The Philadelphia 76ers’ K.J. McDaniels has performed well enough to garner serious consideration for the NBA’s Rising Stars game during the All-Star Weekend, despite the event’s new format causing his status to be put into question around the NBA, league sources told RealGM.

The NBA has started a rookie-sophomore game centered on a matchup between U.S. and World players, two 10-man rosters with four front court players, four backcourt players and two mixed position players. Each team must have at least three rookies and three second-year players on the roster. Under the old, mixed rules, McDaniels would be considered a lock.

The entry of McDaniels will be up to the voting of assistant coaches, and questions about his candidacy to make the U.S. roster have been met with simple cases of his statistical outputs and transformative abilities on the court this season.

As a rookie, McDaniels, 21, has averaged 9.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.4 blocks in 44 games. He has had a season full of dynamic blocks and dunks, a 6-foot-6 high-flyer who would enhance the exhibition challenge. Despite the U.S.-World change that has narrowed the competition, McDaniels has the prototypical skill set and season production to be part of the player pool.

The 76ers have gone 8-37 this season and have received backlash for their approach to team building, but could have four players in the Rising Stars game: McDaniels, Michael Carter-Williams, Nerlens Noel and Robert Covington.

McDaniels, the 32nd pick in last June’s NBA draft out of Clemson, has risen into one of the league’s most promising rookies.

Ronald Roberts is on the verge of signing a lucrative contract in the Philippines.

Roberts was the D-League Player of the Week last week.

Roberts has been on the Philadelphia 76ers' roster this season, but did not appear in any games.

The Milwaukee Bucks, Charlotte Hornets and Philadelphia 76ers are exploring the call-up candidacy of Gary Talton, the NBA Development League’s assists leader, league sources told RealGM.

Behind 13 games of 10 or more assists, Talton has averaged 13.2 points, 10.2 assists and 40.6 percent three-point shooting this season. He has split the year with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers and the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, his current team.

Talton had two 20-assist performances earlier in the season with Rio Grande Valley, where he was surrounded by a bevy of shooters to feed passes. The 6-foot-1 point guard has notched double-doubles in three of his last five games with Fort Wayne.

Talton, 24, finished his collegiate career at UIC (University of Illinois at Chicago), averaging 12.3 points, 4.4 assists, four rebounds and 34.4 minutes per game as a senior. He went unselected in the 2013 NBA Draft, followed by free-agent workouts for teams, including the Memphis Grizzlies.

The Philadelphia 76ers have signed guard Larry Drew II to a second 10-day contract. 

In six games played since joining the Sixers, Drew is averaging five points and four assists in nearly 19 minutes per game.  Dating back to the start of the 2000-01 season, Drew is one of just 22 players to have recorded at least 26 assists within the first six games of a career.

Tony Wroten has a partial tear of his ACL in his right knee.

"While the precise timing and details of the procedure are still being finalized, what has been determined is that the ACL will need to be surgically repaired," said the Philadelphia 76ers in a statement.

“Until the procedure takes place, we are unable to provide a specific timeline for his return to play.”

The average NBA franchise valuation is now a record $1.1 billion.

There are now 11 NBA teams worth at least $1 billion, compared to three a year ago.

The Los Angeles Lakers lead the way at $2.6 billion, up 93% over last year. 

The value of the New York Knicks shot up 79% to $2.5 billion, ranking the team second overall.

Rounding out the top five are the Chicago Bulls ($2 billion), Boston Celtics ($1.7 billion) and Los Angeles Clippers ($1.6 billion).

6. Brooklyn Nets: $1.5 billion
7. Golden State Warriors: $1.3 billion
8. Houston Rockets: $1.25 billion
9. Miami Heat: $1.175 billion
10. Dallas Mavericks: $1.15 billion
11. San Antonio Spurs: $1 billion
12. Portland Trail Blazers: $940 million
13. Oklahoma City Thunder: $930 million
14. Toronto Raptors: $920 million
15. Cleveland Cavaliers: $915 million
16. Phoenix Suns: $910 million
17. Washington Wizards: $900 million
18. Orlando Magic: $875 million
19. Denver Nuggets: $855 million
20. Utah Jazz: $850 million
21. Indiana Pacers: $830 million
22. Atlanta Hawks: $825 million
23. Detroit Pistons: $810 million
24. Sacramento Kings: $800 million
25. Memphis Grizzlies: $750 million
26. Charlotte Hornets: $725 million
27. Philadelphia 76ers: $700 million
28. New Orleans Pelicans: $650 million
29. Minnesota Timberwolves: $625 million
30. Milwaukee Bucks: $600 million

Dario Saric has won the FIBA Europe Young Men's Player of the Year award for 2014.

Greece's Giannis Antetokounmpo finished a close second in the voting while Cedi Osman of Turkey rounded out the top three.

Saric led Cibona Zagreb to a win of the Adriatic League with an MVP performance in the Final Four.

A third campaign in the Croatian senior men's team followed, averaging 11.7 points and 6.7 rebounds on his team's run to the Round of 16 at the FIBA Basketball World Cup.

Saric's NBA draft rights are owned by the Philadelphia 76ers.

A few NBA teams have placed interest in Philadelphia 76ers forward Robert Covington, but the 24-year-old sharpshooter has been made largely unavailable from trade inquiries as a core part of the franchise’s long-term plans, league sources told RealGM.

Since signing a contract with the 76ers on Nov. 15, Covington has arguably been the team’s most consistently productive player, with a skill set that’s able to translate throughout the league’s 30 teams.

Over 31 games and 19 starts this season, Covington is averaging 12.4 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.3 steals in 27.2 minutes per game. He is a 39.2 percent shooter from three-point range, making 2.2 over 5.5 attempts a game.

The 76ers will have strong odds to land Covington into the rookie-sophomore Rising Stars Challenge game at All-Star weekend, along with K.J. McDaniels, Nerlens Noel and Michael Carter-Williams. Among second-year players, Covington ranks first in three-pointers per game, fifth in points behind Victor Oladipo, Carter-Williams, Shabazz Muhamad and Trey Burke and fifth in steals behind Noel (2013 Draft class, rookie), Oladipo, Shane Larkin and Carter-Williams.

As un undrafted forward out of Tennessee State in 2013, Covington landed with the Houston Rockets on a multi-year deal that summer. He was released in training camp this season, before turning into a valuable signing for Philadelphia.

Joel Embiid now weighs close to 300 pounds, representing a substantial gain from his 250 pounds while at Kansas last year.

Embiid's work ethic is being question by some within the Philadelphia 76ers.

Embiid had a blowup with assistant strength and conditioning coach James Davis, which is one of the reasons he was sent home during the team's recent West Coast road trip.

"He's a young, 20-year-old kid who is trying to figure his way into being a professional basketball player and learning life," Luc Mbah a Moute said.

Because of his foot injury, his conditioning has been limited. Embiid can only do things such as use the antigravity treadmill and take long walks to generate a rapid heart rate.

The Sixers are trying to address the added weight. Embiid, however, hasn't always been a willing workout participant, according to sources. He's even blown off conditioning drills, one source added.

Larry Drew II will be signed to a 10-day contract with the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday, according to a source.

Drew has played for the Sioux Falls SkyForce in the NBA D-League this season.