The Philadelphia 76ers made a deliberate effort to evade the luxury tax anew this season and maintain as much financial flexibility as possible. That is really the only justification for the couple of trades they made before the deadline. As a result, it has become more baffling that the front office could not secure a better deal for Dominick Barlow, easily a major beneficiary of the front office’s salary cap maneuvering.
Shortly after the trade deadline passed, the 76ers made the obvious choice to convert Barlow’s two-way deal into a standard NBA contract. However, many were disappointed about the terms of his new arrangement as his deal will reportedly only last until next season, which is still subject to a team option.
That the 76ers could not even manufacture a longer deal with Barlow is definitely lamentable. A lot of fans took to social media to air their dissatisfaction with the move, and they most certainly have a good reason to pout at what the front office just pulled off at the transaction table with the young big man.
The 76ers made a huge mistake not giving Dominick Barlow a longer contract
Thanks to their star-studded nucleus, the 76ers have one of the most top-heavy payrolls in the entire association. As such, it is an utmost necessity for this franchise’s chances at winning meaningfully to have valuable contributors on good quality deals.
Barlow, who has easily been one of the best players for the team this season, now has a more proximate window to ask for a significant pay raise. After all, aside from the fact that he deserves it, the 76ers fumbled their only chance to secure his services at a discounted rate.
But he has an agent who probably wanted exactly that! The 76ers couldn’t do anything about it! No. The presence of a team option on his new deal connotes that the front office still holds the leverage in contract talks. This means that they could have signed him to a few more years if they really wanted to have him aboard at a controlled cost. Now, that is something they no longer have.
If and when Dominick Barlow starts to ask for more — which he definitely deserves at this rate — the 76ers will realize that their conservative decision despite freeing up more financial legroom before the trade deadline was a giant mistake.
We’ve all seen this before. And we know how ugly it could end.