Holiday's agent, Sixers meet
Tony Dutt, the agent for Jrue Holiday, was in Wells Fargo Center on Monday night doing his due-diligence for his client, who is in line for a possible contract extension before the start of the season.
I don't know how the discussions went or how they are progressing, but I don't think that Holiday, who has said that he wants to be a "max-contract player," is going to see a deal get done before the Oct. 31 deadline.
I don't have a firm idea of what is going to happen, but I have talked with enough people around the league to think that they are not going to get a deal done and Holiday will reach next summer as a restricted free agent. If that is the case, the Sixers will be in position to offer Holiday a larger contract than any other team.
As a restricted free agent, the Sixers could sign Holiday to a five-year deal. Other teams can sign him for four years.
Holiday was the 17th overall pick in the 2009 draft and that class is loaded with guards like Stephen Curry, Brandon Jennings and Ty Lawson, all looking for substantial extensions but unlikely to get them.
However, the one benefit that Holiday has over all of the aforementioned guys is the addition of a big man in Andrew Bynum who can potentially do wonders for Holiday's game and his stats. Holiday should be getting more open looks at the basket when the big man draws the double team. I also think that this is a season in which Holiday can become an assists monster. Holiday averaged 6.5 assists, a career high, during the 2010-11 season. Why can't he hand out at least two more (minimum) now with the weapons the Sixers have added?
Stay tuned. There is always the chance that something may get done. However, I don't think it will.