Justin Edwards is reportedly set to sign a well-earned standard NBA contract with the Sixers.
The undrafted rookie will have his two-way contract converted to a standard NBA deal, The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Keith Pompey reported. According to Pompey, Edwards’ contract will be for the rest of this season and include a team option for the 2025-26 campaign, with “both sides interested in exploring a longer-term deal in the offseason.”
At a press conference Friday, Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey said the Sixers also hope to convert new pickup Jared Butler’s two-way deal. Jeff Dowtin Jr. is the other Sixer currently on a two-way.
Edwards has started the team’s last seven games and played 30.2 minutes per contest over the past 15. He’s averaged 10.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.9 assists during that span.
The lefty wing has impressed his teammates and Sixers head coach Nick Nurse with strong basketball intuition, defensive effort and outside shooting (39.2 percent from three-point range during that 15-game stretch).
“He’s been great. … He’s a guy where you have to play him,” Joel Embiid said Tuesday. “He’s fearless. He wants to take on the challenges. And then I always have to beg all these guys, ‘Dude, just shoot the ball,’ and he doesn’t care. He’s wide-open, he shoots the ball — and he makes them. So he’s been great, especially for a rookie stepping into this type of (shorthanded) situation.
“He could’ve played bad basketball, but he’s been doing the right things and he’s getting better every single day.”
After Edwards spent a single college season at Kentucky, he’s made major progress in the NBA.
“Staying positive,” the Philadelphia native said Monday. “I feel like that’s the best thing I’ve learned. At Kentucky, I was really negative with myself and that (took) a toll on me mentally. I feel like I’ve learned how to be more patient and positive with myself.”
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