Philadelphia 76ers: Markelle Fultz makes Dario Saric expendable in the long term
The Philadelphia 76ers have a lot of young talented players at the present moment, but as they mature the team may cut ties with some of their talent.
In recent years, the Philadelphia 76ers have been a team that has focused on the big picture and long term plans. That approach shouldn’t change in regards to the team’s young core. The Sixers core is projected to be one of the best in the NBA at the current moment, but it might be harder to keep all the young talented players as each enter their second contract with the club.
The salary cap can play a big part in this. The cap is projected to increase in the next two seasons after this upcoming one, but it might be not be enough for the team to avoid the luxury tax. That’s not including if the Sixers do land a big name free agent next summer. Robert Covington and Joel Embiid have already signed extensions and the next two players that will be up for contract extensions are Ben Simmons and Dario Saric, whose rookie contracts will be up in the summer of 2020.
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The final piece of the Sixers’ core is Markelle Fultz, whose rookie contract will be up in the summer of 2021. It’s unlikely Simmons will take a pay cut from a possible max contract extension, so that would leave Fultz and Saric having to give up some money if the team wants to avoid paying the taxes. Most likely none of the players will want to give up money and I can’t say I blame them.
In the past, 76ers owner Josh Harris has said he would be willing to pay the luxury tax, but only if it leads to winning. If the Sixers don’t win a championship in the near future, then one of the Sixers young core could be sacrificed for salary cap relief. Embiid and Simmons are basically untouchables for the team, which would leave Fultz and Saric as the possible options.
Based on draft pedigree as well as long term potential, Saric seems like the most likely player to be ousted from the young core. This isn’t to say that he isn’t extremely valuable to the franchise, however Fultz would appear to be a future All-Star if his hard work with Drew Hanlen pays off from this summer.
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Hopefully, the Philadelphia 76ers will never have to trim down their young core. However, if it ever comes down to that, Fultz’ potential makes him less expendable than Saric. For now, fans can enjoy the development of the Sixers young core, however this is something to consider for the long term future of the franchise.