Sixers News: Kenneth Lofton Had Competitive Free Agent Market

The Memphis Grizzlies needed to make a move on their roster, resulting in a player being waived a couple of weeks back. Second-year post-player Kenneth Lofton Jr. found himself on the open market for the first time since he went undrafted in 2022. 

Lofton didn’t leave the Grizzlies on a low note. Therefore, he was expected to land on his feet somewhere else. The Philadelphia 76ers acquired the services of Lofton, but they weren’t in a market of one to make it happen.

According to Sixers Wire’s Ky Carlin, Lofton revealed that roughly six or seven teams made an offer. Ultimately, the Sixers were successful. 

“They’ve got a great group of guys out there that’s playing, and I feel like I can fit in,” Lofton told reporters this week. “Come in off the bench and fill that little role and play hard and win games.”

Lofton lands a developmental role with the 76ers. As the front office waived two-way signee Javonte Smart to clear room on the roster, Lofton collected the third two-way slot, joining Ricky Council and Terquavion Smith.

When the Sixers paid a visit to the Miami Heat on Christmas night, Lofton suited up with the Sixers for the first time in his career. Unsurprisingly, Lofton’s debut didn’t occur during the primetime matchup, as he has just one shootaround session under his belt.

The chances of Lofton garnering a role on the main roster are slim at this time. While the frontcourt is missing two starters, with Joel Embiid and Nic Batum dealing with setbacks, the Sixers have comfortable depth behind them. Additionally, Embiid and Batum aren’t expected to miss too much time. 

With Lofton being on a two-way deal, he’ll spend some time with the Delaware Blue Coats, who return to the floor on Wednesday night to officially begin the regular season phase of the year. It’s unclear if he’ll make his Delaware debut this week, but it should come sooner than later.

In the past, Lofton appeared in 17 G League regular season outings with the Memphis Hustle. He averaged 20 points, 11 rebounds, one steal, and one block in a little under 30 minutes of action per game.