3 Reasons the 76ers Signing Ben Simmons to a Max Contract Right Now Makes Perfect Sense
By Brian Cass
After trading Jimmy Butler to the Miami Heat, the Philadelphia 76ers have made one thing clear: the future of the team will be in the hands of Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons and Tobias Harris. After the team signed Harris to a max deal and acquired Al Horford in free agency, all focus shifted to getting a deal done for Simmons, who's coming off his first All-Star season. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the Sixers offered Simmons a five-year, $170 million max extension. Giving him the max now makes perfect sense for the Sixers for a few reasons, and here are three of the most notable.
3. Lock Him Up Before He Hits Free Agency
Simmons will become a restricted free agent following the 2019 season if the Sixers don't sign him to an extension. He's an ascending player who's only going to get better, so teams would have been throwing as much as they could at him to try and pry him away from Philly. Although the Sixers would have had the opportunity to match any offer extended to Simmons, this sends the right message now and will give him one less thing to worry about.
2. The Team Can Now Focus on Surrounding Him With Role Players
The Sixers' starting five has the making to be one of the best in the East next season with Simmons, Embiid, Harris, Horford and Josh Richardson leading the charge. The Sixers' brass can now focus on accumulating talent for their bench. Their lack of a deep bench hurt the team in the playoffs, as they had trouble creating any kind of offense with Simmons off the court. They may be limited on cap space, but they still have enough to acquire some role players who will help the team come playoff time.
1. He's a Jump Shot Away From Being One of the Best PGs in the NBA
Some NBA pundits questioned the Sixers commitment to Simmons due to his glaring lack of a sustainable jumper. It's a three-ball league now, and Simmons hasn't even made a single one in his career, but that doesn't mean he can't develop one, or even a solid 15-footer for that matter. We saw Giannis Antetokounmpo struggle with his jump shot for years until finally developing it en route to an MVP award this past season. Simmons is great at all facets of the game besides shooting, and he's only 22 years old. There's no reason to think he can't develop a reliable jumper in the coming years.