James Ennis could be too expensive for 76ers to keep around

With James Ennis declining his player option for next season, the forward may be too expensive for the Philadelphia 76ers to keep around.

During the 2018-19 season, the two trades that stood out the most in regards to the Philadelphia 76ers were easily the ones that landed Jimmy Butler (Minnesota Timberwolves) and Tobias Harris (Los Angeles Clippers).

However, when it comes to the most underrated moves put together by Brett Brown and company, the trade by the Sixers to land James Ennis from the Houston Rockets leading up to the deadline deserves to rank near the top of the list.

At the time, this move didn’t receive as much attention for Philadelphia since acquiring Ennis was done to provide some depth to the bench, but the argument can be made the veteran turned out to be a better addition than originally expected.

Take a look at some of the performances put together by Ennis during the playoffs, and it’s easy to see why this trade deserved to fall into the category of underrated since he certainly made his presence felt.

With that being said, the Sixers knew there was a possibility of being in a tough position this offseason in regards to Ennis returning for the 2018-19 season since he would have the option of declining his player option.

Turns out, this is the approach Ennis will be taking to set himself up for free agency this summer with the hope of earning a better deal.

From the perspective of Ennis, declining this option seems like a no brainer since his level of play in the postseason alone was good enough to help his stock rise, and catch attention from other teams that may be interested in bringing him on board this summer.

Of course, just because Ennis opted out of his contract doesn’t necessarily mean the interest isn’t there for the Sixers to bring him back since the bench can use all of the extra help they can get, but also that’s always easier said than done.

The Sixers know the one downfall about the successful time Ennis had in Philadelphia is the new asking price to keep him happy moving forward, and with the team having a few other players to consider as well for new contracts, they’re certainly in a difficult position.

As much as the Sixers would love to keep Ennis around, this may be one of those situations in which they end up deciding to move on.

At the end of the day, Philadelphia most likely has a set price they’re willing to pay Ennis to make sure they can address other players as well.

And while nothing is set in stone at the moment, Ennis declining his player option seems like the first step of him officially being on the way out.