John Finger of CSNPhilly.com hears the Sixers and representatives for Jrue Holiday have had contact about an extension for the point guard. Yesterday, we passed along a report from Marc Stein of ESPN.com that Holiday was likely to land an extension before the October 30th deadline. A couple weeks ago, Holiday clarified an earlier report that indicated he was seeking a maximum extension, saying instead that he simply has a goal of someday becoming a player worthy of a max deal.
The 22-year-old Holiday would become a restricted free agent next summer if he and the Sixers can't reach an agreement by the end of the month. The market for restricted free agent point guards in 2013 could also include Stephen Curry, Brandon Jennings, Ty Lawson, Jeff Teague, Darren Collison and others, and the competition could drive down Holiday's price. When Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors took a look at Holiday's extension candidacy in August, he estimated that a four-year, $40MM deal would be a fit for Holiday and the Sixers. He also said he wouldn't be surprised if the UCLA product passed on an extension and banked on continued improvement during the season to help him get a better deal next summer. A maximum contract would give him 25% of the salary cap, or about $15MM a year depending on how high next year's cap is set.
GM Tony DiLeo wouldn't confirm the talks, according to Finger's report. DiLeo was promoted to the GM job on September 21st, taking over day-to-day negotiations from team president Rod Thorn. It's unclear what effect, if any, the front office move has had on negotiations with Holiday.