Ben Simmons agrees to five-year, $170 million extension with Sixers

As the Sixers navigated free agency, there were reports of the team and Ben Simmons working out the details on an extension for the 22-year-old point-forward. It now appears all of the fine print has been laid out: according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Ben Simmons has agreed to a five-year, $170 million extension with the Sixers.

Philadelphia 76ers star Ben Simmons has agreed to a five-year, $170 million maximum contract extension, agent Rich Paul tells @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.

— @ShamaCharania

A five-year extension for Simmons means that he will play next season on his rookie deal, counting for $8.113 million of salary, and then in the 2020-21 season, the first year of his extension will kick in and carry him through the 2024-25 season. The yearly breakdown of the contract per Jeff Siegel of Early Bird Rights:

• 20-21: $29,250,000
• 21-22: $31,590,000
• 22-23: $33,930,00
• 23-24: $36,270,000
• 24-25: $38,610,000

Jeff Siegel, Early Bird Rights

Ben Simmons is a polarizing player with glaring flaws. That said, he is insanely and uniquely talented and he is young and durable. Extending Simmons as well as keeping him happy is a no-brainer.

There will be Simmons doubters calling this a mistake from the jump, but I can’t wrap my head around that. Not only is Simmons already highly productive, but even on this deal, there are many teams who would eagerly view Simmons as a positive asset at this stage of his career. In other words, even if you are dubious of the long-term fit of Simmons and Embiid or the development in key areas of Simmons’ game, there’s likely a way out should the Sixers ever come to the same conclusion.

All the good health/good luck caveats in place, I’m comfortable betting on Ben Simmons given what we’ve seen and what we know about him.