Source: Sixers like Waiters, but have concerns
The 76ers have some interest in Dion Waiters, Oklahoma City's reserve shooting guard and an restricted free agent, according to a league source. However, the source adds that the team also has concerns about the concept of the South Philly native returning home to play.
Waiters' 21-year-old brother, Demetrius Pinckney, was murdered in March in the Grays Ferry section of Philadelphia. At the time, Police Commissioner Richard Ross said the incident might have resulted from a years-old feud.
This was just the latest in a series of tragedies that Waiters, 24, has endured. When he was growing up, three of his cousins and a close friend were killed in his old neighborhood.
"If you give him a fair shake and an accurate look, you will realize that Dion is just a big kid," the source said.
The Sixers, though, are concerned that he will be in a negative environment in which trouble will follow him, the source said. There's also concern that the sometimes-blunt Waiters wouldn't mesh well with the Sixers' young and impressionable locker room.
New Sixers president of basketball operations Bryan Colangelo wants to clean up the team's culture both on and off the court. They want to instill a family atmosphere free of outside distractions.
So it would be interesting to see if they opt to take a chance and seriously pursue Waiters once free agency begins at 12 a.m. Friday.
Sources reiterated that the 6-foot-4, 220-pounder has a strong desire to play for the Sixers. That would enable him to play in front of family members and friends regularly for the first time.
Waiters attended both Bartram and Southern high schools as a freshman, but didn't play basketball at either. As a sophomore, he attended South Kent School in Connecticut before transferring to Life Center Academy in Burlington for his junior and senior seasons.
He then played two seasons for Syracuse University before the Cleveland Cavaliers made him the fourth overall pick in the 2012 draft.
"He really would like that, to come home," a source said. "He talked about getting a place downtown not too far from the arena, so playing at home would be less of a distraction."
In addition to the Sixers, a source confirmed that Waiters is attracting interest from the Sacramento Kings.
Oklahoma City will be able to match any offer sheet Waiters signs with another team. So Waiters can talk to other teams and sign an offer, but the Thunder will have the final say in where he ends up.
Waiters averaged 9.8 points, 2.6 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1 steal and 27.6 minutes as a key reserve for the Thunder this past season.
Sources say that Waiters knows that he could be the veteran shooting guard whom the Sixers covet. He also admires coach Brett Brown and Colangelo.
Waiters is determined to show the Sixers that he is someone they can depend on, according to a source.
Follow and contact 76ers beat writer Keith Pompey on Twitter @PompeyOnSixers and Instagram at PompeyOnSixers.