After a long and drawn-out contract negotiation, it appears the Sixers and rookie center Charles Bassey are finally close to an agreement.
With the 53rd pick in the 2021 NBA draft, the Philadelphia 76ers selected Charles Bassey. After a long wait, the Sixers and Bassey are close to agreeing on a one-year non-guaranteed deal, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania.
The young big-man from Western Kentucky looked set to be the long-term plan to be Joel Embiid‘s backup. That still is the case, but the road to get here was certainly rocky.
It took Bassey and the Sixers over a month to get to finally come close to an agreement, but after much discussion, Charles Bassey will, in fact, be a Sixer next season.
It’s a surprising decision from Bassey’s camp to seek a one-year deal as, with Andre Drummond on the team (and obviously Joel Embiid), playing won’t be over-abundant this season. Bassey likely, though, was aiming to avoid being the latest of the Sixers’ second-round steals.
The Sixers signed both Isaiah Joe and Paul Reed to three-year contracts last season that will pay both players right around $4 million. Those deals are already looking extremely team-friendly, and it’s likely his agent, Adie von Gontard, took note of this.
Whatever the case, a deal is now done, and barring a trade, the Sixers roster is completing heading into the new season. Bassey is a talented player, and while he’s only here on a one-year deal, hopefully, it’s the first of many years to come.
