It wasn't a matter of if the Philadelphia 76ers were going to re-sign F Robert Covington to an extension, it was a matter of when.

And that when looks like it could be coming together as early as next Wednesday, according to New York Times' Marc Stein.


There's really no questioning that Covington deserves every bit of a contract extension, as his play has gotten better year by year and is already having the best season of his career just 11 games in.

He averaged 12.9 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 2 steals, and a block in 67 games for the Sixers last season. He had a defensive masterpiece of a season, that allowed Cov to finish fourth in NBA Defensive Player of the Year voting.

The way he has played this season has shown that he is really itching to get himself a big payday, as he's really stepped up as a leader of this team.

So far, Covington is putting together good scoring numbers, averaging 16.1 points and shooting 48-percent from the field. He's averaging 50-percent from beyond the arc already.

A big reason for the Sixers' early five-game winning streak was the play from Covington.

Covington was waived in October 2014 by the Houston Rockets and was snatched up by Sam Hinkie a month afterwards. He's developed really well defensively and especially offensively during his time in Philadelphia. Prior to Thursday night's game in Sacramento, the Sixers were a +9.5 with Covington on the court, compared to a -15.3 when he was on the bench.

It's still unclear what the details of the extension are going to be, but the $15 million "injected into Covington's 2017-18 renegotiated season" is a really solid deal for Covington.

Josh Liddick is Sixers managing editor for SportsTalkPhilly.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoshLiddickTalk.

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