Jrue Holiday Contract Extension: Sixers Give Him 4 Years, $41 Million

Once the market sets, it sets. And in the case of the 2009 draftees entering restricted free agency, the market set just hours before the deadline. Jrue Holiday had been set to become an RFA after this season because the two sides hadn't spoke about it and were apparently miles apart. Then Stephen Curry (4/44), Ty Lawson (4/48), and DeMar DeRozan (4/38) all signed and it was Jrue's turn.

Hustling contract talks to get them in before October 31st midnight deadline, Tony DiLeo and company ironed out a deal with Jrue that pays him $41 million over 4 years and could potentially go up to $46M if the incentives kick in. I think Marc Stein had it first.

That's not bad. At this point in his career he is not the player that Lawson or Curry is, and he's far superior to DeRozan so per the market value, we're spot on. The danger of him going into restricted free agency is that he has a solid year and some team offers him a lot more money than he's worth. Considering his age, disposition, and defensive ability, Jrue is the kind of guy you want to gamble on. And 4/41 isn't too much of a risk.

So this is it, guys. Assuming Bynum signs the max contract, the Sixers will have a lot of money locked up into a point guard and a center over the next five years. Now all they have to do is fill out the middle.

Now it's even more important that they be insanely conservative with an Evan Turner contract. If they pay him 4/36 or anything after this season, they could be locked up into four really heavy contracts that don't allow for flexibility, including Thad's. They have to find a wing to pair with them. Maybe it's Evan, but it's probably not. It's going to be very, very interesting to see what they do over the next few seasons.

We're building a championship team here, folks. It may not become one, but at least they're building it. I'm feeling good about it so far, even if there are a few storm clouds in the distance.