Sixers Converting Two-Way Forward to Standard Two-Year Contract

The Sixers' 15-man roster is now complete.

Earlier Monday, the Sixers agreed to terms with veteran point guard Cam Payne. A few hours later, ESPN's Shams Charania reported that they intend to sign two-way forward Jabari Walker to a standard two-year contract. Charania added that they are planning to make both signings official "in the coming days," which is notable for salary-cap purposes.

Before officially signing Payne and Walker, the Sixers are less than $1.6 million below the $187.9 million luxury-tax line. If both players are taking rest-of-season veteran-minimum contracts, they would each cost nearly $740,000 if they signed their new deals on Monday. That would leave them less than $100,000 below the tax line.

The value of a veteran-minimum contract decreases by roughly $13,200 daily, so the Sixers could save almost $80,000 by not officially signing Walker or Payne until Thursday. That would leave them nearly $180,000 below the tax line.

Walker had reached the 50-game limit for a two-way player prior to the trade deadline, which is why he's been inactive for the past few games. Now that he's on a standard contract, he'll be allowed to suit up again and will be eligible to play in the postseason.

So long to the buyout market

Walker is averaging 3.7 points and 3.1 rebounds in 12.1 minutes per game this season, although he's shooting a career-worst 40.3 percent overall and 27.0 percent from three-point range.

Rebounding is Walker's main value to the Sixers. He ranks in the 100th percentile of forwards in offensive rebounding this season and the 76th percentile in defensive rebounding, according to Cleaning the Glass. However, he's more one-dimensional than Dominick Barlow or Trendon Watford.

Walker played well enough to get converted to a standard deal, but his signing means that the Sixers no longer have an open roster spot to take advantage of the buyout market. Any player who gets waived by March 1 can still be eligible for the postseason, so the Sixers are punting on any late-breaking developments on that front. (RIP to the Khris Middleton dreams.)

With all due respect to Walker, this seems more like a treading-water signing than an impactful move. Walker was already getting boxed out of the rotation in the last few games that he was on his two-way deal. Paul George's suspension could open some additional minutes for him and the rest of the Sixers' forwards, but Barlow and Watford still may be ahead of him in the rotation.

The Cleveland Cavaliers added James Harden, Keon Ellis and Dennis Schröder ahead of the trade deadline, while the Detroit Pistons (Kevin Huerter) and New York Knicks (Jose Alvarado) made more minor upgrades. Although team president Daryl Morey told reporters that he didn't consider any of those deals to be "needle-movers," all three upgraded more than the Sixers did.

The good news is that with Barlow and Walker no longer on two-way contracts, the Sixers had two open slots to fill. They already filled one of them with Dalen Terry, and they're planning on signing Tyrese Martin to fill the other, According to Derek Bodner of PHLY Sports, they're planning to sign forward Tyrese Martin to fill one of those.

Martin appeared in 37 games with the Brooklyn Nets this season and averaged 7.3 points and 2.9 rebounds 18.8 minutes per game. He shot only 39.2 percent from the field, although more than half of his shot attempts came from three-point range.

The Sixers can only hope that he's also a diamond in the rough like Barlow and Walker turned out to be.

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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