Right now, the Philadelphia 76ers are handcuffed from making further additions to the team. Due to cap limitations, they are currently unable to fill out their lineup, which makes their 15th roster spot unusable at this juncture. However, that could easily change if they drop the hammer on arguably their most expendable player right now –– Jabari Walker.
Walker, who arrived in Philly through a two-way deal last summer before playing well enough to get his contract converted into a standard one, is the only player the 76ers have who is on a non-guaranteed deal. Only $250,000 is guaranteed in his $2.6 million contract for next season, and it becomes fully guaranteed on January 10 in the next calendar year. That arrangement makes it clear that he is the easiest cut the front office can make to make room for another signing.
The 76ers could very well drop the hammer on Jabari Walker soon
Before the 76ers came out as the winners of the vaunted LeBron James sweepstakes, everyone expected Walker to be the immediate roster casualty. However, the front office decided to part ways with Johni Broome instead, albeit via trade.
It would have been easier to usher in new additions had they cut Walker, but the front office apparently liked what he brought to the table. Be that as it may, unless the team is willing to wait until December to add another player to the roster, it is a near-must for them to show Walker the door.
Sure, there are some perks to keeping Walker. He is still pretty young, and his defensive acuity and rebounding are traits that this particular team needs. However, he is not exactly someone who is easy to integrate into various lineup configurations due to his dangling size and lack of a reliable offensive game.
The 76ers do have some other players they could decide to flip instead of Walker, but it would not be the most judicious thing to waive a player on a guaranteed deal when there is one on a non-guaranteed contract whose expected utility can already be replicated by the other players they have on deck.
For those reasons, Philly's brain trust is probably inching closer to parting ways with Jabari Walker by the day. The fact that the rumor mill is only getting louder for them does not help his case for more staying power, either.
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