Beyond the Philadelphia 76ers' star-studded starting five, there are a few players who are battling for their jobs in the City of Brotherly Love this upcoming season.
The Sixers are in a win-now mode, and everybody from the sixth man down to the 14th man could find themselves on the trade block if there is a deal out there worth making.
For some of these guys, they just might be on thin ice before they reach day one of training camp. Every camp session, preseason minute, and performance during the regular season matters for their future with the Sixers.
Who is on thin ice heading into the 2026-2027 NBA season?
Justin Edwards, SF/SG
At just 22, Justin Edwards is far from entering a make-or-break year for his NBA career. Despite going undrafted out of Kentucky as a freshman and doing some work in the NBA G League as a two-way player, there is clearly a lot of untapped talent in this young sharpshooter.
But Edwards is in the wrong situation. It's just going to be so difficult for him to find minutes in year three after he appeared in 64 games with an average of 15.3 minutes last year. If there is a rebuilding team with a desire to develop the young forward, Edwards should be open to that. I know that if the Sixers need to use his $2.4 million as salary filler, they likely won't hesitate. It's going to take a big leap from Edwards in order for him to avoid the block this year.
Jabari Walker, SF
The fact that Walker is still on the Sixers' roster before training camp is a bit of a stunner. He's the only standard contract on the team without a full guarantee. Most believed that Walker would be the odd man out when the Sixers added Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, but the Johni Broome trade to the Los Angeles Clippers saved his spot.
Still, Walker's $2.5 million doesn't reach guaranteed status until January 10, 2027. The only money he has locked in is $250,000. Is there a real path to playing time here? Even if Nick Nurse wanted to start the season with a 10-man rotation, Walker is likely excluded. You could find him on the trade block--or hitting waivers--barring a big jump in progression.
Adem Bona, C
The backup center position will feature a battle between Adem Bona and Ariel Hukporti this offseason. Bona should have the upper hand since he's been with the team for the past two seasons and even averaged 9.6 minutes of action in 10 playoff games in the spring, but the competition with another young center erases all guarantees for his future with the team.
Bona might be a homegrown player in Philadelphia, but he wasn't selected by the current front office. Taken in the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft, Bona is a Daryl Morey guy. Mike Gansey's real opinion on the center remains to be seen. And if you want to take it a step further, Hukporti was picked up by Gansey in free agency. The ex-Knicks big man was the one chosen by this new front office, which matters to some degree.
The worst part is that Bona is unlikely to get a chance to battle for his spot for the first couple of weeks of the offseason. As he deals with a foot injury, Bona is expected to miss some time. That's another early advantage for Hukporti.
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