When Will Tyler Johnson Make His Sixers Debut?
With the NBA navigating through a significant COVID-19 outbreak this month, the league decided to tweak its rules and allow organizations to make temporary signings to add players to rosters in an attempt to avoid further postponements.
The Philadelphia 76ers were among a handful of teams to see one of their games get pushed back this season.
As Philadelphia had more players on the injury report than they had available on Sunday, their matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans was pushed back to a later date.
While the Sixers managed to fly a few of their Delaware Blue Coats prospects to Boston ahead of their Monday night matchup against the Celtics, the team still signed a new prospect using the NBA's hardship exception.
A Familiar Face Joins the Sixers
On Monday, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported that the Sixers plan to sign former Brooklyn Nets guard Tyler Johnson.
According to Kyle Neubeck of The Philly Voice, Johnson's deal with the Sixers will be a ten-day contract, using the hardship exception.
Johnson, who is best known for his time with the Miami Heat, played the last two seasons with the Phoenix Suns and the Brooklyn Nets. After getting waived by the Suns during the 2019-2020 season, Johnson inked a one-year deal with the Nets.
Johnson re-upped with the Nets on another one-year deal following his short first stint in Brooklyn. After appearing in 39-regular season games and eight postseason matchups with Brooklyn last year, Johnson wrapped up his tenure with the Nets after failing to receive another contract from them during this past offseason.
As Johnson's been waiting around for another team to call throughout the first stretch of the 2021-2022 NBA season, he's set to finally receive an opportunity to compete with the 76ers. As of now, the signing isn't official. So, when will Johnson lace up his sneakers and debut for Philadelphia?
What's the Plan?
Per Neubeck, the signing is expected to be official "in the coming days." As the Sixers were set to face the Boston Celtics hours after the report came out revealing that Johnson was landing with the 76ers, it was clear that the former Miami sharpshooter wasn't going to make his season debut in Boston.
The Sixers have Tuesday and Wednesday off from games. They'll return to the court on Thursday for a matchup against the Atlanta Hawks. There's a good chance the Sixers practice on Wednesday, which could be the first time Johnson joins the team and gets acclimated with everybody.
While it's not a guarantee Johnson appears on the Sixers' bench on Thursday night at the Wells Fargo Center, that seems to be a realistic target date for the veteran to make his Philadelphia debut.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.