Former Washington Basketball Andrew Andrews signs Philadelphia 76ers
By Bret Stuter
The Philadelphia 76ers signed former Washington basketball point guard Andrew Andrews to a contract. Then waived him to set up a new G-League deal with the Delaware 87ers
The city of Philadelphia has been awfully active in the lives of the University of Washington athletes. The Philadelphia Eagles drafted former Washington Football defensive tackle Elijah Qualls and cornerback Sidney Jones IV. Then, the Philadelphia 76ers traded up to select Washington Basketball guard Markelle Fultz. And now, they have signed former Washington Basketball point guard Andrew Andrews, and flipped that contract to set him up to play for the Delaware 87ers.
Why the smoke and mirrors?
Well the truth is, that its one of the ways to get a player of an NBA team’s interest onto a G-League team roster. G-League teams cannot simply just add players willy-nilly. They operate with a ten man roster, plus three bonus roster slots per specific conditions from their NBA affiliate. Finally, each team owns two “injured reserve” roster spots:
"“NBA teams can designate up to four players that they cut during training camp as “affiliate players,” meaning those players will join that team’s NBA G League affiliate (should the players choose to sign into the NBA G League). These players are signed under contract with the league rather than the team, however, meaning they are technically free agents who can be called up to any of the 30 NBA teams.” per Gleague.nba.com/FAQ"
He played four years at the point guard for the Huskies. Now, he will play for the Delaware 87ers.
Washington guard extraordinaire
Andrew Andrews was a four year point guard for the Washington Basketball team from 2012 through 2016. He was a starter for the final three seasons, and played his best when teamed up with Dejounte Murray and Marquese Chriss. He was the next Washington guard to show up big in the box scores after Isaiah Thomas entered the NBA.
Percy Allen of the Seattle Times was dismayed at the lack of NBA interest in the point guard. He did end up as an invite the the 2016 Charlotte Hornets, but was waived before the season. He then signed with Turkish basketball club Best Balikesir for a season.
Next: Washington Basketball Coach Hopkins discusses upcoming season
Statistically, he was very productive. In fact, he led the team in scoring with a 20.9 point average. And his three-point shot settled in at 40.1 percent. That’s very accurate. But the shocker is the fact that, in the NBA race to find the “next great player”, few gave Andrews so much as a chance.
Now, the Philadelphia 76ers hope to have panned a nugget of gold in the Washington Basketball deposit. I think that they have.