Philadelphia 76ers targeting 10-day contracts

The Philadelphia 76ers resist filling the 15th roster spot. That may soon change, as January 5, 2018 opens the NBA 10-day contract period.

The Philadelphia 76ers may have some strategy for the team after all. As the team tries the rope-a-dope to absorb injuries to key players in the midst of building a success team and line-ups, there is a growing concern that the team is willing to sit on their hands and wait.

And observe.

But that forces the team to pile minutes on players who are already pulling the lion’s share of minutes.  And on a team with fatigued players and post-season aspirations, that feels very counterproductive. But perhaps there is more to this story. Perhaps 2018 will bring resolution of sorts.

Those 10-day contracts arrive this week

You see, the 2018 10-day contract season begins on January 5, 2018. At that time, NBA teams can sign players for an “audition” of sorts. The contract is for 10-days only, and each team can sign an individual player to two such time-limited contracts.  To catch up on the whole tale, a great source is NBA Salary Cap FAQ.

I’ve brought up the vacant 15th roster spot for good reason. These Philadelphia 76ers are in playoff mode, so there is no true advantage for playing a shallow and injured roster to position the team for a better draft position in 2018.  In fact, while the Sixers are in a “win-now” mode for the first time in a very long span, the impact of any 2018 NBA Draft rookies may not have an immediate positive impact on the team at all.  When you factor in three draft-and-stash prospects from the 2017 NBA Draft already, there is a significant amount of logic to believe that this team will be hard pressed to find both roster and playing room for any newcomers.