Though All-Star Break is technically still in progress, the Philadelphia 76ers went straight to work on Monday morning. First, they brought Cam Payne back stateside, buying him out of his contract with Partizan Belgrade. A few hours later, ESPN senior insider Shams Charania reported that Philadelphia plans to promote Jabari Walker to a standard two-year contract, as he’s reached the maximum number of games he’s allowed to play on a two-way contract. Rather than leave their two-way slot unfilled, the 76ers will bring in Tyrese Martin, per Derek Bodner of PHLY Sixers.
The rationale behind each of these moves can likely be traced back to events that took place two weeks agoe.
Paul George Suspension Leads to Three 76ers Roster Signings
A seasoned ball-handler with a scoring punch, Payne essentially steps in to replace Jared McCain. McCain now plays for the Oklahoma City Thunder after they sent Philly a plethora of draft picks at the trade deadline. Meanwhile, Walker’s grit, rebounding and multi-positional defense have been valuable to Philly.
Once the Sixers convert Jabari Walker to a standard NBA contract, they intend to sign Tyrese Martin to a two-way deal to fill their open two-way slot, per source.
— Derek Bodner (@DerekBodnerNBA) February 16, 2026
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Yet, if Paul George hadn’t been suspended 25 games for his alleged use of performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs), they may not have felt the need to promote the 3-and-D forward.
Is Jabari Walker the Right Choice?
Looking at Walker’s scoring averages, he hasn’t provided much. 3.7 points per game are rookie numbers in this racket. His shooting numbers, 40.3% from the field and 27.0% from 3, are eyesores. With that being said, a team that’s missing George hasn’t just lost a versatile defender who can clean the glass. They’re also in need of a volume scorer.
As a result, MarJon Beauchamp or Dalen Terry arguably had better cases to be promoted to the 15-man roster. Not only are they effective perimeter defenders, they’ve both made over 40 percent of their 3s this season. In fact, Beauchamp’s a born bucket-getter. Because he’s only played two games for the Sixers, him averaging 18.0 points per 36 minutes may not mean much. All the same, he scored 18.2 points per 36 minutes in 2024-25 (35 games), playing for both the Milwaukee Bucks and New York Knicks.
Could that just be a coincidence, or is Beauchamp establishing a pattern?
The hold-up is that neither he nor Terry have Walker’s size. This makes them less capable of switching onto frontcourt players. George, 6-foot-8 and 220 pounds, has played 75 percent of his minutes at power forward in his time with Philadelphia.
Kelly Oubre Jr. Unlocks Options
The Sixers’ solution may be found in Kelly Oubre Jr., a 6-foot-8 and 203-pound swingman. Since he’s been in Philadelphia, he’s played 29 percent of his minutes at power forward. If 76ers head coach Nick Nurse is willing to deploy Oubre as a stretch-four even more frequently, Walker’s importance could depreciate. At the same time, minutes would open up in a wing rotation whose only mainstays have been George, Oubre, VJ Edgecombe, and Quentin Grimes.
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