League source: Williams to opt out of contract, test free agency
Philadelphia 76ers guard Lou Williams will opt out of the final year of his contract at the end of this season and become an unrestricted free agent, according to a league source with knowledge of the situation.
League source: Williams to opt out of contract, test free agency
Philadelphia 76ers guard Lou Williams will opt out of the final year of his contract at the end of this season and become an unrestricted free agent, according to a league source with knowledge of the situation.
If he were not to opt out, Williams would be due $6.4 million from the Sixers.
Said the source: “He’s indicated that he’s not going to pick up his option. All indications are that he’s going to opt out.”
Reached at courtside via telephone before the 76ers, fighting for the final spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs, game at Indiana on Saturday, 76ers general manager Rod Thorn said that he had not spoken with his leading scorer about his contract but acknowledged that Williams can opt out his contract and become an unrestricted free agent.
“He has not said what he will do, but we will react to that when the time comes,” Thorn said.
Said the source: “He’s indicated that he’s not going to pick up his option. All indications are that he’s going to opt out.”
Williams leads the 76ers in scoring this season, averaging 14.9 points a game in just over 26.2 minutes per game. Williams has not started a game this year. If this holds, Williams will become the only player to lead his team in scoring without making a single start since Dell Curry did it for the Charlotte Hornets in the 1993-94 season.
Contact staff writer John N. Mitchell at jmitchell@philly.com. Follow him on Twitter @JmitchInquirer
"If this holds, Williams will become the only player to lead his team in scoring since Dell Curry did it for the Charlotte Hornets in the 1993-94 season." - What the heck does that mean? Every team has a player who leads his team in scoring???— fischman- "without making a single start." Maybe you should read the whole article. BOOM!!!!! — grimm39
- No loss................makes the re-tool decisions easier.— Northcountry
- No loss?...leading points, points per minute,PER,assist to turnover ratio, on court leader, and their biggest money scorer, and easily the best at drawing fouls...Never given the chance to get starter's minutes, we'll see if there's interest in him..Other than that, your post is adequate...NOT — bearsfriend
- he probably meant bench player...
or maybe under 15 points per game
or the only player who plays behind a guy who spreads the court and scores 5 points a game— retzlaff - I certainly hope Lou lands with a Professional Basketball team next year instead of the dregs we have here in Philly. It'd be nice to see the same for Thaddeus Young & Iggie as well. All these guys deserve much better.— MrFabulous47
- Oh no! Not Lou Williams, what would the Sixers ever do?— LGbalsac
- Get rid of Turner, Brand, and Iggy while you're at it.— brio
- Lou is what he is, a gunner. He is terrible in the set offense, especially for a player in his 7th year. Bye, Lou.— fillyfan
- He's a top notch high post pick and roll player...That's in a set offense, is it not?...Your moniker is giving Philly a bad name. — bearsfriend
- Maybe he wants to take a year off and learn to play defense?— Wilhelm Von Humboldt
- Stick to making tasteless jokes on Philly's crime problem,Willy....you're lost on the sports scene. — bearsfriend
- Where's bearsfriend? Dry your tears, sir, it will be ok.— mjc1
- I'm sorry I'm late to this chat...had to watch Lou carry the Sixers with 7 OT pts off of 2 shots...Hmmm,4 blocks and 2 huge steals. Get me Maalik Wayns, or something quick, cause, the Sixers will miss Lou's first step... — bearsfriend
- I don't think we'll miss him if Turner can get his minutes and a vote of confidence from Doug. But we still need a 16-18 ppg post player. Shoot, I'd settle for 14 ppg and 8 rebounds from a solid post player.— nceagle
Keith Pompey has been an Inquirer reporter since September 2004. He takes over the Sixers beat after covering the Temple men’s basketball team for the past three years and Temple football the past two seasons. Pompey also previously covered the Penn and Drexel men’s basketball team and Villanova football team after initially focusing on high school sports.
Pompey is a native Philadelphian and a University of Pittsburgh. Follow him on Twitter @PompeyOnSixers or reach Keith at kpompey@phillynews.com.
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.
