July 26, 2026
Jim Dedmon/IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Will Jabari Walker be a cost-cutting casualty?
In order to complete their deal with LeBron James and an ensuing reported agreement with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, the Sixers must open up $6.235 million in breathing room below their hard cap at the first apron.
Currently at 14 players on their standard roster – not including James or Caldwell-Pope – the Sixers have $3.419 million in room below the first apron.
So, before these signings can go through, the Sixers have work to do on the back end of their roster. While they could technically clear enough money in one transaction by dumping the salary of Labaron Philon Jr. or Dominick Barlow – allowing them to sign James and Caldwell-Pope to create a full, 15-player roster – it seems much more likely that two lesser players will head out, giving the Sixers a 14-player roster and a bit of extra room under the hard cap without sacrificing a first-rounder in Philon or an incumbent starter in Barlow.
Which players are at risk of being let go by the Sixers, and by what means can the Sixers shed those players' salaries? Exploring the options:
Contract details: $2,584,539 salary is non-guaranteed
Terry became popular within a new locker room quickly when he signed a two-way contract with the Sixers in February; when Cam Payne suffered a late-season injury Terry was the obvious candidate for a rest-of-season deal. The Sixers wisely tacked on a non-guaranteed team option for 2026-27, which they had no reason not to pick up.
There was no functional downside to carrying Terry into the offseason. But at this point, there is little case that he should survive two roster cuts to facilitate the James and Caldwell-Pope deals. Terry's athleticism and perimeter defense are intriguing, but in four years in the NBA he has not displayed any consistent offensive utility, in part due to a jumper that has never developed.
As long as the Sixers waive Terry before opening night, he will not carry any cap hit for the 2026-27 season. But they now appear likely to have to execute that transaction well in advance, as they cannot exceed the first apron at any point for the duration of the league year.
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Contract details: $2,584,539 salary only includes $250,000 guaranteed
Walker is far and away the best player on the roster bubble; he was a rotation regular for 50 games as a two-way player last season and earned a standard contract with this partially-guaranteed salary for 2026-27.
It is the path of least resistance – and perhaps it should be viewed as the likeliest outcome for that reason – for the Sixers to simply waive Terry at no cost, waive Walker at a minimal cost, sign James, sign Caldwell-Pope and enter the season with 14 players and a healthy $2 million in breathing room below their hard cap.
But unlike anyone else on the bubble, there is a proof of concept when it comes to Walker helping the Sixers win.
Jabari Walker had his best shooting/scoring and hustle/rebounding game on the same night Wednesday as he led the Sixers to a win over the Utah Jazz. Walker finished with 22 points (4-7 3P) and 10 boards.
— Adam Aaronson's clips (@SixersAdamClips) March 5, 2026
A terrific highlight reel for Walker in his second straight 20-point game: pic.twitter.com/VTbjGTbcuL
Walker was probably slightly overtasked playing every night in the opening months of the season, but that would no longer be his role. James, Jaylen Brown, Dean Wade and Barlow project to be this team's regular rotation forwards. If one of those players is sidelined, there is a case for Justin Edwards to play over Walker.
But Walker, as Sixers head coach Nick Nurse constantly reaffirmed last season, was the Sixers' best rebounder. Nurse and his staff believe in Walker's three-point shot, which has never quite come together but at different points in the season showed promise. He is a physical defender, a power forward by trade also capable of sliding up to the five every now and then.
It is worth noting, given Walker's four years of solid NBA experience, that a team could view him as an asset – especially on this contract, which does not become guaranteed until Jan. 10. Perhaps rather than waiving Walker, the Sixers could trade him for a minor asset, like a future second-round pick.
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Contract details: $2,150,917 guaranteed salary
Broome was the No. 35 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, and his rookie season was so ominous that there is a real case that he should be let go. Broome logged all of 55 regular-season minutes, with one appearance that was not in garbage time (the Sixers' entire frontcourt rotation had either gotten into foul trouble or suffered an injury).
It is not worth putting much stock in Broome's performances during the lowest-leverage minutes imaginable, playing in nonsensical lineups strictly designed to get the Sixers to the end of the game. But he shot 4-for-24 from the field for the season. It is troubling.
It would be impossible to prognosticate which teams were high on Broome's prospects as a decorated college player, but presumably those teams will touch base with the Sixers amid this roster crunch. There are teams with plenty of roster spots to fill, and given Broome makes a decent bit less than a veteran's minimum salary there are teams that could really benefit from having him occupy a roster spot if they believe he has a chance to contribute at some point.
Among the teams that make varying degrees of sense:
| Team | Notes |
| Denver Nuggets | 12 players under contract, second-apron balancing act potentially awaiting |
| Cleveland Cavaliers | 12 players under contract, significant luxury tax bill awaiting, only one backup center |
| Golden State Warriors | 10 players on guaranteed contracts |
| Miami Heat | 12 players under contract, tight squeeze below first-apron hard cap, no backup centers |
| New York Knicks | Organizational mandate to stay below second apron, only one backup center |
What would a trade look like? The guess here: if any asset is involved in the deal aside from Broome, it will be very minor. Maybe the Sixers could get one second-rounder for Broome. Maybe they would have to deal one away. But with a salary that small, and as a player regarded as a decent draft prospect last summer, Broome is not some albatross.
Another option, if the Sixers feel strongly about Walker having more utility than Broome, would be to waive and stretch Broome's contract. His $2.15 million salary would turn into a dead cap hit of just over $716,972 in each of the next three seasons.
Waiving Terry and stretching Broome would save the Sixers, in total, just over $4 million. That would put their first apron room at just under $7.5 million – enough to sign James and Caldwell-Pope, with about $1.1 million left over and a roster spot open.
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