Philadelphia 76ers and Gerald Henderson Agree on Two-Year, $18 Million Contract

Jul 06, 2016 09:51 AM EDT

The Philadelphia 76ers have officially acquired Gerald Henderson after he agreed to the two-year contract offered by the team. Hopefully, Henderson will return to his former glory and become a starter again now that he's in Philadelphia.

As part of the deal, Henderson will receive a total of $18 million. He was acquired by the 76ers after he became a free agent earlier this year. According to ESPN, his position in the Portland Trail Blazers will be filled by Evan Turner, who also joined the team after becoming a free agent.

Henderson debuted in the NBA in 2009 after getting selected as the 12 overall pick by the Charlotte Hornets, which back then was known as the Bobcats. Throughout his career with the team, he played in the starter position and was able to reach a career-high average of 15.1 points per game.

Due to his effectivity as a scorer, he averaged 33.3 minutes per game in Charlotte. However, after exercising his player option last year, he and Noah Vonleh were traded to the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for Nicolas Batum.

He spent only a year with the team before becoming a free agent. But, inline his time in Charlotte, Henderson's role in Portland got reduced. However, according to his former teammate Damian Lillard, Henderson still worked hard with the team and displayed dedication.

"I'm a guy who's going to put my arm around you and I'm going to be like, 'You need to work, you need to get better, and I'm going to support you," the Blazers point guard told Oregon Live.

"[Henderson is] like, 'I don't care, this is what has to happen,'" Lillard added. "And you need guys like that around. He's earned guys' respect."

Even though he played lesser minutes in Portland than in Charlotte, Henderson's performance was still enough to catch the attention of Philadelphia. And, even though Portland was very focused on retaining him, the 76ers were still able to snatch him during free agency.

Hopefully though, Philadelphia will truly appreciate Henderson's talents and give him enough playing time on the court.