Sixers waive Humphries, two others
The Philadelphia 76ers closed out their preseason schedule with a convincing victory over the Miami Heat on Friday, 119-95. Ben Simmons led the way with 19 points, seven rebounds and five assists while J.J. Redick added 19 of his own. Following the game, the Sixers waived a trio of guys as their roster takes shape prior to opening night. According to Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer, veterans Kris Humphries and Emeka Okafor along with undrafted free agent signee James Blackmon Jr. were waived, leaving the Sixers' roster at 17.
The Sixers signed Humphries, 32, to a non-guaranteed contract on September 22 as the veteran had some strong workouts for the team. The Philly fans weren't too receptive to him, booing Humphries when he entered games and when he had the ball in his hands. Although not many believed he would make the roster, Humphries seemed to have an outside chance at it as insurance in the front court. Instead, the Sixers will roll with Joel Embiid, Jahlil Okafor, Richaun Holmes, Amir Johnson and Dario Saric. Saric has seen some time at the five in the preseason and it's been a relatively successful experiment. Humphries averaged a point and 1.7 rebounds in three games.
Along with Humphries, veteran big man Emeka Okafor will also be looking for work. Having not played in the NBA since the 2012-13 season, Okafor was unlikely to make the team anyway, but in the limited time he got, he showed that he can still run and that he has a soft touch around the rim. Okafor averaged 2.6 points and 2.8 rebounds in five games.
The third guy waived, James Blackmon Jr., was signed as an undrafted free agent after playing three seasons for Indiana. In four games, he averaged 3.0 points on 38.5 percent shooting.
These moves have the Sixers at 17. They have until Monday to get it to 15 full-time players and two additional two-way players, one of which is James Michael McAdoo. Don't be surprised if the other two-way guy is Jacob Pullen, who the Sixers signed ahead of training camp.
Brandon Apter is a contributor to 97.3 ESPN and managing editor at SportsTalkPhilly.com. Follow him on Twitter @bapter23.