Jerryd Bayless
Position: Guard
Status for 2018-19: Final year of three-year deal at $8,575,916
Bayless in 2017-18
After missing almost all of last season with a thumb injury, Bayless started the first seven games of this season. He quickly lost his starting job and then had his thumb injury resurface.
After missing six games, he returned to the rotation, but Bayless' shot wasn't falling (34 percent from three over his next 26 games) and his defense – which was never great – wasn't cutting it. Couple that with the young talent that was emerging on the roster and Bayless found himself out of the rotation by mid-January.
Signature game
It's obviously tough to find a signature game for Bayless considering he only saw action in 39 contests this season. In a 115-107 win at Houston early in the season, Bayless logged over 40 minutes, notching 10 points on 3 of 6 shooting (2 of 5 from three), five assists and five rebounds.
Looking ahead to 2018-19
Acquired during the frenzied 2016 free-agency period, Bayless signed a three-year, $27-million deal with the Sixers. The thought was Bayless could provide veteran leadership and three-point shooting to help out young Ben Simmons.
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To a small extent, the deal worked. Simmons has given Bayless a ton of credit for helping him navigate the NBA waters. But on the court, Bayless hasn't panned out.
The Sixers will likely look to waive Bayless and "stretch" his deal. The stretch provision lets teams pay out a waived player's remaining guaranteed money over an extended period. It allows you to pay out the remaining money over double the length of the remaining deal, plus a year. In Bayless' case, that means the Sixers can "stretch" his guaranteed money over the next three seasons to alleviate cap stress. Bayless' cap hit is $8,575,916 for 2018-19. If the Sixers chose this option, they'll make Bayless' cap hit $2,858,638 over the next three seasons, which could help the team land a marquee free agent now or in the future.
On Bayless
"Different guys call for different situations. Most of the younger players did a really good job. This program has a bright future moving forward."
- Bayless on losing his spot in the rotation to the team's younger players
