As it always seems to happen, the Sixers have a fairly significant offseason ahead of them, with plenty of meaningful decisions to be made by a host of parties. Six of those decisions, though, are player or team options on 2025-26 salaries. An early preview of the three player and team option decisions that will come in June, with some predictions to boot: 

Kelly Oubre Jr.: $8,382,150 player option

Oubre's year started off with a nightmarish stretch of inefficient scoring, foul trouble and poor decision-making. He was benched for a 20-year-old rookie, and Sixers head coach Nick Nurse began having conversations with Oubre about adjusting the style that had gotten him to this point. Oubre obliged and turned his season around, working his way back into the starting lineup and then putting together what might have been the best all-around, multi-month stretch of basketball of his NBA career.

Because Oubre is a wing with a great frame capable of defending three positions at a high level, there will be plenty of interest. Because of his shaky three-point shooting and limited track record contributing to contending teams, that interest might not be as vast as he hopes.

The Sixers will have Early bird rights on Oubre this summer, which will enable them to make offers competitive with anything he could realistically receive. If a team was in love with the idea of adding Oubre to their mix and offered him the entire non-taxpayer's mid-level, they could offer him about $60 million over four years. If the Sixers needed to, they could use their rights to get up to four years at nearly the exact same figure. This is not to say Oubre should be expected to command that deal, merely that the Sixers are in a good position to retain him should he hit free agency.

Oubre has not been shy about his desire to land a long-term commitment, and as things stand now the guess here is that he declines his player option in order to try to do just that. It does not mean he cannot return to the Sixers, even in an extremely similar price range.

Prediction: option declined

Andre Drummond: $5,000,000 player option

The Sixers giving Drummond a two-year, $10 million deal last summer with a second-year player option seemed like a no-brainer at the time, but it has not gone well. Drummond never really got going and the Sixers never played all that well with him on the floor. While the veteran center was brought back to Philadelphia because he first solid backup the team had ever found for Joel Embiid before being traded years ago, it turned out to be Guerschon Yabusele who helped stabilize the backup center spot while Drummond became less of a priority.

It is difficult to imagine Drummond commanding anything above a veteran's minimum contract given his age and the disappointing, injury-riddled season that is nearing completion. Unless he is comfortable playing on a minimum in an ideal situation, it would be questionable for him to decline this money. The Sixers could be forced to trade Drummond in a salary dump if he accepts the option, but he could also make it to opening night in Philadelphia and have another crack at rotation minutes.

Prediction: option accepted

MORE: How a benching, conversations with Nick Nurse helped Oubre evolve

Eric Gordon: $3,468,960 player option

The only way Gordon picks up this player option is if he is certain that there is not a single team in the NBA willing to offer him a veteran's minimum contract. Even as Gordon, 36, will miss the last few months of this season, that feels extremely unlikely, as the vast majority of contending teams covet three-point shooters who know how to play alongside stars. Gordon fits that bill better than most.

Why is the case that he would not pick up the option, though? Because of the NBA's salary cap year-to-year increase from 2024-25 to 2025-26, this figure is actually below what Gordon would make if he declined the option and signed a new minimum pact.

The bonus for the Sixers: if Gordon wanted to pick up his player option and stay in Philadelphia, he would still formally decline it to ink a new minimum deal and earn somewhere in the vicinity of $250,000 extra. That is a bonus because while Gordon would make more money in reality, his salary cap hit would go down. A player makes more money on minimum contracts as their career goes on, as there is a sliding scale based on years of service in the NBA. But for any player who signs a one-year minimum deal, their salary cap hit is that of a player with three years of experience.

So if Gordon declines his $3,468,960 player option for 2025-26 and then re-signs with the Sixers on a one-year contract at the minimum, he would be slated to make nearly $3.7 million, but his salary cap hit would be just under $2.3 million. Savings of over $1 million against the cap could be quite helpful for the Sixers if they end up needing to pull off a tight squeeze in order to keep Yabusele, Oubre and Quentin Grimes. 

Prediction: option declined

Lonnie Walker IV: $2,940,876 team option (projected)

For the next three team options, the dollar amounts are estimations from our friend and salary cap expert Yossi Gozlan, whose capsheets.com is an invaluable resource. We will start with Walker, whose number is the highest of the three because he has the most NBA experience.

It is difficult not to feel for Walker, who returned to the NBA after a brief stint in Lithuania when the Sixers lured him back on the last day before he had to commit to not return to the league this season. After a rough four-game stretch to begin his Sixers tenure, the Reading, PA native found a real groove. Walker's high-volume three-point was helping the Sixers put out a passable offense:

Unfortunately, as Walker began to refine other areas of his game to become a more well-rounded player, he suffered a concussion. That forced him to miss time, and after returning to action the plug was quickly pulled again. Walker is now listed as having a neck sprain.

Even if the Sixers want to bring Walker back, they can save themselves some money by declining this team option and re-signing him at the minimum salary. This would likely save them around $600,000 against the salary cap, which may not sound meaningful but can be helpful on a roster with three max contracts.

Prediction: option declined

MORE: Will Joel Embiid still be here three years from now?

Jared Butler: $2,349,578 team option

Butler is in the same boat as Walker, but declining his option to re-sign him on a minimum deal saves the Sixers a bit less money. It seems reasonable to assume Butler has a better chance of returning than Walker, though both could be viable options.  Butler's upper hand stems from the fact that the Sixers traded for him, and the fact that he could serve as an ideal third-string point guard behind Tyrese Maxey and Jared McCain next season. Butler is developing his three-point shooting of late, and his pick-and-roll ball-handling chops continue to stand out:

Another option for the Sixers is to decline Butler's option and re-sign him at a similar number but over multiple years. If the Sixers remain convicted that the 24-year-old floor general can be part of their future, trying to ink him to a longer-term deal now could be good business. Even if Butler ends up back next season -- a very real possibility -- his option being declined feels like the likeliest outcome.

Prediction: option declined

Justin Edwards: $1,955,378 team option

The Sixers had no ability to sign Edwards long-term when converting the standout undrafted rookie from a two-way contract to a standard deal; instead they tacked on a second-year team option to maximize their control over the situation. And as time has gone on, Edwards has looked more critical to retain moving forward, flashing a tantalizing array of abilities as a 21-year-old wing with good size. The latest development has been Edwards' rapid growth as an on-ball scorer, where he is growing more comfortable by the game:

Having Edwards at this projected salary below $2 million would, of course, be a coup for the Sixers in 2025-26. But the possibility of declining the option and inking Edwards to a long-term deal that will in all likelihood still be extremely team-friendly is far more exciting than accepting the option for a very slight one-year discount. It would be very surprising if Edwards does not have his optioned declined by the Sixers in June to facilitate a multi-year contract that ties him to his hometown team for years to come.

Prediction: option declined

MORE: Edwards is guarding the NBA's best players, and 'he's not backing down at all'

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