1 minutes per game. The six foot guard was eventually waived on Dec. 8, and was assigned to the Long Island Nets, where he’s posted averages of 19.3 points, 5.5 assists, and 1.8 steals in 13 games.
A two-year starter at NC State, Anthony “Cat” Barber put up career highs in points (23.5), rebounds (4.6), and assists (4.5) in his junior season, but wasn’t deemed worthy of a selection in the 2016 NBA Draft. He spent Summer League with the New Orleans Pelicans before the Sixers snatched him up on Aug. 31. He missed most of the preseason with a wrist injury, and was eventually cut before the season started. Barber joined the Delaware 87ers, and is currently averaging 13.9 points and 4.0 assists in 19 games.