The Philadelphia 76ers will convene in Camden, NJ for training camp starting on Sept. 28 with questions they have to answer.
The biggest of these questions is surrounding the status of All-Star Ben Simmons who expects to be traded sooner rather than later. The other is focused on one of the team’s rookie big men who has yet to agree to a contract with the team.
Philadelphia selected Charles Bassey with the 53rd pick in the 2021 NBA draft and he missed all of the summer league in Las Vegas due to the fact that he did not agree to a contract yet. There was then a report that Bassey would sign a 1-year, non-guaranteed deal, and while that still could be the case, Bassey and his camp want more from the Sixers.
According to Derek Bodner of The Athletic, Bassey is looking for a contract similar to what the Los Angeles Clippers gave Brandon Boston Jr., who was the 51st pick in the draft.
Per Bodner:
Bassey’s camp was looking for a multi-year contract with a two-year guarantee. The demands were aggressive, but not completely unprecedented. The Sixers gave Isaiah Joe, the 49th pick in the 2020 draft, a three-year, $4.2 million contract, of which the first two years and $2.42 million were guaranteed. The Clippers gave Brandon Boston Jr, the 51st pick in this year’s draft, a similar deal of three years and $4.3 million, with the first two seasons and $2.49 million guaranteed.
Bassey’s request was also strengthened by the fact that he had a contract offer with a multi-year guarantee, similar to the one Boston Jr. signed, on the table from a team if he were to go undrafted, multiple sources told The Athletic.
The Sixers, by contrast, have only been willing to guarantee the first year of a proposed three-year deal, per multiple sources with knowledge of the negotiations, something which they feel is commensurate with his draft slot.
Bassey is a young kid with potential as a shot-blocker in this league. He did average 3.1 blocks per game as a junior at Western Kentucky and he has begun to add a 3-point shot to his game. He will probably not see a lot of court time considering he is playing behind Joel Embiid and Andre Drummond, but getting him in camp and allowing him to practice and learn from those two will be beneficial for him.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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