Report: A Pre-Draft Proposal is Holding up Sixers' Negotiations With Bassey

Back in late July, the Sixers added three new prospects to their roster via the 2021 NBA Draft. Tennessee guard Jaden Springer became Philly's 28th overall pick in the first round. When the second round came along, the 76ers double-dipped on centers and added former Gonzaga big man Filip Petrusev and Charles Bassey, who comes from Western Kentucky.

At this point, two of the three draft picks have their contract situations figured out. Springer inked his multi-year deal not too long after the draft, and Petrusev immediately found out he was going to be an overseas stash. Therefore, he inked a one-year deal with the Turkish club Anadolu Efes. 

That leaves Charles Bassey as the only member of Philly's 2021 draft class unsigned and unsure of his future with the Sixers already. One thing we know for sure is the Sixers have every intention of keeping Bassey on board for the upcoming season.

Following the draft, the Sixers not only introduced him as a member of the team, but they also had him in the Summer League squad's starting lineup as the Sixers youngsters geared up for the five-game schedule out in Las Vegas.

However, Bassey would never play for the Sixers this summer. Instead, he was instructed by his agent to sit out until contract negotiations came to a close. With training camp just weeks away, Bassey and the Sixers have yet to agree to terms.

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the rookie center is likely to land a one-year deal at this point. If that's the case, then why are talks still prolonging the almost inevitable at this point? The Athletic's Derek Bodner recently explained the situation.

"Bassey’s camp was looking for a multi-year contract with a two-year guarantee. The demands were aggressive, but not completely unprecedented. The Sixers gave Isaiah Joe, the 49th pick in the 2020 draft, a three-year, $4.2 million contract, of which the first two years and $2.42 million were guaranteed. The Clippers gave Brandon Boston Jr, the 51st pick in this year’s draft, a similar deal of three years and $4.3 million, with the first two seasons and $2.49 million guaranteed."

Typically, players selected in the same range as Bassey on draft night land two-way deals. The former Western Kentucky center wasn't interested in signing one, and his representation made it clear to interested teams on draft night.

The Sixers accepted that and intended to sign Bassey to a multi-year deal when they selected him, but it wasn't quite what Bassey and his reps were looking for. According to Bodner, the young center had a multi-year contract proposal with guaranteed seasons on the table from an anonymous team if he were to go undrafted.

But the Sixers selected Bassey with the intentions of only offering him one season's worth of guarantees, per the report. While Bassey and the Sixers are expected to finalize a deal soon, it's currently unclear whether Bassey's "holdout" will land him a similar multi-year deal to his draft night proposal or the one-year contract that he's expected to sign any day now.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.