Report: Sixers, Holiday working on extension

With the season quickly approaching, the Sixers have a bit more than three weeks to come to terms with potential free agents on contract extensions.

According to a report from ESPN, the Sixers could get a contract extension deal done with point guard Jrue Holiday by the Oct. 30 deadline.

Holiday is set to earn $2.674 million this season with a qualifying offer of $3.776 million for 2013-14. However, given his age and time spent in the league, it’s doubtful Holiday would accept that qualifying offer.

“Jrue Holiday is getting better all the time,” assistant coach Brian James said after Saturday night’s scrimmage at St. Joe’s Hagan Arena. “This is his team to lead.”

If he does not take the qualifying offer from the Sixers, it means Holiday could be a restricted free agent at the end of this season. Of course, if an extension is agreed upon before the Oct. 30 deadline, then none of that matters. Holiday would be with the Sixers for a few more years.

General manager Tony DiLeo could not comment on the status of negotiations between the team and Holiday’s agent.  

However, a source says the two sides have been in contact about an extension.

Holiday averaged 13.5 points and 4.5 assists per game last season. At age 22 he is entering his fourth season in the NBA and has missed just one game in the past two years and 10 in his entire career. The UCLA product and Southern California native averaged a team-high 15.8 points and 5.2 assists during last season’s playoff run, while averaging just two turnovers per game.

E-mail John Finger at jfinger@comcastsportsnet.com