Bynum's agent: 'Ball is in Sixers' court'
The agent for Andrew Bynum says that the player has not ruled out signing a contract with the 76ers
Bynum's agent: 'Ball is in Sixers' court'
John Mitchell, Inquirer Staff Writer
CHARLOTTE – The agent for Andrew Bynum says that the player has not ruled out signing a contract with the 76ers once free agency begins July 1.
“I don’t see why not,” Bynum’s agent, David Lee, said Wednesday morning when asked whether or not Bynum would consider signing an extension with the 76ers this summer. “I still feel like the ball is in their court.”
Bynum will be an unrestricted free agent this summer. He had arthroscopic surgery on both knees last month to remove debris. Teams can begin signing free agents on July 1.
Not long after the surgery, once Sixers source said that he did not believe that Bynum would give the Sixers any additional consideration because of what happened – Bynum never played for the team in the final year of his contract - following his acquisition in a four-team trade last August.
“Philadelphia has been terrific to us – from [majority owner] Josh Harris to [CEO/co-owner] Adam Aron to [general manager] Tony DiLeo,” Lee said. “The only way that Philadelphia would not be an option would be if they decided that they wanted to go in another direction.”
Lee said that Bynum is at least two weeks into his rehabilitation. He added that Bynum has not experienced any pain or swelling since the procedure.
For those that believe Bynum’s career is over, Lee had this to say.
“This was a rough year on everyone involved. But Andrew is just 25 years old. We have every reason to believe that he will be back on the court next season.”
NNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!— jimmymack- Respectfully to all who think that AB is going to come at a "hometown bargain" you really need to wake up. There will be 2 or 3 teams who will surface and give him eye popping money......just wait and see....there are a lot of 'desperate" franchises and owners with deep pockets who are dying to swing for the fences.
My guess is 3 yrs @ $12M per with an additional 2 yrs north of that number.....remember there are at least 10-12 teams that will have around $7M or more of available cap space and most of those teams have more than $10M....so there will be teams who the chips into the table and go all in......
I still say PING PONG BALLS is your best bet over the next 2 seasons!— bbrady25 - @bbrady25 - Completely agree. Earlier in this chat I mentioned that they should only sign Bynum if it's a reasonable contract. They cannot get into a bidding war, it's too much of a risk. The Sixers should not try to build around Bynum unless we can get him in a cheap or short contract that they can easily move on from.
In all likelihood, somebody will offer him a max contract out of desperation. I just hope the Sixers let him walk and maybe sign a few role players and let the young guys develop. I don't want to see the Sixers waste money on more solid starters that won't help the team enough to make it relevant.— OutofTownPhillyFan - ONLY A ONE YEAR WITH RESTRICTIONS ! NO PLAY NO PAY !!!!— newsy
- Bynum on a one-year make-good deal is smart. He won't get max offers from anyone. Not after this season's debacle. He will have to prove he is healthy to get his next pay-day. It might just be that the Sixers won't be the ones giving him that payday, but they can take a one-year shot and get "PING PONG BALLS" if it doesn't work out. If it does, they will have one of the best centers in the league (when his head is screwed on straight).— Copper34
- Second best option for Bynum :
==> AAMCO FIXES EVERYTHING !
Good lucccks .
— phillafuN - I don't see any way he could be successful and productive here. He has given no indication of having heart and, with his behavior this past year, is clearly not a "Philly guy"! He would be crucified by the fans!— bartfr
- Take your ball and go elsewhere.— kenkap
- Of course he would sign again - he had a great gig this year - bench warmer with full pay - no practice - just chillin...
Management is totally nuts if they even consider this pathetic jerk— Foundry Guy - Point him in the direction of the Greyhound station.— escapedcamden4monterey
- The Sixers have got to find their star. This is not the guy.— Larry Byrd
- Please sign him to a max contract...I love being able to buy tickets on StubHub for $1.75 a pop!— Hoc-a-mania
- He can make more from the Sixers than anyone else, so of course he'd be willing to listen. If there were any way to do a sign-and-trade to get something, anything for him that would be great.— hillbillybirdsfan
- This guy made $46,000 a day not playing basketball this year.......that is everyday, not just game days. If anything give him an incentive contract and pay him $xxx per game played (minimum minutes defined)— dave347
- Why would an agent say this. Your basically saying your client will accept less money to go back to Sixers. The agent is suppose to say nothing.— Drew777
John Mitchell is in his second year covering the 76ers for the Inquirer after joining the paper in November 2011. He covered the Washington Wizards for the Washington Times from 1998 to 2008. He's also worked at the Philadelphia Tribune, the Wilmington News Journal, Courier-Post, Trenton Times and Elmira Star-Gazette.Born and raised in West Philadelphia - not too far from Will Smith - he graduated from Overbrook High School the same year the 76ers won their last championship. He's a proud graduate of Howard University and the proud father of two sons, Jared and Jordan.
ABOUT MARC NARDUCCI
Marc Narducci has served in a variety of roles with the Inquirer since beginning in 1983. He has covered the 76ers as a backup and a beat writer. In addition, Narducci has covered everything from the Super Bowl to the World Series and a lot in between. Narducci also has a true passion for South Jersey scholastic sports, which he has covered for many years.
