The Philadelphia 76ers badly needed depth — and by depth, we mean the functional one — and the front office wasted little time plucking off one of the better names available in the market by signing Lonnie Walker IV, who had last played in Europe.
The 26-year-old comes to Philly to the tune of a two-year deal, the second of which being attached with a team option for next season. In effect, this completes the roster ahead of their playoff push, as the 76ers have now filld up its erstwhile open spot in the 15-man lineup. This means that at this juncture, the 76ers have no more room to usher in another player via, say, the buyout market.
Having said that, there is very little incentive for the 76ers to just cling to whatever they have on board. In fact, signing Walker should technically force the front office into making some tough calls to open up a roster spot or two, giving them yet another burgeoning issue to resolve.
The 76ers should part ways with some of their players to make way for Lonnie Walker IV
Walker’s arrival, however, merely stands as a “thickening the fat” situation as of the moment. Philly has way too many players of the same ilk and skill set, and in due account of that fact, this addition may not be as impactful on the surface especially if his playing time becomes constrained.
Naturally, the 76ers have to acknowledge that the solution would be to trim it. The coaching staff does not need a convoluted space in the form of a logjam. Thus, the front office should seriously try to part ways with, say, Eric Gordon, or more onerously, Ricky Council IV.
Gordon, for his part, has rediscovered his three-point touch, but his age simply disallows him from becoming impactful anywhere else. Already undersized as a wing, is presence in the rotation is only exacerbating the team’s lack of size on defense while not really adding anything to abate the team’s playmaking issue.
Meanwhile, the theory of Council as a player has far exceeded his actual form. While still a pesky defender, his frustratingly inefficient offensive game has made him a marginal part of the roster, and for now, he is stuck in Nick Nurse’s doghouse.
Moving on from one or both of these players would give the front office more wiggle room to improve the roster even more through external help. And with the Philadelphia 76ers hellbent on making the playoffs, this is the only reasonable way to go after signing Lonnie Walker.