The Sixers have supplemented their guard depth in free agency.
Anfernee Simons has agreed to sign with the team on a two-year, $12.3 million contract that has a player option in Year 2, a source confirmed Thursday afternoon to NBC Sports Philadelphia. ESPN’s Shams Charania first reported the news.
HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto reported that the Warriors, Heat, Nuggets, Mavericks and Pacers also had interest in Simons.
The Sixers will be the fourth NBA team for the 27-year-old Simons. He’s averaged 14.9 points, 3.2 assists and 2.5 rebounds for his career.
The 6-foot-3 Simons is a combo guard who fires up three-pointers at a high rate and has hit 38.1 percent of his long-range attempts in the NBA. Low three-point volume was an issue for the Sixers last season — the team ranked 23rd in three-point frequency, per Cleaning the Glass — and Simons should help to address it with his comfort on both pull-up and catch-and-shoot triples.
Simons was shipped from the Celtics to the Bulls last trade deadline. He only played six games for Chicago because he aggravated a left wrist fracture in February and missed the rest of the season.
The Sixers now have Simons and rookie Labaron Philon Jr. at guard behind presumptive starters Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe. Quentin Grimes has reportedly agreed to a four-year deal with the Lakers.
Once all their moves are official, the Sixers’ roster will be at 14 players. The regular-season maximum is 15 and three two-way contracts.