July 05, 2016
The Sixers went out and signed a local product in free agency, but it wasn’t the name everyone expected.
According to the incomparable Woj, former Portland Trailblazers swingman Gerald Henderson will be coming home to Philly on what appears to be a perfectly reasonable two-year deal:
Free-agent guard Gerald Henderson has agreed to a two-year, $18 million deal with the Philadelphia 76ers, league sources told The Vertical.
Henderson, 28, joins a reshaped Sixers infrastructure that has started to include a blend of promising young prospects, including No. 1 overall pick Ben Simmons, and free-agent veterans such as Henderson, Jerryd Bayless and Spanish guard Sergio Rodriguez.
A decade ago, Henderson teamed up with fellow NBAer Wayne Ellington to form a very memorable Philly high school team down the street from the Sixers’ practice facility at Episcopal Academy. Henderson then went on to Duke, got drafted 12th overall in the 2009 NBA Draft, and played seven NBA season for Charlotte and Portland.
Henderson is a below average three-point shooter with plus athleticism on the wing. He’s a crafty player that can score buckets cutting off the ball and provides the Sixers’ bench unit with a decent secondary ball-handler.
Is Henderson a perfect fit with Ben Simmons and the Sixers’ young big guys? Maybe not because of the lack of a three-point shot, but he’s a legitimate NBA rotation player that understands how to play off the ball.
For two seasons, and with the Sixers still at least a few years away from contending, Henderson will do just fine.
Follow Rich on Twitter: @rich_hofmann
