The Philadelphia 76ers are adding another young option on the wing.
The Sixers have agreed to sign French guard Rayan Rupert to a two-way NBA deal, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on X on July 3. Rupert, a 2023 second-round pick, spent last season with the Portland Trail Blazers and Memphis Grizzlies.
The move gives the Sixers another developmental player with NBA size, defensive tools and enough experience to be more than a mystery addition.
Rupert is listed by NBA.com at 6-foot-7 and 205 pounds, with guard-forward eligibility. He averaged 5.2 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.1 assists last season, appearing in 64 games across Portland and Memphis. After he moved onto Memphis, his scoring and rebounding jumped to 12 points and 6 rebounds per game, as he played 30 minutes a night for the dwindling Grizzlies.
That matters because two-way signings are often about traits as much as production. Rupert is still only 22, and the Sixers are betting on the frame, youth and defensive upside rather than a finished offensive product.
Rayan Rupert Gives Sixers a Developmental Wing With NBA Minutes
Rupert entered the NBA as the No. 43 pick in the 2023 draft by Portland. He was not a high-usage scorer with the Blazers, but he did get real developmental time in a rebuilding environment.
Last season, he averaged 2.9 points and 1.8 rebounds in 12.0 minutes over 48 appearances for Portland before later landing with Memphis,. He initially joined the Grizzlies on a 10-day contract before Memphis signed him to a two-way deal in March.
For Philadelphia, the appeal is easy to understand. The Sixers do not need Rupert to be a top-eight rotation player in October. They need low-cost bets who can defend multiple spots, absorb G League reps and potentially give Nick Nurse another long perimeter option if injuries or rest days create minutes.
Rupert’s statistical profile also shows why this is a two-way bet, not a guaranteed-rotation signing. Basketball Reference had him shooting 39.3% from the field and 32.4% from three over the 2025-26 season. The size and defensive activity are the selling points; the shot will likely determine whether he can eventually push beyond a fringe role.
What a Two-Way Deal Means for Philadelphia
Two-way contracts give NBA teams flexibility without using a standard 15-man roster spot. NBA G League rules allow teams to have up to three players on two-way contracts, and those players can be active for up to 50 NBA games. Only players with three or fewer years of NBA service are eligible.
That makes Rupert a logical target. He has enough NBA experience to understand the pace and physicality of the league, but he is still young enough to fit the developmental purpose of the contract.
The limitation is important: a two-way deal does not mean Rupert is being penciled into the Sixers’ main rotation. It means Philadelphia can keep him in the program, move him between the NBA roster and G League, and evaluate whether his length and defensive tools translate in Nurse’s system.
If Rupert pops, the Sixers can revisit his status later. If not, the cost is minimal.
That is the practical value of this kind of late-free-agency move. Philadelphia is not just adding another name to the transaction wire. The Sixers are using a two-way slot on a player who has already logged NBA minutes, fits a positional need and still has room to grow.
For a team trying to balance star-level expectations with cheaper depth, those small bets matter.
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