The Philadelphia 76ers, like all teams, are very mindful of the trade deadline, which comes in less than three weeks. However, that is not the only one they are closely monitoring. After all, they are getting close to reaching their games limit with their two-way players, which should prompt some attendant roster cuts for the front office.
Dominick Barlow and Jabari Walker, who have been regulars for the 76ers in their rotation, can only ba made available for four more games. Since the 76ers have less than 15 players on standard deals, Barlow and Walker are close to reaching their appearances limit as two-way players, so the front office has no other choice but to drop the inevitable hammer and start executing those anticipated roster cuts.
Philly could do something for its 15th roster spot by making use of the 10-day contracts, but the more direct solution to this is to just convert both players’ deals from two-way into standard ones. But of course, that will require them to waive another player, although it should not take a trek to find out which one they should cut ties with to that effect.
The 76ers should make the inevitable roster cuts and convert both Dominick Barlow and Jabari Walker’s deals
Without even needing to belabor ourselves with the task of selecting from a list, the 76ers should already part ways with Eric Gordon, who has barely even sniffed the court this season. Now in his 18th season, he no longer has a lot left in the tank, if at all, and Philly can no longer afford to play the role of retirement home for him.
A one-trick pony at this point in his career, Gordon should be the no-debate casualty of this roster crunch. He offers nothing which the 76ers do not have in store, and even with the off-court stuff, they already have veterans like Kyle Lowry to bolster the locker room.
Barlow and Walker have been key contributors for them season. The former has emerged as their starting power forward, impacting the game on both ends without being a high-maintenance guy. On the flip side, the latter has given the 76ers some much-needed additional depth at the forward positions, which has been their weak link in recent years.
The Philadelphia 76ers only have one, clear-cut solution to this roster challenge, and really, it should not take them this long to make the call. Hopefully, they just get it over with.