July 01, 2017
The Sixers’ Saturday veteran spending spree wasn’t just limited to shooting guard J.J. Redick, it seems. The Sixers reportedly agreed to another one-year deal, this time for a frontcourt player: Amir Johnson, who has played for the Pistons, Raptors, and most recently, the Boston Celtics:
Free agent Amir Johnson has agreed to a one-year, $11M deal with Philadelphia, agent Kevin Bradbury tells ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 1, 2017
Johnson is someone that Sixers president of basketball operations is familiar with from his time in Toronto. Already a 12-year NBA veteran at 30 years old, he figures to provide the Sixers with a locker room presence and some insurance for big men Joel Embiid, Richaun Holmes, and Jahlil Okafor.
Last season, Johnson averaged 6.5 points and 4.6 rebounds per game in 80 games for the Celtics.
With the move, the Sixers now only have about $15 million left in cap space. If the Sixers wanted to do a frontloaded renegotiation and extension with swingman Robert Covington, they might need to shed some more salary.
Johnson and Redick join Joel Embiid, Markelle Fultz, Ben Simmons, Dario Saric, Robert Covington, Jerryd Bayless, Nik Stauskas, Justin Anderson, Jahlil Okafor, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, Furkan Korkmaz, Richaun Holmes, and T.J. McConnell as players likely to be on the Sixers next year. That would likely be the 15-man roster if the season started today, but there is still plenty of time for other moves
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