Why the Sixers aren’t likely to sign anyone to a 10-day contract just yet

Now that we’re past January 5th, NBA teams can sign free agents to 10-day contracts. Any team with an open roster spot can sign a player to such a contract, which covers either 10 calendar days or three games (whichever is greater).

The Philadelphia 76ers currently have an open roster spot, so they could be in the market for a 10-day deal in the coming days. However, their self-imposed financial constraints from this past offseason may have prevented them from taking action and signing anyone to a 10-day contract right away.

Since the Sixers signed PJ Tucker with the non-taxpayer mid-level exception and Danuel House Jr. twice a year, they have a hard edge for the rest of this league year. This means that under no circumstances can they exceed the $156,983,000 luxury tax apron between now and June 30th.

The Sixers currently have about $151.4 million in payroll on their books, leaving them with about $5.5 million under the apron. That gives them plenty of room to sign the player to a 10-day contract, which would be a prorated portion of the league’s $1.8 million minimum salary. (Each 10-day contract should cost about $105,000.)

It may sound insignificant in relation to how much they are below the apron, but they also have a few other aspects to keep in mind.

Currently, the Sixers are less than $1.2 million over the league’s $150.3 million luxury tax threshold. Any 10-day signings they make will push them further over that limit, which could make it harder to defer the tax before the trade deadline. Having been a taxpayer in each of the previous periods, they would be subject to a more punitive repeat tax next year if they remain above the tax threshold this period.

The Sixers already have $117.1 million in guaranteed salary next season. The 2023-24 salary cap is currently projected at $134 million, and the Sixers have several players heading into free agency this summer, including James Harden. If they re-sign Harden and a few other members of their rotation (Shake Milton, Georges Niang, etc.), they could be in the tax zone next year.

If the Sixers are subject to the repeat tax in 2023-24, their tax penalty will be even harsher than in recent years. That could lead them to forgo re-signing certain free agents and/or use the full taxpayer mid-level exception, which is currently projected to be around $7 million.

None of this means that a 10-day deal this offseason will prevent the Sixers from re-signing Harden this summer. It focuses more on the margins, which will become increasingly critical for the Sixers in the coming years.

Also, the Sixers already have too many rotation players for their own good this season. Barring a flurry of injuries in quick succession, it’s hard to imagine a 10-day deal breaking their rotation over the course of three games. Players like Danuel House Jr., Paul Reed, Matisse Thybulle and Furkan Korkmaz are already fighting for minutes off the Sixers’ bench. Good luck finding a clear update on all four free agent markets this time of year.

The Sixers are under far less pressure to make a big swing at the trade deadline this offseason than they were last year, when the Disgruntled Ben Simmons Saga was coming to its conclusion. They’re likely tinkering with the margins of their roster instead of planning another star trade. Still, they should retain as much flexibility as possible heading into February 9, both in terms of space under the apron and roster spots.

As the trade deadline comes and goes, the Sixers can reassess their needs and begin exploring the 10-day market more seriously. Until then, they plan to use the next few weeks of games to examine their biggest roster holes and possible solutions to those weak spots.

Unless otherwise stated, all statistics via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the glass or Basketball reference. All salary information via Fire Chief or RealGM. All odds through FanDuel Betting.