ESPN’s Shams Charania has reported that the Sixers will be signing Jabari Walker to a two-year standard contract. Walker hasn’t been able to play for Philadelphia since Feb. 3 after playing the maximum 50 games on his two-way contract.
With Cameron Payne returning to the team as well, the Sixers roster will be filled out with 15 players. Walker’s promotion will also open a two-way spot for the team to use.
Details of this contract haven’t come out just yet, but Derek Bodner of PHLY has been doing some math on when the Sixers can use two prorated minimum contracts while staying under the luxury tax. Doing so now seems to signal that they were able to.
Walker, who played in 45 of those 50 active games will suddenly come as some much needed depth for a Sixers team; Payne as well. As the last two games before the All-Star break showed, it only took a couple guys getting sick for the team needing to play Kyle Lowry extended minutes.
Walker’s averaged 12 minutes a night putting up 3.7 points and 3.1 rebounds per game in that time. He’s given the Sixers some solid hustle off the bench, in the 76th percentile for defensive rebounding rate while having career-highs in block and offensive rebounding rate, per Cleaning the Glass.
