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Sixers sign former Grizzlie Kenneth Lofton Jr. to two-way contract

The forward averaged 2.6 points and 6.6 minutes in 15 games as a reserve post player this season. The Sixers waived Javonte Smart from his two-way deal to create a roster spot.

Memphis Grizzlies forward Kenny Lofton Jr. drives to the basket against 76ers forward Michael Foster Jr. during the first half on July 5.
Memphis Grizzlies forward Kenny Lofton Jr. drives to the basket against 76ers forward Michael Foster Jr. during the first half on July 5.Read moreJeff Swinger / AP

The 76ers singed Kenneth Lofton Jr. to a two-way deal on Saturday.

This comes five days after the Memphis Grizzlies waived the post player to create a roster spot for Ja Morant, who had been suspended for the first 25 games of the season.

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Lofton averaged 2.6 points and 6.6 minutes in 15 games as a reserve this season. The 6-foot-7, 275-pounder initially signed a two-way contract with Memphis after going undrafted out of Louisiana Tech in 2022. He was the 2023 NBA G-League rookie of the year for the Memphis Hustle.

The 21-year-old averaged 20.2 points, 10.5 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.2 steals in 17 games last season for the Hustle. He had a career-high 33 points against the Delaware Blue Coats, the Sixers’ G-League affiliate, on Feb. 3.

Lofton also represented the G League in the 2023 Rising Stars Challenge NBA All-Star Weekend in Salt Lake City on Feb. 18.

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NBA teams have a maximum of three two-way players on the roster in addition to 15 standard contracts. Lofton will join Ricky Council IV and Terquavion Smith as two-way players. The Sixers waived Javonte Smart from his two-way deal to create a roster spot. Smart practiced with the Sixers on Saturday.

This comes after the team converted Smart’s Exhibit 10 deal to a two-way contract on Oct. 21. The 6-4, 205-pounder was averaging 21 points, 5.8 assists, and 3.9 rebounds for the Blue Coats this season.

He played the final 40 seconds of the Sixers’ 121-111 victory over the Toronto Raptors Friday night at the Wells Fargo Center. It was the only game Smart played for the Sixers. He also appeared in 17 games in 2021-22, playing for both the Miami Heat (13 games) and the Milwaukee Bucks.