Sports Talk Philly: Philadelphia Sports News and Rumors

76ers Ink James Ennis to 2-Year Contract

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By Matt Gregan, Sports Talk Philly Staff

The Philadelphia 76ers are bringing back James Ennis III on a two-year contract worth $4.1 million, according to The Athletic's Shams Charania. 

Free agent James Ennis has agreed to a two-year, $4.1M deal to return to Philadelphia, with second-year player option, league sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium. Ennis turned down more salary from multiple teams to return to a championship contender.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 2, 2019

Ennis III was acquired in a mid-season trade last year with the Houston Rockets with the expectation that he would battle for a spot in the Sixers' rotation off the bench. After he won a spot in the rotation over Furkan Korkmaz and Jonathon Simmons, he averaged 5.3 points and 3.6 rebounds in 15.6 minutes per game in 18 games in a 76ers uniform last season. He became a solid, reliable player off the bench for the 76ers in a relatively short time, excelling as someone who provided grit and toughness to the second unit.

76ers Sign Big Man Kyle O'Quinn

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By Matt Gregan, Sports Talk Philly Staff

Philadelphia 76ers general manager Elton Brand stayed busy during the first full day of the NBA's free agency period, inking veteran big man Kyle O'Quinn to a contract for the veteran minimum according to PhillyVoice's Kyle Neubeck. The contract is reportedly worth $2.1 million. 

The Sixers are signing Kyle O'Quinn, I'm told.

— Kyle Neubeck (@KyleNeubeck) July 2, 2019

76ers' Sign-and-Trade With Miami Hits a Snag

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By Matt Gregan, Sports Talk Philly Staff

In the overnight hours of the opening night of the NBA's free agency period, the sign-and-trade between the Philadelphia 76ers and Miami Heat that would send Jimmy Butler to Miami in return for Josh Richardson has hit a snag, according to multiple reports. 

completing this for the record: the deal is off. at some point, there was a misunderstanding with the parameters. miami was certain it was dragic. dallas had been saying olynyk/jones all week. up to miami to salvage it, probably with another team.

— Tim Cato (@tim_cato) July 1, 2019

Miami needed to clear some cap space to fit the addition of Butler, and they had planned on getting rid of Goran Dragic ($19.2 million cap hit) to help achieve that. They had an agreement to send Dragic to the Dallas Mavericks, until that agreement fell apart due to poor communication from both sides.

5 Takeaways from the Sixers' Moves on the Opening Night of Free Agency

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By Matt Gregan, Sports Talk Philly Staff

The Philadelphia 76ers were one of the more active and exciting teams in the opening night of the NBA's free agency period. They are in the process of completing a sign-and-trade with the Miami Heat that would net them Josh Richardson for Jimmy Butler, and they signed veteran big man Al Horford to a four-year, $109 million contract. Here are some of my observations from their moves in the opening hours of free agency.

76ers Sign Big Man Al Horford to 4-Year Contract

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By Matt Gregan, Sports Talk Philly Staff

The Philadelphia 76ers, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, signed big man Al Horford to a four-year, $109 million contract. The contract contains $97 million guaranteed and $12 million in bonuses tied to championships. 

The Horford contract has $97M guaranteed and $12M in bonuses tied to championships, league sources tell ESPN. https://t.co/9ayQXSUaiU

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 1, 2019

The Sixers continued to make major changes to their roster, with this move following immediately on the heels of a sign-and-trade with the Miami Heat that sent Jimmy Butler to Miami in return for Josh Richardson. 

Horford, a five-time NBA All-Star, will presumably play the power forward position in Philadelphia due to the team already having superstar center Joel Embiid. While Horford would fit better as a center, he does have some of the necessary skills to be able to coexist on the court with Embiid. Horford is an excellent defender, often giving Embiid struggles during his time with the Boston Celtics. 

On the offensive end, Horford can shoot from both mid-range and beyond the arc. Last season, he shot 36 percent from 3-point range. He is a near perfect fit on the offensive end due to his ability to excel anywhere on the court.

Most importantly, Horford is not a ball dominant player, which should help him be able to coexist with the rest of the 76ers team. He took only 10.6 shots per game with the Celtics last season. Horford is a quiet player who does a great job at doing the little things, whether it is being unselfish with the ball or helping out on the defensive end. 

One of the main concerns with the contract that the 76ers are giving Horford is that it is for four years. Horford, currently age 33, might not still be providing good production on the floor by the end of this contract. However, it is clear that the Sixers are in win now mode and Horford helps the team improve in the immediate. 

 

76ers, Heat Finalizing Jimmy Butler Sign-and-Trade

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By Matt Gregan, Sports Talk Philly Staff

According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the Philadelphia 76ers and Miami Heat are finalizing a sign-and-trade that would send Jimmy Butler to the Heat. The Sixers are reportedly receiving Josh Richardson back in the deal. 

The deal will include Josh Richardson to the 76ers, league sources tell ESPN. https://t.co/nWFrg00mtm

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 1, 2019

Marlins 6, Phillies 2: Velasquez's Poor Outing, Hitting Fails to Show in Series Opener

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By Matt Gregan, Sports Talk Philly Staff

The Philadelphia Phillies dropped the series opener 6-2 to the Miami Marlins on a hot Friday night in Miami. The bats were shut down, totaling only four hits and not really putting up a fight at any point during the game. It took until the fifth inning for the Phillies to get their first hit, a double by Maikel Franco. 

After sweeping the New York Mets in a four-game series, the Phillies looked like they had rebounded from their cold streak throughout the month of June. However, they played like they did not show up to Miami, which was disappointing to see from a team that looked like they had regained the confidence and swagger that they had earlier in the season. 

The Phillies now stand at 43-39. The Marlins are now 31-49.

Phillies 6, Mets 3: Segura's Home Run Caps 9th Inning Heroics

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By Matt Gregan, Sports Talk Philly Staff

The power of the bamboo! The Philadelphia Phillies complete a four-game sweep of the New York Mets in walk-off fashion for the second game in a row. Jean Segura lined a three-run home run just over the wall in left field to cap the team's 9th-inning heroics and give the Phillies a 6-3 win. 

Earlier this week, the Phillies looked like they were a team that was dead in the water. However, the Mets came into town and something clicked (the bamboo?). Now, the team has seemed to regain some of their early-season swagger and fight, sweeping the rival Mets, with all four wins coming in come-from-behind fashion. 

The Phillies now sit at 43-38. The Mets have fallen to 37-45.

Philadelphia Phillies Roundtable: The Current State of the Phillies

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By Matt Gregan, Frank Klose and Matt Rappa

With it being the middle of a very hectic season of Phillies baseball, we at Sports Talk Philly assembled three of our Phillies writers at Philliedelphia, our managing editor Matt Rappa, our owner and man in charge of Phillies coverage for 97.3 ESPN's website Frank Klose, and staff writer Matt Gregan, to talk about some of the key questions, concerns and rumors flying around the team right now.

Has Vince Velasquez Earned Back The 5th Spot in the Starting Rotation?

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By Matt Gregan, Sports Talk Philly Staff

One of the Philadelphia Phillies' major problems this season has been the lack of a consistent fifth starter in the starting rotation. 

Vince Velasquez opened up the season as the team's fifth starter, going 1-2 with a 3.99 ERA in six starts before he went on the injured list with a right forearm strain. He has the best stuff on the mound of any of the potential candidates for the fifth starter's spot, although it is well documented that he struggles with keeping his pitch count low and going deep into games.