The Sixers have filled their final roster spot, converting Jabari Walker’s two-way deal into a multi-year standard contract, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Walker, 23, signed a two-way deal with Philadelphia in July following three seasons in Portland. It didn’t take long for Walker to make an impression on the team and head coach Nick Nurse as he consistently played with a relentless motor, tenacious rebounding, and impressively physical defense. Nurse has had nothing but praise for Walker all season long, and indications of the team’s interest in converting him to a standard deal had become apparent some time ago.
As of late, Walker has been absent from the Sixers’ lineup, but not the team. The reason for Walker’s absence has been purely a numbers game. He ran out of eligibility under the terms of his two-way contract. Players are eligible for 50 days, and the Sixers, needing Walker’s contributions, used that up in the first 50 games of the season, with Walker making 45 appearances. Now that his deal has been converted, Walker is expected to make a return to the court as soon as Nurse calls on him.
The terms of Walker’s deal have not been disclosed. That is expected to come to light in the coming days.
With the addition of Walker and the reuniting with point guard Cam Payne on a rest-of-season contract, the Sixers now have all of their standard roster spots filled.
As for the Sixers’ available two-way roster spot, the team plans to sign guard Tyrese Martin, according to PHLY Sports’ Derek Bodner. Martin, who was waived by the Brooklyn Nets shortly after the NBA’s trade deadline, is a 6-foot-6 combo guard who can handle the ball and heat up from beyond the arc on occasion.
Following these additions, the team no longer has room to keep recent 10-day contract signees Charles Bassey or Patrick Baldwin Jr.
With the roster now full, Philadelphia enters the unofficial second half of the season with added depth and the potential to keep Walker on the roster heading into next year.
Unless otherwise stated, all stats included in this article are via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass, Basketball Reference or Team Rankings. All salary information via Spotrac.
