Report: 76ers awarded hardship exception, to sign Alex Poythress

The Philadelphia 76ers will sign D-League forward Alex Poythress after being granted an injury hardship exception by the NBA, sources told Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical.

Philadelphia is carrying only nine healthy bodies at the moment. Star prospects Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons are lost for the season, Jahlil Okafor and Robert Covington will be shut down for the last two weeks, while veterans Sergio Rodriguez and Jerryd Bayless are also hurt.

That paves the way for the Sixers to sign Poythress, a key figure for the Kentucky Wildcats in recent years before he turned pro and headed for the D-League last summer.

In 31 games for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants this season, the 23-year-old Poythress averaged 18.5 points and 7.1 rebounds while shooting 52.7 percent from the field and 40.3 percent from deep.