James Ennis Will Decline Player Option, Set to Test Free Agency

The Philadelphia 76ers have a critical offseason approaching. After losing in the second round of the playoffs, all of the attention has now shifted to their upcoming moves. This year, the Sixers will have three of their five starters, potentially hitting free agency, but it doesn't just stop there. Since the Sixers went all in and made 'win now' type moves throughout the season, they had to expect they would lose some key bench players during the free agency process as well since contracts are set to expire.

During the trade deadline in 2019, the Sixers made a splash. Their most notable move was the acquisition of Tobias Harris, Mike Scott, and Boban Marjanovic. However, they did make a trade with the Houston Rockets as well, in order to acquire veteran swingman, James Ennis. The veteran forward appeared in 18 games with the Sixers and averaged around 15 minutes-per-game. With a player-option available on his contract, Ennis had a decision to make - he could either return for $1.8 million, or decline and test free agency. Unfortunately for Philly, Ennis went with the latter.

According to NBA Insider Shams Charania, Ennis will decline the option for next season and will, in fact, test free agency. Now the Sixers are set to potentially lose another veteran. Although Ennis wasn't a big-time contributor in the regular season, he did seem to improve his stock during the second round of the playoffs. In the hard-fought series against the Toronto Raptors, Ennis' contributions were a bit of a surprise.

After averaging around five points-per-game during the regular season, in addition to the series against the Brooklyn Nets, Ennis increased his value a bit during the second round. He averaged 7.9 points-per-game and drained 43-percent of his shots from the field. For a team that needed solid veteran depth off the bench for the postseason, Ennis played his part right. Unfortunately for the Sixers, they will have to bid to get him back, if interested.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for South Jersey's 97.3 ESPN. You can follow Justin on Twitter: @JGrasso_