Post by eric on May 1, 2019 18:04:55 GMT
An NBA max contract ranges from 25% of the cap for the first year of a player coming off a rookie deal to 48% for the fifth year of a player with more experience or accolades (or both).
The Philadelphia 76ers have one player currently on a max contract (Joel Embiid) one impending free agent almost certain to command one (Jimmy Butler) and one free agent also likely to get significant money if not an outright max (Tobias Harris), and then there's Ben, who has one year left on his rookie deal after this year.
Butler is eligible for a contract starting at 30% of the cap due to eight years of experience - even though he was All-NBA in 2017 and 2018 he is not eligible for the designated veteran player exception (a la Wall/Westbrook) since the 76ers neither drafted him nor traded for him while he was on his rookie deal. It seems like a lot but on the other hand it is the same contract Gordon Hayward is on.
Harris was signed to a 4 yrs $16m a year extension waaaay back in 2015 by the Magic. He has gotten (somewhat) better since and the cap is $40m higher, so it seems likely the 76ers will have to pay at least that much to retain him. (He is also eligible for a 30% max but that seems like a reach.)
Supposing they get Harris on another flat $16m, that leaves them with three players under contract and $33m in cap space when Simmons comes off his rookie deal. If he makes another All-Star team they will be able to Rose Rule designated player him since Embiid is only on a 25% contract, which would put them over the cap by a cool $816k, but even at only a 25% contract they'd have less than $5m in space, roughly half the mid-level exception of $9.7m (projected).
.
Clearly, the question needs to be asked whether the Sixers would be better off keeping only three of these players and leaving them room to be competitive for role players like Reddick or BOBAN. So let's look at some stats from this year:
Two of these are obvious keepers and one of them is Embiid, so that's good. The clear choice seems to be between Harris and Simmons. Harris is only one year older than Embiid.
So keep Harris and trade Simmons for draft picks / role players.
The Philadelphia 76ers have one player currently on a max contract (Joel Embiid) one impending free agent almost certain to command one (Jimmy Butler) and one free agent also likely to get significant money if not an outright max (Tobias Harris), and then there's Ben, who has one year left on his rookie deal after this year.
Butler is eligible for a contract starting at 30% of the cap due to eight years of experience - even though he was All-NBA in 2017 and 2018 he is not eligible for the designated veteran player exception (a la Wall/Westbrook) since the 76ers neither drafted him nor traded for him while he was on his rookie deal. It seems like a lot but on the other hand it is the same contract Gordon Hayward is on.
Harris was signed to a 4 yrs $16m a year extension waaaay back in 2015 by the Magic. He has gotten (somewhat) better since and the cap is $40m higher, so it seems likely the 76ers will have to pay at least that much to retain him. (He is also eligible for a 30% max but that seems like a reach.)
Supposing they get Harris on another flat $16m, that leaves them with three players under contract and $33m in cap space when Simmons comes off his rookie deal. If he makes another All-Star team they will be able to Rose Rule designated player him since Embiid is only on a 25% contract, which would put them over the cap by a cool $816k, but even at only a 25% contract they'd have less than $5m in space, roughly half the mid-level exception of $9.7m (projected).
.
Clearly, the question needs to be asked whether the Sixers would be better off keeping only three of these players and leaving them room to be competitive for role players like Reddick or BOBAN. So let's look at some stats from this year:
WS 3P% On/Off name
.17 35% +06 Butler
.19 30% +10 Embiid
.12 40% -03 Harris
.15 00% -02 SimmonsTwo of these are obvious keepers and one of them is Embiid, so that's good. The clear choice seems to be between Harris and Simmons. Harris is only one year older than Embiid.
So keep Harris and trade Simmons for draft picks / role players.