Sixers waive Rayjon Tucker, creating new two-way contract roster spot

As the offseason continues and the 2021-22 campaign and training camp gradually approach, the Philadelphia 76ers are tweaking their roster. The team announced on Wednesday morning that they’ve waived Rayjon Tucker, who was with the team on a two-way deal.

Seeing as Tucker had already been with the team through last season and had some intrigue as a player, it’s slightly surprising to see him waived. He’s a seriously explosive athlete with solid defensive tools and some ability as a slasher (his amazing pre-game dunks were always good fun, too). That said, Tucker hasn’t been able to show much in the NBA yet and didn’t impress too much in Summer League this year.

The Sixers now have one player on a two-way contract in Aaron Henry (who had some nice moments in Summer League), leaving them with one more two-way spot to fill.

Rookie big man Charles Bassey — who was acquired by the Sixers with this year’s 53rd overall pick, which they bought from New Orleans for $2 million in cash — is yet to sign his contract with the team and is probably the top candidate to take Tucker’s two-way spot. Bassey didn’t play at all during Summer League while he was unsigned, which was the request of his agent at the start of Summer League, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Keith Pompey.

The Sixers also have Anthony Tolliver’s roster spot to utilize. Tolliver is signed for $2.69 million in 2021-22, but his contract is fully non-guaranteed and could be used as another small salary to fill out a trade package (his contract becomes guaranteed on September 6). We’ll probably have more clarity about exactly how the Sixers will be addressing these spots at the end of their roster fairly soon.

Update: Well, it didn’t take long for that roster spot to be filled. 6’2” guard Grant Riller has agreed to sign with the Sixers on a two-way deal. As someone who offers dynamic driving ability and scoring off the bounce, Riller made a lot of sense for the Sixers as a potential target in the 2020 NBA Draft. Picking him up now is a nice move for Philly.