76ers coach Brett Brown has been on the hot seat for a while.
Could there soon be an inflection point in Philadelphia?
The 76ers – owned by billionaire Josh Harris – are cutting the salaries of at-will employees. (Joel Embiid is pledging to cover some of those employees’ losses.) Contracted employees, including coaches, have greater protection. But ownership is still asking contracted employees to take a pay cut.
Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN:
Members of Sixers coaching staff and front office on contracts have until Thursday to agree to 20 percent salary reduction, sources tell ESPN. Among many so far, there's apprehension on committing to giving back money -- especially with uncertainty surrounding employment futures.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 24, 2020
Only at-will employees -- over $50K a year in salary -- are required to accept the Sixers salary reductions. Those under contract are needed to "volunteer" to do it. https://t.co/irBrW1DNpm
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 24, 2020
I don’t understand the deadline.
If a contracted employee decides on Friday or next week or any other time to forgo salary, would Harris really say “too late”? Of course not.
Is there an implied threat with this deadline? Is the insinuation that contracted employees who don’t agree to a pay cut won’t be retained beyond their current deals?
The 76ers created a self-imposed deadline, but similar issues will eventually arise around the league. Coaching contracts generally end June 30. The NBA season will likely continue far later.
Through the Collective Bargaining Agreement, owners and players are bound to find a shared solution for problems like that.
For owners and coaches, it’ll be more of a case-by-case basis.
