The Sixers have filled their vacant two-way contract spot with a player that president of basketball operations Daryl Morey knows well from his time in Houston.
The team is signing forward Gary Clark to a two-way deal, a source confirmed Tuesday to NBC Sports Philadelphia. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski first reported the news, which the Sixers officially announced Tuesday night.
The Sixers last week waived two-way player Mason Jones, who played in garbage time of six games.
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Since Clark was waived on April 8, the day before the NBA’s playoff-eligibility waiver deadline, he’ll be able to play in the postseason. Two-way players are eligible for the playoffs this year.
Clark began his NBA career with Morey’s Rockets, playing 69 games for the franchise. Morey signed Clark after he went undrafted in 2018 and kept the 26-year-old with the Rockets until waiving him in January of 2020.
He was traded from the Magic to the Nuggets in March as part of Denver’s deal for Aaron Gordon, then waived by Denver after just two appearances.
Sixers head coach Doc Rivers has expressed confidence in his bench leading into the postseason, saying recently he “wouldn’t blink” at using 11 players. Shake Milton, George Hill, Matisse Thybulle and Dwight Howard seem likely to receive consistent playoff minutes. Tyrese Maxey and Furkan Korkmaz also figure to be part of the mix at some stage.
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Further down the line, veteran power forwards Anthony Tolliver and Mike Scott are options for Rivers.
Clark will be a player Rivers can use if he’s searching desperately for someone capable of defending wings and frontcourt players or the Sixers are struck hard by injuries. The University of Cincinnati product isn’t much of a shooter or scorer but is known for his defensive versatility.