Turkish forward headed to Sixers

Furkan Aldemir is set to become a 76er this season.

The Turkish power forward/center had his Turkish league contract terminated. Aldemir, a 6-foot-9, 230-pounder, confirmed on his Facebook page Monday afternoon that he's heading to the NBA, where the Sixers hold his rights. That statement came hours after his agent told CNN Turkey that Aldemir will join the Sixers.

"Playing in the NBA is one of my greatest dreams, just like all the basketball players," wrote Aldemir, who is regarded as one of Europe's top rebounders. "I had some positive conditions to realize this dream in [the] last couple of days. We have considered those conditions with my family and my agent, and we have decided that an experience in USA will be much efficient for my personal career and development."

The Sixers must release a player from their 15-man roster in order to make room for the 23-year-old, who played for Galatasaray Liv Hospital of the Turkish Basketball League. The Sixers haven't confirmed Aldemir's expected addition.

"There is no announcement to be made," Sixers coach Brett Brown said. "He's one of a few that we pay attention to regularly."

Brown, who used to coach Australia's national team, became familiar with Aldemir in his international dealings. He described him as a "rebounder."

"Once things become more clear, I think announcements will be made," Brown said.

The Sixers have long had interest in having Aldemir in uniform. They acquired Royce White and Aldemir's rights in a trade with Houston in July 2013. At the time, the perception was that the move was made to enable the Rockets to get rid of White's $1.7 million contract for the 2013-14 season and give a maximum contract to then free agent Dwight Howard, which he received.

However, the Sixers wouldn't make the trade unless they received Aldemir's rights. The plan was to keep him overseas at least for the 2013-14 campaign.

It appeared that Aldemir would stay longer when Galatasaray signed him to a three-year contract extension worth about $4.8 million in May. However, news broke Monday morning that his contract had been terminated. There were reports that it was voided due to the franchise failing to pay his salary.

He demanded on Facebook that Galatasaray pay him his unpaid salary.

"When I first came to Galatasaray [in 2011], one of my dreams was going to NBA, not to another European club," Aldemir wrote. "I'm proud to realize that dream.

"Now my goal is to represent my country in this league, as my older brothers did before and getting successful. I know that being patient and tenacious will [be] very important in this new experience."

Aldemir was the 53d overall pick by the Los Angeles Clippers in 2012 and subsequently traded to the Rockets. Under contract with Galatasaray, he had to remain overseas at the time.

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