Are 76ers planning on re-signing Robert Covington to an extension soon?
By Dan Parzych
According to a recent report, Robert Covington could have an extension from the Philadelphia 76ers by this time next week.
Unfortunately, the Philadelphia 76ers are coming off a crushing 109-108 loss on Thursday night after allowing the Sacramento Kings to end the game on a 7-0 run, topped off with De’Aaron Fox‘s game-winning shot with 13 seconds remaining. But when it comes to the top story surrounding the Sixers heading into the weekend, forward Robert Covington takes the cake due to his contract situation.
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Marc Stein of The New York Times discussed on Friday how the Philadelphia forward is eligible to sign an extension with the team once Wednesday rolls around, and according to his sources, the Sixers want to make that happen as soon as possible. When looking at how much of an impact Covington has been able to make over the last four years, it’s easy to understand why the organization doesn’t want to hesitate on a new deal.
Robert Covington is eligible to sign a contract extension Wednesday and league sources say Philly is indeed on course to seal that new deal as soon as it’s permissible
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) November 10, 2017
Nov. 15 is the first day the Sixers, using their ample salary-cap space from the summer, can make official the “renegotiate and extend” deal for Covington many in Philly have been anticipating
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) November 10, 2017
The widespread expectation: Roughly $15 million immediately injected into Covington’s 2017-18 renegotiated season to set up a slightly reduced figure in subsequent extension years
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) November 10, 2017
Covington’s recent performance against the Kings (6 of 12 from three-point range) shows how valuable he’s been to the Sixers over the first 11 games, and without him, there’s no telling where this team would be at the moment. As frustrating as losing to Sacramento was, it was quite impressive to see Philadelphia recently go on an unexpected five-game winning streak after losing four of their first five games.
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If Stein’s report does end up being true, Covington is certainly going to deserve every penny the Sixers throw his way. Even though it’s only been a short period of time, Covington already seems to be heading towards a career season in Philadelphia in numerous categories, and if all continues to go well, he’s going to play a major factor in this team potentially making a run at the playoffs, which would be amazing after all of the years of rebuilding.