Report: K.J. McDaniels Signs 1 Year Deal, Will Be RFA Next Year

According to a report from Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports, wing man K.J. McDaniels has signed a contract.

The contract is a 1 year, non-guaranteed contract with the 76ers, and will make him a restricted free agent next summer.

I speculated earlier this morning that the Sixers were likely trying to get McDaniels to agree to a contract similar to the one that Jerami Grant signed earlier this offseason, and similar to the ones Chandler Parsons, Jermaine Taylor, and Chase Budinger signed when Sam Hinkie was with the Rockets. The contract would have some similarities to a first round pick, in that his first two seasons would be guaranteed at a rate significantly higher than the minimum salary a second round pick typically gets, with seasons 3 and 4 as team options.

It's worth pointing out that in the contract Grant signed, years 3 and 4 were at the minimum, which is a far cry from the amount that 3rd and 4th year options would be for even a late first round pick would. Also, those options for a first round pick would need to be picked up well in advance, whereas the contract McDaniels was offered were likely unguaranteed, making it less likely that McDaniels would know in advance what his future was.

According to Adrian Wojnarowski, that's exactly what happened. However, rather than take the larger upfront guarantee, McDaniels bucked the trend of Sam Hinkie second round picks, instead betting that he will prove enough during his rookie season to garner a significantly higher salary next season as a restricted free agent.

In this sense, if it ends up working out for McDaniels, falling to the second round may prove to have been beneficial. First round picks do not have the flexibility to negotiate a contract in the way they see fit, with their starting salary slotted by the NBA, who also dictates the basic structure of the first round rookie contract, with the first two years guaranteed, followed by two team options.

McDaniels had hired a new agency, Priority Sports, to represent him in August.

A key point is that McDaniels will be a restricted free agent, as all veteran free agents who have been in the league for 3 or fewer seasons are. The Sixers will have the right of first refusal to match any offer that he receives, assuming they submit a qualifying offer to him before June 30th.

Update: 10:42 am

Adrian Wojnarowski from Yahoo Sports has some quotes from Mark Bartelstein, McDaniels' agent, confirming that the Sixers tried to get him on a 4 year deal.

The report also has McDaniels getting $507,000 this season. Jerami Grant will reportedly get $885,000 in his deal.