Philadelphia 76ers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Sixers Notes: Simmons, Butler, Harris, Horford

July 13th, 2019 at 7:58pm CST by Arthur Hill

Don’t expect to see Ben Simmons at the FIBA World Cup, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Simmons’ agent, Rich Paul, tells Woj that Simmons is “doubtful” to suit up for Australia, preferring to spend the summer concentrating on the upcoming NBA season.

Simmons, who was born in Melbourne, also pulled out of the 2016 Olympics so he could prepare for his rookie year. He began representing his home nation in international tournaments in 2012 when he was 15, but was cut from Australia’s World Cup team two years later. One of the NBA’s top young stars, Simmons is currently mulling over a five-year, $170MM extension offer from the Sixers.

There’s more today out of Philadelphia:

Even though Jimmy Butler‘s stay with the Sixers was short, GM Elton Brand doesn’t regret the trade that brought him from Minnesota, relays Tim Bontemps of ESPN. Philly sent Robert Covington, Dario Saric, Jerryd Bayless and a second-round pick in 2022 to get Butler for what turned out to be 55 games. “When we went into it last year, it was hopefully Jimmy found a great fit and hopefully we did also,” Brand said. “I’d make that trade again. He gave us a great playoff run last year.”
After re-signing for $180MM over the next five years, Tobias Harris has become much more important to the Sixers’ future, Bontemps observes in the same story. Harris often found himself as the fourth or fifth option on offense after being acquired from the Clippers in a mid-season trade, but with Butler and J.J. Redick both gone, the team will rely on Harris to provide more scoring. “I can come into next year with that kind of energy, that kind of fire to improve my game and show different parts of my game, too,” Harris said. “Obviously I’ll have the ball in my hands in more different situations and I’m ready for that. I’ve been working out all summer to get ready for that.”
Former Celtic Al Horford didn’t expect the Sixers to be among his suitors in free agency, writes Darren Hartwell of NBC Sports Boston. He said negotiations with Philadelphia “escalated very, very quickly” once teams were officially allowed to talk to players. “When Elton called and spoke with my agent, he laid down this offer,” Horford recalled. “I was very surprised there was that strong interest for me being here. It made the decision very easy. I’m just excited to be a part of this.”

Details On Al Horford's Contract

July 12th, 2019 at 2:59pm CST by Luke Adams

Siegel and ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter links) provide the interesting details on the fourth year of Al Horford‘s contract with the Sixers. Currently, Horford’s $26.5MM salary for that season is only partially guaranteed for $14.5MM. However, that guarantee jumps to $19.5MM if Philadelphia makes the NBA Finals in 2020, 2021, or 2022. It would become fully guaranteed if the 76ers win a title in one of those seasons.

Sixers Sign Raul Neto

July 12th, 2019 at 8:10am CST by Arthur Hill

JULY 12: The Sixers have officially signed Neto to his new contract, the team announced today in a press release.

“By adding Raul to our roster, we’ve gained an experienced and valuable veteran who is a tremendous passer with great court vision,” GM Elton Brand said in a statement. “We’re fortunate that he’s now a member of the 76ers and we’re eager to integrate him into our team.”

JULY 3: Raul Neto, who was waived Sunday by the Jazz, will sign with the Sixers when the moratorium lifts on Saturday, tweets Eric Woodyard of The Deseret News. It will be a one-year deal at the veteran’s minimum, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Utah had to get rid of Neto’s $2.15MM salary to open enough cap space to complete a trade with Memphis for Mike Conley. Neto’s contract for next season would have become fully guaranteed on July 6.

Neto, 27, had spent his entire four-year career with the Jazz after they acquired his draft rights from the Hawks. He has been a valuable backup point guard at times, but has only played 40, 41 and 37 games the past three seasons. He averaged 5.3 points and 2.5 assists this year in about 13 minutes per night.

The Sixers need a new point guard off their bench after losing free agent T.J. McConnell, who will sign with the Pacers.

Sixers Re-Sign James Ennis To Two-Year Deal

July 12th, 2019 at 7:38am CST by Luke Adams

JULY 12: Ennis, who expressed his confidence in the Sixers’ 2019/20 outlook earlier this week, has now officially signed his new deal with the team, per a press release.

“We are excited to welcome James back to the 76ers,” GM Elton Brand said in a statement. “James had opportunities elsewhere, but he is determined to win here in Philadelphia. That’s the type of competitor he is, and it shows how much he cares about our fans and team. His heart, hustle and playmaking were integral to our success last season and we’re thrilled to have him back.”

JULY 2: Free agent swingman James Ennis has agreed to return to the Sixers on a two-year, $4.1MM deal, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). The deal features a second-year player option, according to Charania, who adds that Ennis turned down bigger offers to stay in Philadelphia.

Ennis, who celebrated his 29th birthday on Monday, joined the 76ers in a midseason trade after beginning the 2018/19 season in Houston. In a total of 58 games for the two clubs, he averaged 6.7 PPG and 3.1 RPG on .469/.353/.716 shooting, serving as a three-and-D option.

Reports indicated that the Knicks, Lakers, and Clippers were among the teams that had interest in Ennis this week. A source told Hoops Rumors’ JD Shaw that the Bulls, Spurs, and Mavericks also had interest.

However, Ennis, who told Hoops Rumors last month that he’d “love to come back” to the Sixers, will do just that — Charania suggests that the opportunity to play for a championship contender appealed to the veteran free agent.

It’s not clear whether Ennis’ deal will be a minimum-salary pact or if the Sixers will use their last bit of remaining cap room to complete the deal. A two-year deal at the minimum would be worth $4,012,890, so that seems like a strong possibility.

While Philadelphia lost Jimmy Butler and J.J. Redick in free agency, the team has done a good job filling out its roster with both impact players and role players. Tobias Harris, Mike Scott, and Ennis will be back, and will be joined by new additions like Al Horford, Josh Richardson, and Kyle O’Quinn.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Sixers Sign Kyle O’Quinn

July 11th, 2019 at 3:05pm CST by Dana Gauruder

JULY 11: The Sixers continue to finalize their contract agreements from the first week of free agency, announcing today in a press release that they’ve officially signed O’Quinn.

JULY 1: Veteran big man Kyle O’Quinn will sign a one-year contract with the Sixers, Kyle Neubeck of The Philly Voice tweets.

O’Quinn will receive the veteran’s minimum and provide depth behind Joel Embiid and Al Horford, who has committed to the Sixers in free agency.

O’Quinn will be joining his fourth team during his NBA career. He played three seasons for the Magic and another three for the Knicks. Last season, he played a backup role for the Pacers, appearing in 45 games and averaging 3.5 PPG and 2.6 RPG in 8.2 MPG.

In a separate transaction, the team has renounced the rights to 2017 first-round pick Anzejs Pasecniks, Sam Amick of The Athletic tweets. The 23-year-old center was a draft-and-stash prospect. Pasecniks wants to play in the NBA next season and the Sixers did not want to add him to the roster due to salary-cap issues, Amick adds in another tweet. Pasecniks’ cap hold was $2.1MM.

Atlantic Notes: Knicks, Ennis, Durant, Nets

July 11th, 2019 at 10:38am CST by Luke Adams

When Kelly Oubre struck a deal with the Suns late on Wednesday night, he represented the last of the players on our list of 2019’s top 50 free agents to reach a contract agreement with a team. However, two of those agreements are in flux.

As we previously relayed, Reggie Bullock and the Knicks are attempting to rework a two-year, $21MM deal that fell apart due to an issue with Bullock’s physical, and Marcus Morris is re-evaluating his two-year, $19MM deal with the Spurs now that New York may have cap room again.

As of Thursday morning, there’s still mutual interest between Bullock and the Knicks in finding a new deal that works, per Ian Begley of SNY.tv. Begley notes that a source told him earlier this week that the Knicks are hopeful of landing Morris, whose veteran presence and toughness intrigues the club. Steve Popper of Newsday adds (via Twitter) that he has heard from people inside and outside the Knicks’ organization who think that Morris will end up in New York.

As we wait for resolution on those two free agents, let’s round up a few more notes from around the Atlantic…

After agreeing to a new deal with the Sixers as a free agent, forward James Ennis expressed major confidence in the team’s outlook for 2019/20, as Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer tweets. “We had a good chance last year. Kawhi (Leonard) is gone. He went to the West,” Ennis said. “So we are going to walk to the Finals in the East.”
Kevin Durant initially “balked” at the idea of being signed-and-traded to the Nets straight up for D’Angelo Russell, sources tell Brian Windhorst of ESPN. As Windhorst explains, Durant didn’t believe it was a fair deal, presumably because he could have signed outright with Brooklyn using the team’s cap room. The Warriors ultimately ended up including a heavily protected first-rounder in the swap not just to satisfy the Nets, but to satisfy KD, says Windhorst.
Sources tell Brian Lewis of The New York Post that the Nets‘ newly-added star power could increase Barclays Center revenues by about $40MM through “increased sponsorships, merchandising, and ticket sales.”

Sixers Re-Sign Mike Scott To Two-Year Deal

July 11th, 2019 at 8:30am CST by JD Shaw

JULY 11: Now that the Sixers’ other major signings are complete, the team has formally announced Scott’s new deal, which will utilize the room exception.

“Mike epitomizes what Philadelphia loves – a fierce competitor with a tireless work ethic, who’s driven by the desire to win,” GM Elton Brand said in a statement. “His toughness, grit and passion are palpable, as the city of Philadelphia has come to know. We are thrilled to have Mike back with the 76ers.”

JUNE 30: The Sixers have agreed to a two-year, $9.8MM deal with free agent Mike Scott, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). The deal features no options, tweets Derek Bodner of The Athletic.

Scott, a key player off the Sixers’ bench last season, will continue to provide production in the frontcourt for the team. He shot a scorching 41 percent from deep in his 27 games with Philadelphia, averaging a steady 7.8 points per contest.

Sixers general manager Elton Brand quickly worked around losing J.J. Redick and Jimmy Butler on the first night of free agency, bringing back promising guard Josh Richardson from Miami and agreeing to a four-year, $109MM contract with star big man Al Horford.

In addition to Scott, Horford and Richardson, Philadelphia also reached a deal with Tobias Harris to keep him in town, committing four years and $180MM.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Sixers Re-Sign Tobias Harris To Five-Year Deal

July 10th, 2019 at 12:32pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 10: The Sixers have officially re-signed Harris, according to NBA.com’s transactions log. The club has now exhausted its cap room for the summer.

JUNE 30: The Sixers and Tobias Harris have reached an agreement on a five-year deal that will pay the free agent forward $180MM, his agent (and father) Torrel Harris of Unique Sports Management tells ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). The contract won’t include a player option, Woj adds (via Twitter).

After making blockbuster mid-season trades for both Harris and Jimmy Butler during the 2018/19 campaign, the Sixers will only retain one of the two, with Butler reportedly headed for the Heat in a sign-and-trade.

However, in Harris, Philadelphia will be bringing back a forward who received All-Star consideration in 2018/19, as he averaged 20.0 PPG, 7.9 RPG, and 2.8 APG on .487/.397/.866 shooting in 82 games for the Clippers and Sixers.

He’ll return to a new-look Sixers team that will feature Josh Richardson and Al Horford. Richardson will reportedly be acquired from Miami via the Butler sign-and-trade, while Horford will sign a four-year contract with Philadelphia as a free agent.

If Harris had signed a maximum-salary deal, it would have been worth approximately $189.9MM, so his annual salaries will come in a little below the max. Still, it’s a significant investment for the Sixers, who already have Joel Embiid under contract on a max deal of his own and may soon sign Ben Simmons to a max extension.

Harris reportedly received interest from the Clippers, Jazz, Nets, and Mavericks, among others, in free agency.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Sixers Sign Al Horford To Four-Year Deal

July 10th, 2019 at 11:23am CST by Luke Adams

JULY 10: The Sixers have made it official, announcing the signing of Horford today in a press release.

“We’re excited to welcome one of the NBA’s best frontcourt players in Al Horford to Philadelphia,” GM Elton Brand said in a statement. “He has built his reputation around hard work and a tradition of winning, which are the same qualities that have formed the foundation of the 76ers. Al’s playmaking, elite defensive talents and veteran leadership confirm why he is a crucial addition to our roster. We have gained a championship-level teammate that will not only complement our current makeup, but will help grow our young core as we strive for the highest level of success.”

JUNE 30: The Sixers have revealed themselves as Al Horford‘s mystery suitor, having reached an agreement with the free agent big man on a four-year, $109MM deal, agent Jason Glushon tells ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

According to Wojnarowski (via Twitter), Horford’s four-year pact will actually include $97MM in guaranteed money, with $12MM in bonuses linked to potential championships.

[UPDATE: New details on structure of Horford’s contract]

The Sixers’ deal with Horford is the latest big move in a day full of them for the team. J.J. Redick is headed to New Orleans, and Jimmy Butler is Miami-bound, but the 76ers agreed to re-sign Tobias Harris and will add Josh Richardson in the process of signing-and-trading Butler to the Heat. The club now projects to have a potential starting five made up of Harris, Richardson, Horford, Ben Simmons, and Joel Embiid.

Horford, 33, averaged 13.6 PPG, 6.7 RPG, and 4.2 APG on .535/.360/.821 shooting in 68 games (29.0 MPG) last season for the Celtics. However, his value extends beyond his numbers — he’s a strong defender who is capable of protecting the rim or switching onto perimeter players, and he keeps opposing defenses on their toes with his ability to pick and pop.

It will be interesting to see how Horford fits alongside Embiid in the Sixers’ frontcourt. While Horford is more of a center, he showed in Boston that he could play next to another center, as the C’s often used a Horford/Aron Baynes combination up front.

Horford had a player option for 2019/20 with the Celtics worth approximately $30MM, but decided to turn down that option in search of a longer-term deal. Rumors quickly began circulating about a four-year, $100MM+ deal for Horford, though it wasn’t clear which team was prepared to offer that sort of deal. The Mavericks, Kings, Pelicans, and Clippers were named as possible Horford suitors, but it was the Sixers that landed him.

According to Keith Smith of RealGM (via Twitter), Wojnarowski said during an appearance on ESPN that the Celtics – who managed to retain Horford’s Bird rights by agreeing to acquire Kemba Walker via sign-and-trade, were willing to go up to four years, but the gap in guaranteed money compared to Philadelphia’s offer was too significant.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Atlantic Contract Notes: Durant, Jordan, Claxton, Milton, Brazdeikis

July 8th, 2019 at 8:27pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Kevin Durant‘s max contract with the Nets includes $4.3MM in likely bonuses, according to Jeff Siegel of EarlyBirdRights.com. It’s not clear how those bonuses can be earned but if they’re based on individual statistics, he can’t reach them next season due to his Achilles injury. His deal also includes a full 15% trade kicker. DeAndre Jordan‘s salary with Brooklyn starts at 9.9MM, rises 5% in the second year, dips back down to 9.9MM, then drops slightly in the fourth year for a total of 40MM, Siegel adds (Twitter links).

We have more contractual news from around the Atlantic Division:

The timeline of the Nets’ moves in free agency – signing Kyrie Irving and Jordan to free agent deals using salary-cap room and then acting like a team over the cap to pull off the Durant sign-and-trade with Golden State — also allowed them to give Nicolas Claxton a three-year contract, Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets. Without room, Claxton’s fully guaranteed deal would have been limited to two years. The University of Georgia big man was the first pick of the second round.
Shake Milton‘s four-year minimum contract with the Sixers includes a team option in the final year and is otherwise fully guaranteed, Siegel tweets. The shooting guard played last season on a two-way contract, splitting his time between the Sixers and their G League affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats.
Knicks rookie forward Ignas Brazdeikis received a three-year minimum deal, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post. Brazdeikis will make approximately $900K as a rookie, $1.5MM in his second year and $1.8MM in his third season (team option).
The Celtics have been exploring a variety of contract terms with second-round pick Carsen Edwards, Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe tweets. The negotiations with the Purdue guard include guaranteed amounts.

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