Jalen McDaniels, who spent the latter half of the previous season with the Philadelphia 76ers, hoped for a return to the City of Brotherly Love but ultimately opted for a different path by signing with the Toronto Raptors this offseason. This decision came after the 76ers’ offer fell short of his expectations.
Reflecting on his time with the 76ers, McDaniels spoke fondly of the experience, emphasizing the excitement of sharing the court with superstars like Joel Embiid and James Harden.
He noted that it brought a whole new dynamic to his game and provided valuable learning opportunities from his former teammates.
However, when it came to contract negotiations, the 76ers’ offer didn’t align with McDaniels’ aspirations.
The forward revealed in an interview with Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer that the offer from Philadelphia was akin to a minimum contract, which he couldn’t accept, leading him to make the business decision to join the Raptors on a two-year, $9.3-million deal.
McDaniels candidly expressed, “It was just like a minimum-type thing. Yeah, I couldn’t do that, you know?”
In his recent matchup against the 76ers, McDaniels had a brief three-minute appearance against his former team but remained scoreless throughout the game.
