NEW ORLEANS — JaKarr Sampson has been waived by the Sixers for less than 24 hours. Head coach Brett Brown already would like him back on the team.
“I miss JaKarr,” Brown said following shootaround at the Smoothie King Center Friday prior to the game against the Pelicans.
The Sixers waived Sampson on Thursday to make room on the roster for Joel Anthony, who they acquired in a three-team trade with the Pistons and Rockets. The Sixers also received a 2017 second-round pick through the Rockets. It is likely Anthony will be waived, according to CSNPhilly.com’s John Gonzalez.
The Sixers could consider re-signing Sampson after he clears waivers, according to a source. Brown said he would like him to return to the team, although he believes another organization could pick him up first.
“He played with just amazing personality, he played with a spirit,” Brown said. “He was a college four-man that played and started games as an NBA point guard. The evolution of him playing all over the place and bringing a spirit to our group will be missed.
“Maybe we’ll see him again. Sometimes people go to different places and it ends up being right where he should be, it ends up being a good thing. From a team perspective, and a coaching perspective, I miss his spirit as much as I miss anything.”
Sampson averaged 5.1 points, 2.7 rebounds and 0.6 assists in his second season. He started 18 games and averaged 14.7 minutes. He had appeared in only three of the team’s last eight games for a combined 15 minutes.
NBA
“I don’t have anything negative to say about Philly,” Sampson told the Philadelphia Inquirer Friday. “I feel like a lot of people in my situation might have something negative to say about Philly, like a ‘why-me’ type of thing. But I don’t have anything negative to say about the organization. I love those guys."
According to the Inquirer, the Sixers wanted Sampson to remain with the team in New Orleans and fly with them to Dallas for Sunday's game against the Mavericks.
Instead, Sampson elected to return to Philadelphia because NBA rules forbid him from accompanying the team after being waived. He also wanted to be home in case another NBA club decides to pick him up off the waiver wire.
Brown spoke with Sampson following the move. He stressed his thoughts of him as a player, his respect for him, and how the NBA can lead to other opportunities.
“Sometimes these types of situations steer you in a place that might end up better for you than what you had,” Brown said. “I wasn’t playing you. Maybe somebody’s going to put new life into you. There is a chance we may see you again — nobody wants to overcommit or promise something that we can’t deliver on or just simply doesn’t happen.”
Brown offered to be a resource for Sampson, whether he goes to a different team or returns to Philadelphia. Sampson made a strong impression on Brown over the past two seasons.
“[I told him] I appreciate him and will help guide him in the next phase of his basketball life if he needs my opinion,” Brown said. “It’s a fluid, easy conversation and he handled it like he should and has to. All our guys, it has to be treated unfortunately that it is a pro sport, it is business.”