February 18, 2025
The Sixers are signing 26-year-old shooting guard Lonnie Walker IV to a two-year contract, according to a report from ESPN's Shams Charania. Walker, a six-year NBA veteran, had one more day to opt out of his contract with the Lithuanian club he was spending the season with.
A source confirmed to PhillyVoice that Walker's deal has a team option in the second season, as was first reported by Kyle Neubeck of PHLY. This structure, which the Sixers also used in their recent standard contract conversions of Justin Edwards and Jared Butler, enables the Sixers to either retain Walker with that option or decline it to open up negotiations on a longer-term deal.
Walker, who stands at 6-foot-4 and owns a 6-foot-10 wingspan, has played 322 NBA contests (88 starts) and averaged 9.8 points per game. He also had the best three-point shooting season of his career in Brooklyn last season, shooting 38.4 percent from beyond the arc on considerable volume (4.7 three-point attempts per game; 13.3 three-point attempts per 100 possessions).
The Sixers will have to clear a roster spot in order to sign Walker, and the most obvious candidate is David Roddy, whose 10-day contract with the team expires after Thursday's game. Swapping Roddy for Walker would give the Sixers 15 players on deals that cover the remainder of the season while staying below the luxury tax threshold:
Sixers' likely NBA roster for the remainder of the year:
— Adam Aaronson (@SixersAdam) February 18, 2025
Maxey
Grimes
Walker IV
Butler
Lowry
Gordon
McCain
George
Oubre Jr.
Edwards
Council IV
Embiid
Yabusele
Drummond
Bona
They will stay under the luxury tax.
Walker's agreement with the team is not expected to be made official immediately, as there are some logistical hoops to jump through with FIBA and the NBA. If Walker can be available for Thursday's game against the Boston Celtics -- who waived Walker after a preseason audition in October -- the team can waive Roddy, otherwise they can just let his deal expire.
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