And there go the first dominoes in Sixers’ free agency.
Tony Jones of The Athletic has reported that the Sixers will be picking up the team options on Dominick Barlow and Dalen Terry for the 2026-27 season.
There was some thought the sides could agree on an extension, but Barlow was a home run two-way signing for Philly last season and he should continue to help their depth. Initially signed
to a two-way deal, he appeared in 71 games and started in 59 of them as he was converted to a standard contract at the trade deadline. He averaged 7.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists in 23 minutes per game, all of which were career highs.
As a non-shooting four he made only 25% of his three-pointers, but the chemistry he developed as a cutter playing off of Joel Embiid was evident. While it wasn’t nearly enough to make the series look competitive, Nick Nurse using him as the backup five was the only sign of life the team showed in the second round of the playoffs against the Knicks.
So, Barlow will be back, making $3.4 million this season.
Terry was a two-way signing late in the year as the team started to get decimated by injuries. That eventually led to him getting converted to a standard deal when Cameron Payne went down with a season-ending injury a couple weeks before the playoffs begun.
He only appeared in 14 games for the Sixers averaging 12 minutes a game. He had intriguing moments as a defender but struggled to hang offensively, as has been the case for much of his career. He even experienced a bit of regression to the mean with his three-point shot in Philly. Terry shot 25% from three as a Sixer after making 41% of his threes with the Bulls, albeit on 1.4 attempts a game.
The team will also be declining the team option on Trendon Watford, per Jones.
Watford, a close friend of Tyrese Maxey, played in 53 games this year. He had two big injuries early, straining his hamstring in the preseason and his adductor in November. He averaged 16 minutes a game, putting up 6.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.5 assists on 57% true shooting.
His blend of size and ball-handling gave the offense an interesting wrinkle early in the year, but a combination of injury and shooting struggles made it hard for him to stick in the rotation.
