Philadelphia 76ers Swingman Picks Up Option, Puts Team In Luxury Tax Jeopardy

The Philadelphia 76ers are facing a major cap crunch this offseason, as their committed salaries for 2023-24 are now up to $121M for just eight players after swingman Danuel House Jr. picked up his player option for $4.3M. 

If Harden returns, House picking up his player option pushes the Sixers that much closer to the second apron.

If they cross the second apron, they won't have access to *any* mid-level exception this offseason and will be limited to offering only minimum salaries in free agency.

— Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) June 2, 2023

House averaged 4.8 points and 1.7 rebounds while shooting 33.6% from three in his first season with the Sixers and found himself in and out of the rotation at times. He likely wouldn't have been able to fetch more than the minimum in free agency, so him picking up his option is not a surprise. 

As noted by cap expert Bryan Toporek, the Sixers could now be limited to offering free agents only the minimum, if James Harden returns for his $35.6M (or renegotiates a more pricey extension). 

If Harden bounces and heads to Houston (or elsewhere), the Sixers will at least likely have the non-taxpayer mid-level exception to offer.

Philly could still resort to a sign-and-trade to bring in a big-name player, however, and that would be the case in one scenario where they've been rumored to be looking at one of the top guards on the market.

Photo: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports