On June 27th the 76ers announced they had officially acquired the draft rights to Jordan McRae (6-6; 185; 7-7 wingspan), the 58th overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, from the San Antonio Spurs in exchange for the 54th overall pick. The announcement brought a big smile to a number of faces here at Philadunkia.

Based on his outstanding college career (two-time All-SEC First Team Selection), his unique skill set, the fact that Sam Hinkie traded for McRae and the show he put on at the NBA Summer League (21 ppg.), most of us here at Philadunkia believed that with a solid training camp performance, McRae was a lock to make the 76ers roster this fall.

Thus, it came as a big surprise to us in late August when the news broke that McRae had signed to play for Melbourne United in Australia. In fact, it was too much of a surprise to let the story go unexplored and the news we have learned may surprise you.

I did a lot of digging, made some calls and sent a host of emails as well as texts and eventually got some confirmed information on McRae’s status to pass on to our readers. Derrick Powell of Tandem Sports & Entertainment is McRae’s agent of record and he emailed us to say the following:

““Jordan McRae has accepted an offer to play with Melbourne United of the National Basketball League in Australia. While Jordan is excited to join a club with the history and tradition of Melbourne, his contract contains an NBA-out clause that allows him to immediately return to the 76ers if and when they choose to offer him a spot on their roster and sign him to a guaranteed contract.”

As a refresher…In four years at Tennessee McRae averaged 14 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists while shooting 42% from the floor. He led the team in scoring with 19 ppg. his senior year and pushed the Volunteers to the Sweet Sixteen last April. In July, McRae took the Samsung NBA Summer League in Las Vegas by storm, averaging 21.0 points (50% on FGAs) over four games and earned second-team all summer league honors.

I followed up Powell’s reply via several phone calls and emails to inquire if McRae would be attending 76ers training camp next month. I eventually got a response of, “We don’t know.” It was then indicated to me that if the Sixers put a contract in front of McRae that his people consider to be a good offer, that he will report to training camp on September 30th. With the Australia deal already in hand, McRae (Who is currently in Melbourne.) is in a win-win situation.

The Internet is filled with reports that the Sixers have already reached partially guaranteed 3-year agreements with undrafted rookie free agents Ronald Roberts (6-8 forward out of Saint Joe’s) and Jakarr Sampson (6-8 wing player out of St. John’s). Coming into the 2014 NBA Draft, McRae was a significantly higher rated prospect than either of those players, he is a much more polished offensive threat and Hinkie made a big effort to bring McRae to Philadelphia. Thus, it seems likely that McRae will be signed by the Sixers in the next two weeks.

Obviously nothing is guaranteed in this League and in the year of the double-tank it may be better for Hinkie’s plan if McRae in not on the roster in 2014-15, but if I was a gambling man, the betting guide tells me that McRae will play in Philly, not Melbourne this season.

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