Justin Edwards has been a revelation lately. Can the Sixers keep him past this year?
Give Daryl Morey and the Sixers’ front office credit: When they aren’t signing past-their-prime veterans, they know how to find some diamonds in the rough.
Guerschon Yabusele is the obvious example this year. He’s emerged as an indispensable rotation player after signing a one-year, minimum-salary contract late in the offseason. Yabusele isn’t the only under-the-radar pickup making an impact for the Sixers this year, though. Justin Edwards, whom the Sixers signed to a two-way contract in July, has likewise impressed in a larger-than-expected role in recent weeks.
Edwards played only nine total minutes over the first two months of the season, but he’s gotten more of an opportunity as injuries have piled up for the Sixers. His 25-point outing against the Oklahoma City Thunder in mid-January was his most notable performance to date, but he’s been providing steady two-way play for the past few weeks.
Prior to Tuesday’s win over the Los Angeles Lakers, head coach Nick Nurse made it clear that Edwards has earned a rotation role even when (if?) the Sixers get healthy.
Nick Nurse sees a role for Justin Edwards even when the team gets healthier: “I want him on the floor.”
— Paul Hudrick (@PaulHudrick) January 28, 2025
That begs the question: How can the Sixers keep Edwards beyond this season? That largely depends on what they do ahead of the Feb. 6 NBA trade deadline.
The Sixers currently have only 14 players on standard contracts, which leaves them with one open roster spot. If they don’t fill that spot at the deadline, they could convert Edwards from a two-way contract to a standard one- or two-year deal.
Since the Sixers already used their full room mid-level exception on Kelly Oubre Jr., they’d have to sign Edwards via the minimum player salary exception, which is limited to two years at most. (They gave Ricky Council IV a four-year deal at the end of last season by using a portion of their non-taxpayer mid-level exception, much like the Memphis Grizzlies did last year with Vince Williams Jr. and GG Jackson.)
If the Sixers don’t leave themselves with an open roster spot after the trade deadline, Edwards will have to play out the remainder of the season on his two-way deal. He’d then become a restricted free agent this offseason, which would give the Sixers the ability to match any offer sheet he signs with another team.
Depending on what they do at the deadline, the Sixers could have at least the taxpayer mid-level exception at their disposal this offseason. That already may be earmarked to retain Yabusele, but if not, the Sixers could spend a portion of it to sign Edwards to a longer-term deal. They’d otherwise again be limited to no more than a two-year deal via the minimum exception.
Edwards’ best option for now may be to sign a two-year deal with a second-year team option. The Sixers could decline that option this offseason and then use their non-Bird rights on Edwards to re-sign him to a deal that begins at 120% of the minimum salary. If he signed another 1+1 deal, the Sixers would have Early Bird rights on him in 2026, which would allow them to sign him to a much larger salary. (That’s likely their plan with Kelly Oubre Jr. this offseason.)
Granted, it only takes one team to express interest in Edwards and thwart that plan. However, few teams project to have meaningful cap space this summer. Considering veterans such as Tyus Jones and Gary Trent Jr. were forced to settle for one-year, minimum-salary contracts this past offseason, Edwards doesn’t figure to have a robust market in free agency.
That would work in the Sixers’ advantage. They need inexpensive rotation players alongside their Big 3, all of whom are now on max contracts. The new collective bargaining agreement will limit their ability to improve their roster via trades and free agency as long as they stay above either apron, which makes it imperative to find more gems like Edwards.
Not much has gone right for the Sixers this year, but Edwards is proving to be one of the few exceptions. As the Sixers weigh what to do at the trade deadline, they should prioritize keeping one roster spot open so they can convert him to a standard contract later this year.
Unless otherwise noted, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball Reference. All salary information via Salary Swish and salary-cap information via RealGM.
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