Dominick Barlow's New Contract Explains the Sixers' Trade Deadline Approach

Based on the initial response, the Sixers don't appear to have engendered much goodwill from fans with their approach to the 2026 NBA trade deadline.

On Wednesday, the Sixers shipped Jared McCain to the Oklahoma City Thunder for a 2026 first-round pick and three future second-rounders. A few hours before the 3 p.m. ET deadline on Thursday, they sent Eric Gordon to the Memphis Grizzlies for a 2032 second-round pick swap.

When the dust settled, the Sixers were $5.1 million below the $187.9 million luxury-tax line and $7.3 million below the $195.9 million first apron. This marks the fourth straight year that they've made moves at the trade deadline to ensure they finished out of the luxury tax.

Last week, Joel Embiid pleaded with the Sixers' ownership group and front office to focus on improving the team rather than ducking the tax. It appears those pleas fell on deaf ears.

Joel Embiid, asked about keeping the team together at the trade deadline:

"In the past we've been ducking the tax, so hopefully we think about improving [the team at the deadline], because we got a chance."

"I hope that at least we get a chance to just go out and compete,… pic.twitter.com/QdCz3HlbL9
— Derek Bodner (@DerekBodnerNBA) January 30, 2026

They did make a few notable moves shortly after the deadline, though. To fill their three open roster spots, they signed Charles Bassey to his second 10-day contract, Patrick Baldwin Jr. to a new 10-day contract and Dominick Barlow to a two-year contract with a $3.4 million team option next season, per Derek Bodner of PHLY Sports.

A minimum contract for someone with Barlow's years of NBA experience (four) would be roughly $2.5 million this season and $2.8 million next year. That suggests the Sixers dipped into their mid-level exception to sign him to an above-minimum contract.

How they wind up filling their other two roster spots will go a long way toward explaining their approach to the deadline.

Can Sixers quell fans' fury?

Let's start out with one key note: Other than ownership, nothing was preventing the Sixers from staying over the tax line this year.

The Sixers could have given Barlow the exact same contract with a portion of their prorated $5.7 million taxpayer mid-level exception since it's only two years long. They'd have access to that as long as they stayed under the $207.8 million second apron, which they are currently $19.2 million below.

But if ducking the tax was an organizational mandate, they didn't have many ways to get far enough under to accommodate Barlow's new contract.

For instance, take the trade we proposed Wednesday, which was basically an Andre Drummond/Jock Landale swap with a second-round pick attached. In retrospect, that was too generous, as Atlanta Hawks wound up acquiring him solely with cash considerations. (He proceeded to finish with 26 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, five threes and four blocks in his Hawks debut. Money well spent!)

Had the Sixers done that deal—which would have resulted in roughly $2.7 million in net savings—and still swung the Gordon-to-Memphis dump, they would have been roughly $3.7 million below the luxury-tax line before signing Baldwin or re-signing Bassey. After signing Barlow to his contract, they likely wouldn't have had enough room under the tax line to fill their open roster spots.

The Sixers also have to consider their proximity to the first apron. If they go over it, they'll be prohibited from signing anyone on the buyout market who was previously earning at least the $14.1 million non-taxpayer MLE.

It's unclear who (if anyone) the Sixers have in mind on the buyout market. But they presumably didn't create three open roster spots at the trade deadline by accident.

What's next for the Sixers?

Barlow already took up one of the Sixers' three open spots. Jabari Walker can't play again for the Sixers unless they convert him from a two-way deal since he hit his 50-game limit on Tuesday. He was inactive for Thursday's loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, and he likely won't be active again until the Sixers explore their options with their open spots.

If the Sixers effectively split their mid-level exception between Barlow and an impactful buyout signing, it will be easier to understand why they felt compelled to trade McCain. If they spend the rest of the season cycling through 10-day signings or washed-up veterans, their trade deadline approach will look even more confusing.

Again, it's worth restating: They did not have to duck the tax. As long as they were under the second apron, they could have signed Barlow to this contract.

If the Sixers were only planning on signing Barlow to a standard contract and leaving Walker on a two-way, they could have stood entirely pat at the deadline. They already had one open roster spot and could have just filled it with Barlow. If they're planning to convert Walker at some point as well, they could have dumped Gordon and kept McCain.

The Sixers would have been over the tax if they kept McCain, but they would have been far enough below the second apron to maintain access to the taxpayer MLE. They might have wanted to stay under the first apron to maintain their optionality on the buyout market, but they could have swung that as well.

But if the owners preferred to duck the tax as well, the Sixers didn't have many clear pathways to do so. McCain became a necessary casualty in that regard.

Unless otherwise noted, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball Reference. All salary information via Spotrac and salary-cap information via RealGM.

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