Sixers pick up Milton’s club option for 2022-23 originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
The Sixers have exercised Shake Milton’s club option for the 2022-23 season, a team official confirmed Tuesday to NBC Sports Philadelphia.
PhillyVoice’s Kyle Neubeck first reported the news. HoopsHype’s Mike Scotto reported in mid-June that the team was expected to pick up the 25-year-old’s option.
It would have been difficult to find a good reason not to exercise Milton’s option of approximately $2 million. The SMU product is better than the typical player at that salary, which is around the league minimum for someone with his experience.
In his fourth NBA season, Milton averaged 8.2 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.5 assists. While his role has shifted often, the 54th selection in the 2018 NBA draft has essentially been a rotation regular since the second half of the 2019-20 season.
Milton’s momentum was halted in January when he suffered a back contusion that seriously hampered his mobility and sidelined him for over a month.
“Crazy,” he said in February of the rehab process. “For a little bit, it was hard for me to move. It really felt better with me just walking around and being in the hot tub, stuff like that. Once things slowed down, I was able to get moving a little bit and just kept feeling better and better.”
One disappointing aspect of Milton’s season was that his three-point percentage dipped to 32.3, though he did finish strong. Counting the playoffs, Milton made 44.1 percent of his long-range shots (26 of 59) over his final 33 games. He was excellent on the last night of the Sixers’ season, scoring 15 second-half points in the team’s Round 2, Game 6 loss to the Heat.
With head coach Doc Rivers searching for effective lineups and dependable bench players, Milton aimed to be adaptable.
“It’s like you’ve got to be a basketball chameleon, being able to fit in different roles and different spots depending on whoever’s out there,” he said in April. “Coming in, having versatility was something I was supposed to be good at. … I’ve just got to figure out whatever the team needs. I know if James (Harden) is in there, I’ve got to play kind of a different role. And if Tyrese (Maxey) is in there, they’ll put the ball in my hands and I’ll have the ball a little bit more. So it’s really just about feeling out those two and fitting in best where I can.”
The Sixers have added another guard this offseason through a draft-night trade for De’Anthony Melton. That again makes it tough to say exactly where Milton might fit for next year’s team, though picking up his option is clearly a sensible move.
