The Sixers are signing last year’s G League MVP.
The team is adding point guard Frank Mason, a team source confirmed Friday night to NBC Sports Philadelphia. The Athletic’s Derek Bodner first reported the news. Mason’s deal is an Exhibit 10 contract and the plan is for him to join the Delaware Blue Coats, the Sixers’ G-League affiliate, the source said.
Mason averaged a league-high 26.4 points and 5.0 assists last season for the Wisconsin Herd, shooting 42.5 percent from three-point range on 7.9 attempts per game. The Herd finished with a 33-10 record, the best in the G League.
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The 26-year-old Mason has some similarities with a player the Sixers had in training camp, Derrick Walton Jr. (French club ASVEL on Friday announced the signing of Walton, whom the Sixers waived before their first preseason game.) Like Walton, Mason is undersized at 5-foot-11, has ample big-game experience over four college seasons and hasn’t yet secured a regular spot in the NBA. Mason was the 34th pick in the 2017 NBA draft after his college career at Kansas and spent his first two professional seasons with the Kings.
Through Exhibit 10 deals, teams can incentivize players to join their G-League affiliates after waiving them.
Outside of Mason and their two-way contract players, the Sixers currently have 16 players. The NBA’s offseason roster limit is 20, and teams must cut down to 15 plus a pair of two-way contracts by the regular season. Paul Reed and Dakota Mathias are the Sixers’ two-way players and will be permitted to be active for up to 50 NBA games this season.
NBA
According to multiple reports, the G League intends to hold a season in a “bubble” environment in Atlanta.