Sixers Sign Key Rotation Player to Standard NBA Contract

It doesn't make up for their infuriating trade deadline, but the Sixers got what they wanted out of their maneuvering. Prized two-way contractor Dominick Barlow is signing a standard deal with the team, the Sixers announced on Thursday night.

Adam Aaronson of Philly Voice was first to report the deal. It includes a team option for the 2026-27 season.

Because this is not just a rest-of-season contract, this is not considered a conversion from Barlow's two-way deal. It is a completely new contract. Because the transaction is happening on Thursday, Barlow will be available for a late-night tip-off against the Lakers in Los Angeles.

Philadelphia will have the opportunity to pick up his salary for next season or decline it in the summer, when they can then work out a long-term pact with Barlow.

Barlow has earned every last cent of this new contract, even leaving a strong impression over the final two games leading up to deadline day with a combined 16 offensive rebounds.

He has been a key hustle player for the team all season long, often proving that using your size and athleticism to their highest potentials is a skill in its own right. He hasn't been the most effective rebounder for his size and position, and his offensive repertoire is still a work in progress (although improving, no less!). But Barlow has consistently answered the bell when Nick Nurse has tasked him with defending high-level offensive players on opposing teams.

Barlow and players like him, with untapped upside and a hunger to do the things on the margins that impact winning, are exactly what you need to build deep teams with title aspirations in this CBA environment. As we've seen, teams are no longer interested in dulling out big chunks of salaries to players who are not of premium value. It is incredibly punitive to pay for the unknown. So these two-way spots are commodities more than they ever were before.

Barlow's consistent availability and effort earned him a standard deal, the Sixers using the trades they've made over the last 24 hours to free up the money for him.

It was just a few days ago that Nurse was asking Barlow to come off the bench for Kelly Oubre Jr. after starting for most of this season. He responded to the change quite well.

"I think [Nurse] kind of knows that I'm not going to trip. Obviously I'm competitive and I want to play. Of course I'm not just like, 'Hey, everybody can just play, I'll just sit.' No, I'm competitive. I definitely want to play. But he knows what he's going to get from me. So he doesn't really have to worry," Barlow told reporters of the conversation he had with his head coach about being removed from the starting lineup after the Sixers' victory over the Sacramento Kings last week.

"It was very quick, very simple and just kind of 'Cool, we're good.' What's going to help us win, I'm fine with that. I mean, the nights when I have to start, cool, great. Love to do it. Nights I have to come off the bench, same thing. As long as I'm playing out there and playing well, I don't really give a damn."

A week later, he's putting pen to paper on a long-term, standard NBA contract.