Last night, at 11:59 PM eastern, NBA franchises had to have any contract extensions for members of the 2007 draft class filed with the league. The Sixers currently have two roster spots filled by players who are affected by said deadline: Thaddeus Young and Spencer Hawes. Unfortunately for their future and financial security with the impending lockout lurking like Jordan at a sno-cone stand, both Young and Spawes were not extended.
With this decision, the Sixers have elected to allow Thad and Spencer to become restricted free agents at the end of the season. Under the current collective bargaining agreement, this means the Sixers must offer them a scaled qualifying offer (($4,051,024 for Hawes and $3,992,108 for Thad) in order to reserve the right to match any contract offered by a different team to each player. Who knows what will happen with restricted free agent policies once the new CBA is put into practice.
This comes as no surprise to me and probably doesn't for any person who closely follows the Sixers. Thad is coming off a less than stellar season in which his flaws were magnified because of the awful season the team had overall. And Hawes? Well, yea, I'm sure you can figure out why he didn't earn an extension from the front office.
Players around the league who did receive extensions by the deadline were Mike Conley (5 years, $45 million from the Grizzlies), Jared Dudley (5 years, $22 million from the Suns), and Al Horford (5 year, $60 million from the Hawks). Kevin Durant and Joakim Noah received extensions before the season even started.
Other notable players who did not receive extensions are number one overall selection Greg Oden, Jeff Green, Brandan Wright, Corey Brewer, Yi Jianlian, Wilson Chandler, and everybody's favorite late first round pick Jason Smith.
UPDATE 4:22 PM: Thaddeus Young on not receiving an extension (per Kate Fagan):
"I'm disappointed that we were not able to work out an extension," Young said in a statement. "I would love to be with the team long term, but I recognize that the uncertainty in next year's CBA has an effect on the team's approach to contract extensions. My focus now is to continue to work hard with my teammates and new coaches to help improve our team and win games. The fans deserve that."