The Philadelphia 76ers appeared to be headed for a huge letdown this offseason, but their recent free agency signing may have just given them the perfect trigger for a much-needed redemption.
Right when no one was looking, the 76ers signed free agent Jabari Walker to a two-way contract to bring the incoming fourth-year forward to Philly. He spent his first three seasons in Portland and carries with him 188 games worth of NBA experience.
The 57th overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft may be headed to the 76ers on a two-way deal, but he is far from your usual two-way player. He played an ample amount of games with the Trail Blazers and had flashed glimpses of potential as a high-activity forward, making this a huge discount for Philly as them aim to replace Guerschon Yabusele, who departed for the Knicks just recently.
The 76ers get a huge discount in free agency after signing Jabari Walker to a two-way contract
Walker, who stands at 6’9” and 215 lbs, is virtually the perfect low-cost addition for the 76ers which remain pretty vulnerable at the forward positions. Paul George is expected to be ready for training camp, Kelly Oubre Jr. remains a part of the roster, and Trendon Watford should be ready for rotation minutes right from the get-go, but adding Walker — a natural tweener — will be beneficial for the team, no doubt.
The Colorado product still needs to sharpen his offensive game given his lacking efficiency from both inside and out from the three-point line, but in 60 games last season tallying 12.5 minutes on the average, he elevated his field goal and three-point shooting percentages to 51.5 and 38.9 percent, respectively, showing that there is a lot to be unlocked with his offense and shooting touch.
Walker may spent a lot of time in the G-League, but he will undoubtedly be a handy plug-and-play piece for Nick Nurse and the coaching staff with his great rebounding skills and ranginess on defense, making this a major robbery for the front office, all things considered.
Granted, the 76ers still need to pull off a couple of moves to make this offseason count as a positive one for the franchise, but hopefully, this move becomes the catalyst for them to start the ball rolling in a good way. With the East being wide-open next season, they cannot afford to just keep racking up losses in free agency.