Good news for Sixers’ fans today in the form of David Aldridge’s column about extension discussions for draft picks of the 2014 Draft. Embiid and the Sixers have not yet come to an agreement on a contract extension, with some speculation that an agreement is partially incumbent on Embiid’s fitness coming into the season.
Aldridge reports that the talks are shaping up well at the moment.
The sides are “optimistic,” per one source, that a deal will get done by next week. But there are a lot of moving parts here— chief among them Embiid’s ability to stay healthy. He’s been cleared for 5 on 5 work in practice after left knee surgery in March shut him down last season. But Embiid’s history of injuries makes gauging his future murky ... Embiid’s too important to Philly’s future and a deal with lower guarantees and future incentives based on playing time will likely be the way this gets resolved.
Hidden deeper in the piece was the revelation that Robert Covington’s extension “is all but completed, too.” Good news for a team for which those two players were the best performers during the 2016-17 season.