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The Sixers have signed first-round pick Jaden Springer and free agent Andre Drummond

The 6-foot-4 guard led Tennessee in scoring with 12.5 points per game this past season as a freshman.

Sixers guard Jaden Springer (11) has signed his rookie contract.
Sixers guard Jaden Springer (11) has signed his rookie contract.Read moreButch Dill / AP

LAS VEGAS — The 76ers announced Wednesday that they’ve signed first-round pick Jaden Springer and free-agent acquisition Andre Drummond.

The Sixers selected Springer, a former Tennessee guard, with the 28th pick in the first-round of this past Thursday’s NBA draft.

Drummond, who turns 28 next week, agreed to a one-year, veteran-minimum deal for about $2.6 million on Tuesday. The four-time rebounding champion, who played last season for the Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Lakers, will back up four-time All-Star Joel Embiid.

Drummond signed his contract after arriving to the Sixers practice facility on Wednesday and undergoing medical testing. Teams are allowed to sign and announce one- and two-year minimum deals before the end of the NBA moratorium. Other free agents can’t sign their deal until the moratorium ends at 12:01 p.m. Friday.

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“Andre is a great addition to the 76ers family,” president of basketball operations Daryl Morey said in a statement. “He is a two-time NBA All-Star who has consistently been one of the NBA’s very best rebounders and rim protectors.

“We’re excited to add a veteran player of his caliber to our roster and look forward to the impact he’ll make this season.”

Drummond was Embiid’s on-court nemesis while playing for the Detroit Pistons. Actually, Embiid had a lot of success using trash talk to get the Pistons center out of the game. He made a habit of dominating Drummond, and let him know about it.

Embiid even said, “I feel like I own a lot of real estate in his head” after frustrating Drummond in an October 2018 game.

On Wednesday, the Sixers posted a photo of Drummond holding his No. 1 Sixers jersey along with a video and photo of him being greeted by Embiid with the caption “let share some real estate” on their Instagram page.

That same day, Springer participated in the first day of training camp for the Sixers’ NBA Summer League team on Wednesday at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and will be a key part of the roster.

He was in the starting lineup at practice with second-round pick Charles Bassey and last season’s rookies, Tyrese Maxey, Isaiah Joe and Paul Reed. Second-round pick Filip Petrušev did not attend Wednesday’s practice due to traveling from Europe. He is expected to participate in Thursday’s practice.

Sixers add Phil Beckner as coaching consultant

There was a lot of buzz on social media Wednesday with word that Sixers coach Doc Rivers hired Phil Beckner as a coaching consultant.

Never mind that Beckner has been working with Sixers guard Matisse Thybulle for some time. The buzz was because Beckner, a former Weber State assistant coach, has been the longtime trainer for Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard. Lillard also played at Weber State.

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While Lillard has never requested a trade from Portland, but has asked the franchise to have a sense of urgency in pursuing a championship. But if he does ask to be traded, the thought is that the six-time All-Star could become a sign-and-trade option for the Sixers.

So, of course, the hiring of Beckner as a consultant has led to speculation.