"We all knew the 76ers were negotiating to sign a couple of guards. But we didn't know about this one. Not Andre Iguodala or Lou Williams, their restricted free agents.

Royal Ivey.

The Sixers have reached an agreement with the 6-4 backcourt player, who spent last season with the Milwaukee Bucks and the first three seasons of his career with the Atlanta Hawks. Ivey, 26, will not officially sign a minimum-salary contract until Monday, which is believed to be for 2 years and include a significant guarantee.

The league minimum for a player with four seasons of service is $854,957. The Sixers see Ivey as an off-the-bench complement to Williams because of his size and defensive ability. He averaged 5.6 points and 2.1 assists in 75 games last season, making 20 starts. He entered the league in 2004-05 as a second-round draft choice of the Hawks."