Shortly after the Sixers welcomed their 2025 rookie class, news broke that center Andre Drummond will opt into his $5 million player option for the 2025-2026 NBA season. Michael Scotto was the first to report.
Last season, Drummond, who was limited to just 40 games due to various injuries, namely a great to injury. When healthy, Drummond averaged 7.3 points and 7.8 rebounds per game.
Drummond’s decision to opt into his deal does not confirm his return, however, as Philadelphia is able to trade him without a time restriction and may do so either in search of another talent or in a salary-saving move.
Drummond is the first of three players with player options for the 2025-26 season who are all expected to return to the team next season. Kelly Oubre and Eric Gordon are also expected to return, Oubre via a potential opt-in and Gordon likely through an opt-out to the sign for the veteran minimum, which would both earn Gordon more money than his option and save the Sixers money against the cap.
Gordon’s option is worth $3,468,960, while the veteran minimum for a player with his years of service would be $3,634,148. If Gordon opts into his deal, the full $3,468,960 of his salary will count against the Sixers’ cap. If he opts out and re-signs, it counts only as $2,296,271, the same as a player with two years of NBA service. This rule was implemented to balance teams’ decisions to sign players of various experience levels without compromising pay for veterans.
