As the Philadelphia 76ers chart the course with the 2024-25 season slowly coming to a close, the coaching staff has been busy evaluating a lot of the players that are still in action for the team. While there is no active thrust to try to win any more games moving forward, presumably due to the tight race for lottery positioning, the job is far from finished for Nick Nurse and company.
There has ben some revelations for Philly even at this seemingly moot juncture. Quentin Grimes, whom the 76ers got before the trade deadline as part of a mere salary dump, has emerged as a budding star for the franchise, making him a must-keep for the front office this offseason. There’s also the ever-solid Justin Edwards, who has bolstered his case to remain a key rotation player for the team next season.
Having said that, there are some alarming points for the team that should give them an idea on who to keep moving forward. Unfortunately for this certain fan favorite, his team in Philly could very well be fleeting given how forgettable he has been thus far.
The 76ers have no reason to keep Lonnie Walker for next season
The 76ers signed Lonnie Walker in late February, hoping to bolster the team’s wing rotation and inject more shot creation to the squad. However, since setting foot in Philly, the fan favorite has been rather negligible.
In just 11 appearances so far, Walker has been erratic, averaging 7.7 points on 35.4 percent shooting from the field and canning just 33.3 percent of his three-point tries. Nurse has not given him much run, but to be brutally honest, the athletic wing has not really shown anything compelling enough to warrant being given more court time.
Walker has remained a questionable decision-maker with the basketball — a dangerous trait that the 76ers would most likely want to jettison in light of better options on the roster. His poor shooting certainly does not help his case, and he has not shown anything compelling enough kind of maturity on the defensive end, either.
Philadelphia has a team option it can pick up if it wants to retain Walker next season, but it seems like that would be a long shot for now. The 76ers already have an embarrassment of riches in the backcourt and in the wings, and Walker does not really offer anything that anyone on the roster cannot do.
Unfortunately for him, it appears that it is probable that he will need to find another home ahead of next season. Unless he goes on a ballistic run to end the season, the Philadelphia 76ers would most likely part with him sooner than expected.