Ben Simmons, 76ers Agree to Contract: Latest Details, Comments and Reaction

Ben Simmons officially put pen to paper on his rookie contract with the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday night.

Simmons posted the deal-sealing photo on Twitter:

"

Happy to say I'm a part of the family #Sixers @Sixers pic.twitter.com/FYa2IE8PMS

— Ben Simmons (@BenSimmons25) July 3, 2016"

Signing the contract was a formality for Simmons. There wasn't much negotiating between his agents and the 76ers since the rookie wage scale sets parameters on what first-year players can earn.

According to RealGM, Simmons will make between $3.9 million and $5.9 million in 2016-17, and his salary will rise incrementally each season of the deal, which covers two guaranteed years and subsequent options.

For many Sixers fans, Simmons is the long-awaited franchise savior who will make the 47 combined wins in the last three years worth all of the torment. The 19-year-old averaged 19.2 points, 11.8 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game in his only season with the LSU Tigers.

In May, Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman wrote Lamar Odom and Blake Griffin are Simmons' two closest NBA parallels in terms of skill set, and he shares some offensive traits with Draymond Green.

In addition to Simmons' arrival, Joel Embiid (foot) will look to suit up for the first time in his NBA career. ESPN.com's Marc Stein also reported on June 30 that Dario Saric may be making his move to the United States after staying overseas for the past two years.

For the first time in a few seasons, Sixers fans have reason to be optimistic about the team's chances in the upcoming campaign. Philadelphia is unlikely to be a playoff contender, but the franchise should take positive steps forward for the first time since former general manager Sam Hinkie started building for the future.